Having a visa of either country will soon allow you to visit both!

In 2020, Russia and Belarus signed an agreement stating that foreign citizens and people with no citizenship could enter the territory of both countries, if they have a valid visa to either country. But, the agreement has not yet entered into force.

Agreement of 2020

As Russia and Belarus are taking steps towards creating 'The Union State', numerous agreements providing integration have been made between the two countries. One of them that might interest those who'd like to visit Russia is the agreement made in 2020. The document states that foreign citizens and individuals with no citizenship can visit and transit through both Russia and Belarus, if they acquire a visa of one of the countries. It means that if you have a visa for Belarus, you can visit or transit through Russia without having to get a separate Russian visa and vice versa.

The corresponding law was signed by President Vladimir Putin in January 2023 and published shortly after. Yet, it has not come into effect at the time of this article's publication. According to the Belarus Embassy in the U.S, all procedures for the implementation of the law should be completed by the beginning of 2024. It means, currently, tourists still have to get separate visas to visit either country - Russian visa to visit Russia and Belarusian visa to visit Belarus.

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Nuances you should know

In case you are willing to use this opportunity when the agreement becomes effective, you should take into account several details.

Legion Media

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