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Favorite thing: Most people need a visa to enter Belarus, with the exception of people from the following countries (You should check with you local consulate before travelling for most up to date information):
Armenia, Azerbaijan, Bulgaria, Cuba, the Czech Republic, Georgia, Hungary, Kazakhstan, Korea, Kyrgystan, Moldova, Poland, Romania, Russia, Slovakia, Tajikistan, Turkmenistan, Ukraine, Uzbekistan
Three types of visa are available, Transit (A Russian visa is no longer valid for transit through Belarus), which lasts for 72 hours. A single entry/ordinary visa, which is valid for 30 days. And a multiple entry visa, valid for up to one year, with maximum stay of 30 days at any one time, mainly for business use.
Visa's must be obtained from a Belarussian Embassy or Consulate, they are not issued at the border. Once in Belarus, you should register your visa with the local OVIR within 3 days, normally your hotel will take care of this. For all visas except a transit visa medical insurance is required with your application.
When I travelled to Russia, staying for a few days in Belarus, I obtained first a Russian Tourist Visa, and a Belarussian Transit Visa. The former was necessary for the latter. There is no land border between Russia and Belarus, so it doesn`t matter so much if you stay longer than the maximum 72hrs, it could only affect your registration in Russia (although for me there was no problem) which may result in a small fine.
The staff at the Belarussian Embassy in Bonn where polite, efficient, and there was no problem in obtaining the visa. In fact, the staff added an extra day before and after my requested dates. The Russian Consulate on the other hand was disorganised, inefficient, and unfriendly, but no problems where experienced obtaining the visa.
If travelling by rail, you should be careful if your train crosses the border after midnight of the day for your visa.
The Department of Visa's and Registration in Minsk can be contacted on +37517 220 15 05.
Updated Oct 25, 2004
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Favorite thing: The currency in Belarus is Belorussian Rubles. Booming inflation in Belarus has lead to a great reduction in the value of Belarussian Rubles, for which there are around 2,800 to the Euro!
Despite the offer from Putin, and promising talks since 2001, Belarusia's Alexander Lukashenko recently refused to accept the Russian Ruble as a single currency, replacing the Belarusian Ruble.
If you want to exchange a lot of foreign currency for Belarusian Rubles, you are advised to do so early in the morning, when the Exchange Centres open. The reason being, since Belarus does not have so many foreign visitors, their exchange centres do not carry a high amount of currency. However, once you have changed your currency into Belarussian Rubles, it can be difficult trying to change it back again into hard currency, and you are prohibited from taking a "large" amound back over the border.
US dollars, and to a lesser extent the Euro, are fairly widely accepted as an alternative to the Belarussian Ruble. It is common to see semi-armoured vans in public places, with people queing up to exchange their hard earned Belarusian Rubles for harder US currency.
Written Oct 25, 2004
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Reviews and photos of Homyel' attractions posted by real travelers and locals. The best tips for Homyel' sightseeing.
The currency in Belarus is Belorussian Rubles. Booming inflation in Belarus has lead to a great reduction in the value of Belarussian Rubles, for which there...
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1
Gomel is a city in the south-east of Belarus sitting on the river Sozh. Due to its proximity to Chernobyl, and the prevailing winds, it was one of the most affected cities during the Chernobyl...
2
First time for me in Belarus.A not so good trip by airplane,and when i arrived at Gomel airport,as first thing i saw..army. It seems to me as in Rocky IV when Sly land in Russia and army and kgb is......
3
I've got some interesting experiences in Homyel'. I'd love to share with you the 0 tips I've written, the 1 photo uploaded, and 0 travelogues I've created.
4
It is dirty and you can get poisoned swimming in our river (like i did once:)) But nobody cares about it since it cannot kill you anyway (well... if you don't drown of''course:)) For Homyel' people...
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