Belarus Introduces New Rules On Travelling Abroad For Permanent Residence
- 23.11.2023, 8:20
When can a permit be refused?
The Council of Ministers, by its Resolution No. 798 of 20 November, approved the Regulation on the Procedure of Registration of Exit for Permanent Residence Outside Belarus.
The document will be officially published today on the National Legal Internet Portal and will enter into force upon publication.
According to the regulation, a citizen who has reached the age of 18 or has acquired full legal capacity submits an application and the necessary documents in person to the Department of Citizenship and Migration. In the case of minors, the application and documents may be submitted by their legal representative.
When the documents are received, the staff member of the Department of Citizenship and Migration must verify the identity of the citizen, check the data provided by the citizen against the documents submitted, explain the legal consequences of the journey and the reasons for refusal.
The data check then begins. It is checked whether there are any restrictions on the right to travel and whether the citizen is registered in the Unified State Database of Criminal Records.
The check also includes requests for
Fulfilment of tax obligations;
the termination of the activity of an individual entrepreneur;
military commissariat approval (for conscripts and citizens aged 18-27 in reserve);
on the fulfilment of maintenance obligations (for citizens with minor children who are obliged to pay maintenance);
information on the reimbursement of expenses incurred by the state for the maintenance of children (in respect of persons obliged to pay maintenance).
The Regulation stipulates that citizens may submit a certificate of consent to leave issued by the military recruitment office when submitting an application.
Applications must be submitted within three days of the date of application. The relevant state bodies have 20 days to comply.
The decision on the application to leave the country must be taken within 15 days of receiving the information on the results of the checks. On the day of the decision, the existence of exit restrictions and the presence of the citizen in the criminal database are checked again.
The exit authorisation may be banned in the following cases:
exit restrictions;
information on unfulfilled obligations;
provision of false and incomplete information, false or falsified documents.
A refusal is also issued in the case of registration of a minor without a legal representative permanently residing in Belarus, or if the minor is registered in Belarus without a legal representative.
The Department of Citizenship and Migration must notify the citizen of the decision within three days of its adoption.
At the end of the procedure, the passport must be stamped with an entry for permanent residence.
The decree also approves the forms of application for departure and other documents.