How Belarus counts the visa-free days?

I know Belarus only started new 5 days visa-free days ago at Minsk airport, there is not much official info about how the 5 days are counted. For example, the arrival day is Day 0 or Day 1? If I arrive on Monday, do I have to leave on Friday or Saturday? I need to know this to book flights and hotels. 5 days are precious and I really want to maximize the time.

Belarus had 5-days visa-free in Polish border area before, has anyone used it and have an idea?

Day 1 starts on arrival. You have to leave (or at least, pass through passport control in Minsk Airport) by 23:59 on Day 5.


Yes. There are two zones, one around Belovezhskaya Pushcha and one around Grodno and the Augustów Canal. They have slightly different requirements, but both require advance booking online to obtain the visa waiver. It's painless, but you have to be careful as, for instance, the visa free regime does not apply to the Augustów Canal zone if you travel by train.

Hi Delph! Nice to see you on the Polish Forums again. Have you been staying in Belarus for sooo long?

It's pity Day 1 starts on arrival, that makes the actual stay in Belarus only 96 hours (4 days) unless there is flight arrive at 00:01 on Day 1 and depart 23:59 on Day 5.

Nice to see you too Ziemowit, looks like nothing has changed around here ;) No, I haven't been there yet, but I'm hoping to make a trip within the next couple of months. Grodno seems like a fascinating place, and it has the large Polish minority too.

Globetrekker, assuming Warsaw is your departure point, there's a flight via Kyiv at 05:50 that gets you into Minsk at 11:50, and you've got a return flight from Minsk at 19:30 local time. That gives you nearly 5 full days there, so it's not so bad. If you really want to push it, you can get a flight to Kyiv at 10:30pm, or Kharkov at 11pm.

Thank you for the advises.

Does Minsk airport have restriction how early one can enter the departure zone? Do they accept online boarding pass? Do they allow overnight stay in the departure zone? For example, I have 6am departure flight, can I pass the passport control before the midnight and stay in the departure zone till morning?

In theory, it is possible, as you can use the Sleepboxes located in Minsk Airport 24/7. There's some information here about them - airport.by/en/infrastructure/sleepbox - and here - airport.by/en/content/faq .

These days, Belarus offers 30 days visa-free if you enter through Minsk Airport.

can you even get high speed internet in Belarus or free wifi?

Yes. They have usable internet in hotels and they have hotspots and cages.

Im thinking of going checking it out soon.

@Strzelec35

Belarus?
You must be nuts.....experience Africa in Europe.....

The hotel prices are different for the citizens and foreigners.if the citizen pay 5$ for a room you will pay 100$.