Belarus promises longer visa-free travel period to tourists

The Government of Belarus plans to extend the number of days that visitors entering the country without visas can stay, according to a report from the country’s BelTA News Agency.

It quoted the Belarusian Deputy Sports and Tourism Minister, Mikhail Portnoi, as saying that a presidential decree was currently being prepared that would allow tourists from 80 countries to stay for more than five days, provided they entered the country through Minsk International Airport.

"Allowing tourists to enter and stay in the country for five days is a breakthrough step for the tourism industry," Portnoi was quoted as saying. "We hope that these issues will be handled prior to the 2019 European Games. We may possibly extend the visa-free travel programme to also include border checkpoints on the ground. We have to take care of national security first. As far as visa-free travels are concerned, we take it step by step," he added.

Citizens of the UAE already benefit from a visa-free entry programme that allows them to stay for up to 30 days.