BELARUS NEWS AND ANALYSIS

DATE:

28/01/2009

Easy access to Belarus' border zone as from February 5

The rules governing the entry to the border zone of Belarus will be relaxed since February 5, Mikhail Oksenuk, deputy head of the Border Management Department of the State Border Committee, informed at a seminar on January 28, BelTA learnt.

New rules for visiting the Belarusian border zone will become valid on February 5, 2009. According to them, to go to the border zone a Belarusian will only have to pay a state due of 0,2 basic amount (now it is equal to Br35,000) and receive the relevant permission at any border post according to the declarative principle. The same rules will be applied to foreign citizens and stateless persons permanently residing in Belarus.

Foreign citizens who have come to Belarus will have to apply to the State Border Committee or a border regiment, for a permit to go to the border zone. The permit will be issued within five or seven days.

Mikhail Oksenuk noted some categories of people will be banned from entering the border zone. These are persons under criminal prosecution and those who have violated the border crossing regulations twice a year.

According to the representative of the border department, the State Border Committee has initiated the move to reduce the border zone from 50 kilometres to 10-15 kilometres. This will contribute to the development of tourism and economy of the frontier regions.

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