14

What is the status with the Russia/Belarus border? I am guessing there is still passport control. If there isn't, what does a traveller need to do after crossing the border?

For my case, I am Turkish, I don't need a visa for either country, but I might need to have my passport stamped at some point to show I've entered the other country.

Improve this question
1
  • 3
    @AndreyChernyakhovskiy please make this an answer so the OP can accept and we can canonicalize this question, thanks.
    – Gayot Fow
    Commented Oct 5, 2015 at 18:45

4 Answers 4

Reset to default
13

There is no passport control between Russia and Belarus. When entering either country, you'll be given a migration card which is valid for both. Still, there may be arbitrary check by immigration authorities on train (I myself never saw that happen even though BCh train tickets bear no name) or upon arrival by plane (came across that on one occasion), presumably to check that everyone who needs a visa has one.

Updated in December 2017:

The answer above was written in 2015 and seems to be no longer valid.

Improve this answer
1
  • 2
    Confirmed. There is a checkpoint with a stop sign and transport control, at least on the P21/A141, but no passport control. Google maps satellite view shows a long line of trucks which was one reason I was having doubts. At time of crossing, there was no line.
    – tanerkay
    Commented Oct 11, 2015 at 4:59
6

Russia and Belarus together form The Union State.

There is no passport control between the borders.

However, the countries still don't recognise each other's visas, as per http://ria.ru/world/20151001/1294534717.html via http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Visa_policy_of_Russia, as such, although you could easily cross the border (similarly to The Schengen Area), you may (or may not) get in trouble should a random document check reveal that you don't have a valid visa for the country you're in (although I guess the migration card might (or might not) be enough, as the blanks are valid for both countries).

Improve this answer
5

I've put a video on the issue — my trip to Moscow by land and return to Minsk by air (BY passport). Main points:

  • foreigners can only fly into Russia or Belarus and backwards to pass international checkpoints that are unavailable for buses or trains;
  • bus tickets are unavailable to foreigners in Minsk but train tickets are, and though trains aren't checked 100 per cent, it's illegal to take one into Russia even on a Russian visa;
  • flights to or from Russia aren't domestic any more - there is passports control from the Russian side;
  • visiting both countries keep your migration card you got in Russia until you leave Belarus.
Improve this answer
0
-1

There are land border checkpoints. The Belarus side mostly doesn't check a thing, however the Russian side has started to perform checks, due to Belarus' new "5 days visa-free" rule.

Russia and Belarus do not recognize each others visas and do not have uniform immigration law. Even more so, those land checkpoints are not considered "international" checkpoints and crossing the land border is technically off-limits for international (as in not citizens of either Russia or Belarus) travelers even if they do have both visas. One land checkpoint does have "international" status, and that is the one that's located on the edge of three borders (Russia, Belarus and Ukraine).

Otherwise, travelling by air seems to be the only legal way to do it.

Since you don't need visas for either country, you might (or might not) be totally fine pulling that off though.

Improve this answer
5
  • What about transitting by train?
    – alamar
    Commented Dec 13, 2017 at 11:51
  • @alamar Not sure about the current state of things with those trains. Before, they were only for Russians and Belarussians and frankly, I've heard nothing that could indicate they were even considering a change. Besides, taking a plane is quite likely to be cheaper or the same price as taking a train.
    – user4551
    Commented Dec 14, 2017 at 0:11
  • "taking a plane is quite likely to be cheaper or the same price". Taking plane is also cheaper than doing ocean cruise. So what!? I'm totally not sure that trains ever "were only" for Russians. So you are saying French could never travel on Paris-Moscow train? What's the point of having it then? Also, numerous people taking Transsib recount entering Russia by train.
    – alamar
    Commented Dec 14, 2017 at 9:56
  • @alamar Any trains transiting outside the Russia-Belarus territory are international routes and this restriciton does not apply to them.
    – user4551
    Commented Dec 14, 2017 at 15:54
  • That's good to hear, do you have sources?
    – alamar
    Commented Dec 14, 2017 at 16:12

You must log in to answer this question.

Not the answer you're looking for? Browse other questions tagged .