Belarusian passport

A Belarusian passport is issued to citizens of Belarus and is used for both travelling abroad and internal use. Unlike Russia and Ukraine, there are no "internal passports" in Belarus. Passports are issued by the Ministry of Internal Affairs to those who live in Belarus and by the Ministry of Foreign Affairs to those citizens who live abroad.

"AB" series passports are assigned to Brest region,"BM" series passports - Vitebsk region,"HB" series passports - Gomel region,"KH" series passports - Grodno region,"MP" series passports - Minsk city,"MC" series passports - Minsk region,"KB" series passports - Mogilev region,"PP" series passports are assigned to the Ministry of Foreign Affairs.

Passports are issued to citizens at any age. Every citizen who gained the age of 16 years are encouraged to get a passport. Passports are reissued at 16, 25 and 45 years old age. Passports have blue covers.

Article 14 of the "Treaty of United State of Russia and Belarus creation" expects future introduction of union citizen documents.

Information

A Belarusian passport contains the following information, printed in Belarusian, Russian and English:

* Given name, surname and patronymic name (the last one only in Belarusian and Russian)
* Date of birth
* Place of birth
* Personal number
* Gender
* Place of residence
* Visas (optional)
* Permission stamps for leaving Belarus (optional)
* Consular stamps (for those who live abroad)
* Information about children below 16 years old age (if any)
* Information regarding marital status and spouse details (if any)
* Blood group and Rhesus factor (optional)
* Ethnic origin (optional)

Moving abroad

Until January 1, 2008 Belarusian citizens had to apply for permission stamps in their passports in order to cross Belarusian borders. Permission stamps were given if there were no specific legal restrictions for their moving abroad.

In 2002 Constitutional Court of Belarus stated in his decision that permission stamps were not constitutional. Council of Ministers was ordered to propose a different kind of a citizen border control until December 31 2005.

With the Decree of the President of Republic of Belarus of December 17, 2007 permission stamps were finally abolished.

List of international treaties which grant Belarusian citizens visa-free entry to the corresponding countries:
* signed on December 20 1979 by USSR
* signed on October 30 1989 by USSR
* CIS treaty signed on October 9 1992:
** AZE
** ARM
** GEO
***flag|Abkhazia
***flag|South Ossetia
** KGZ
** MDA
***flag|Transnistria
** TJK
* signed on December 17 1992
* signed on January 11 1993 (for tourist groups)
* signed on July 1 1997
*
*
* signed on March 4 1999
* signed on December 22 1999
* Treaty signed on November 30 2000:
** RUS
** KAZ
** KGZ
** TJK
* signed on June 6 2002
* signed on December 24 2004

List of international treaties which grant visa-free entry to the corresponding countries to diplomatic passport holders:
* signed on December 20 1984 by USSR
* signed on January 11 1993
* signed on March 1 1993
* signed on May 14 1993
* signed on October 25 1993
* signed on December 14 1993
* signed on March 14 1995
* signed April 22 2002
* signed on May 23 2001
* signed on August 2006 2003
* signed on October 26 2004
* signed on October 28 2004
* signed on June 27 2005

History

Until Belarus established its independence Soviet-style passports were used. In spite of the fact that the citizenship of Byelorussian SSR (like citizenship of all other soviet republics) was recognized in USSR, Soviet passports never contained records about Byelorussian SSR citizenship. Soviet passports issued by the Ministry of Internal Affairs of Byelorussian SSR (as well as birth certificates) had records in both Belarusian and Russian.

External links

* [http://www.belarusguide.com/images/statehood/passport.jpgImage of Belarusian passport]
* [http://ncpi.gov.by/constsud/rus/resh/z146.html Constitutional Court decision on permission stamps]
* [http://gkpv.gov.by/ru/consult/visafreeregime Government page with comments on visa regime with other countries]
* [http://www.president.gov.by/press49177.html Presidential Decree abolishing permission stamps]

ee also

* Belarusian citizenship

Belarus topics