Thread: Leaving Belarus on time

Hello,
Would this train

"Товарищ Сталин...". — Видео@Mail.Ru

be out of Belarus by midnight Belarus time? The time in Невель Russia is one hour ahead of Belarus. So the time posted on the train site would be out of Belarus by midnight.

europe time zones map

What are the consequences for overstaying a visa by a few minutes/hours? What happens if the train has a problem and is late?


Thank you,

Scott

Another question - my invitation to Belarus says enter Belarus June 4 and leave Belarus June 5. My Belarus visa say enter Belarus June 3 and leave Belarus June 6. I'm thinking the visa are the dates I can be there. Correct?

Thank you,

Scott

Belarus is very bureaucratic and they take administrative rules very seriously. I would not risk overrunning a visa. Not because anything terrible will happen, but because you might be forced to go back to Minsk, re-apply for an extended visa, pay a fine etc. All this could take a few days. I certainly did not get the impression that bribes of any kind are an option in Belarus, and if you arrived a couple of hours late to the border, and tried this, then you might make the situation worse.

Gosh, Belarus is a really nice country it's a real shame you are not giving it more than 3 days! Minsk alone takes a week to experience at least. All you will see during such a short journey is border guards and your impression of a police state will be reinforced, while in reality this is just a fraction of what Belarus is all about.

General advice: When travelling somewhere that requires visa, one should ALWAYS get a visa with at least one week's buffer of extra time, particularly at the end of the journey. You never know what could happen when you are on holiday.

As for your specific questions, it is definitely worth trying to ask the Belarussian embassy about this. The last day IS included in the visa, so you need to be out of the country by midnight on the last day. But by all means, call the embassy with your questions. Ask for the consular section they are there to answer stuff like this.

Yes I wish that we had more time to spend in Belarus but we don't. I was looking at my invitation not my visa when I asked the question about overstaying the visit. We're fine, the visa has the dates that we need.

Thank you,

Scott

Originally Posted by Hanna

Belarus is very bureaucratic and they take administrative rules very seriously. I would not risk overrunning a visa. Not because anything terrible will happen, but because you might be forced to go back to Minsk, re-apply for an extended visa, pay a fine etc. All this could take a few days. I certainly did not get the impression that bribes of any kind are an option in Belarus, and if you arrived a couple of hours late to the border, and tried this, then you might make the situation worse.

Gosh, Belarus is a really nice country it's a real shame you are not giving it more than 3 days! Minsk alone takes a week to experience at least. All you will see during such a short journey is border guards and your impression of a police state will be reinforced, while in reality this is just a fraction of what Belarus is all about.

General advice: When travelling somewhere that requires visa, one should ALWAYS get a visa with at least one week's buffer of extra time, particularly at the end of the journey. You never know what could happen when you are on holiday.

As for your specific questions, it is definitely worth trying to ask the Belarussian embassy about this. The last day IS included in the visa, so you need to be out of the country by midnight on the last day. But by all means, call the embassy with your questions. Ask for the consular section they are there to answer stuff like this.