To arrive for education, foreign citizens need to obtain a student visa, except for countries with a long visa-free regime - Armenia, Azerbaijan, Georgia, Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan, Moldova, Russian Federation, Tajikistan, Uzbekistan and Ukraine.
Citizens of all other countries of the world need a student visa. They can obtain it at embassies and consulates of the Republic of Belarus. If there is no diplomatic mission of the Republic of Belarus in the country, visa can be obtained at the Main Consular Department of Minsk National Airport on arrival in the country.
In the second case it is IMPORTANT to collect the required set of documents in advance and have it with you on arrival.
Obtaining a visa in your country at the Embassy of the Republic of Belarus
On the official website of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of the Republic of Belarus (MFA RB) you can find out if there is an Embassy of the Republic of Belarus in your country.
The first thing you need to do is to decide which university you want to apply to. The company of MyUniver cooperates with many worthy universities throughout the country. A full list is available on the website in the "Universities" section. If you need advice and assistance in making your choice, MyUniver consultants will help you.
Once the university has been decided, you need to receive an invitation letter. Let's talk about it in detail.
What is it and how to get it?
An invitation letter is an official document without which you will not be able to obtain a visa and enter the territory of the Republic of Belarus. The invitation is issued by the Citizenship and Migration Department of the Republic of Belarus (CMD).
The process of obtaining an invitation is as follows:
- MyUniver prepares the necessary package of documents;
- After that, the documents are transferred to the university chosen by the applicant for verification;
- If everything is in order, the university sends the documents to the Department of Citizenship and Migration of the Republic of Belarus (CMD);
- Based on the results of the verification, CMD of the Republic of Belarus issues the invitation or notifies about the refusal to issue it.
Let's consider how the invitation letter looks like (attach photo):
- Surname, first name, patronymic (if any) of the applicant;
- Sex;
- Citizenship and state of permanent residence;
- Passport data;
- Place of visa receipt (depends on the presence of the Belarusian embassy in the applicant's country of residence);
- Purpose of entry;
- Number of entries;
- Partner company of the university;
- Inviting party (university).
IMPORTANT: If the applicant resides in a country where there is an official diplomatic/consular representation of the Republic of Belarus, the visa can be obtained only there.
When the invitation and the package of documents are ready, the partner company sends a copy of the invitation to the applicant, and he/she can make an appointment at the consular section of the Belarusian Embassy to obtain a visa.
After the visa is approved, the date of arrival is agreed upon, and the applicant is welcomed to Belarus to study!
Obtaining a visa at the Main Consular Department of Minsk National Airport
If there is no official diplomatic/consular representation of the Republic of Belarus on the territory of the country where the applicant resides or has citizenship, the visa can be obtained at the National Airport of Minsk (visa on arrival). It is issued by the Department for Foreigners of the Main Consular Department of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs.
The first two points are the same as for applicants who get a visa in their own country - choose a university, collect a package of documents, submit them through the company-partner of the university to receive an invitation.
In the column "Place of visa receipt" it will be written that the applicant can get a visa only at the National Airport of Minsk. But even here everything is not so simple.
After the invitation is received, it must be taken to the airport to the consular department of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, where it is checked, and if everything is in order, it is approved and stamped. The representative of the university partner company is given a photocopy of the invitation.
IMPORTANT: The stamp has a date on it, the applicant CANNOT enter the country before this date. As a rule, you can enter the country three days after the invitation has been approved and the stamp has been received at the airport.
It is absolutely necessary to coordinate the date of your arrival with the representative of the partner company, as on arrival of the applicant in Belarus he/she should be met by a representative of the university he/she is applying to. All this is planned in advance.
If the university is not in Minsk, the representative must come from another city. He can get into the transit zone only with a special pass, which is issued in advance. Therefore, it is important for the applicant to act according to the instructions of the partner company.
The university representative helps the applicant to fill in the application form, pay the visa fee, take out insurance and submit the documents to the consul. The consul on the spot checks the package of documents and issues the visa.
When the visa is approved, the applicant goes through passport control and finally finds himself/herself on the territory of the Republic of Belarus!
The process of obtaining a visa may seem complicated, but by following MyUniver's recommendations and instructions, you will be able to minimize risks and uncertainties, as well as save your time and energy to focus on the most important thing - your studies and future. Welcome to Belarus, the country of knowledge and new opportunities!
