"I don't regret listening to my dad and coming here." Foreigners on why they moved to Belarus

Photo courtesy of the Sovetsky District Department of Internal Affairs of MINSK Foreigners often choose Belarus for permanent residence. To begin with, they apply for a residence permit here. And over time, some migrants fall in love with our country so much that they also receive Belarusian citizenship. We will tell you how easy it is to become the owner of a Belarusian residence permit, what it provides, and for what offenses it can be revoked.

A specialist rushes to help

The Citizenship and Migration Department (CIM) of the Sovetsky District Department of Internal Affairs of Minsk is quite crowded even on a weekday morning. Foreigners wait on benches for their turn to enter the specialist’s office. This mechanism in the CIM has been fine-tuned over the years: the numbers of coupons, which are duplicated by an electronic voice, light up on the electronic board every now and then. Among those waiting for their turn, we see Evgeniya with her daughter Ulyana. They came from the Russian city of Kamensk-Uralsky, which is in the Sverdlovsk region. The woman came to the Department of Citizenship and Migration for a permanent residence permit in Belarus - for two years. If during this time Evgenia has no violations, then in December 2026 she will receive the same permit for 10 years.

- My husband is Belarusian, we lived in RUSSIA for several years, but then he suggested moving to Belarus. I am very happy with this decision. There is a high standard of living, education and medicine, good ecology, many parks and places where you can go with the whole family. Noticeablecaring for people: my sister entered college and immediately got a place in a dormitory, - says Evgeniya. - And in general, I like Belarusians - sympathetic people who will always help and support.

She notes that a residence permit provides a number of advantages, for example, service in clinics and hospitals on an equal basis with Belarusians, equal opportunities in employment and education. Viktor, who came from Lugansk to Minsk

in 2014 , assures that it is not difficult to obtain a residence permit in Belarus. - The main thing is to live and work, and collecting documents is quite simple. Moreover, specialists help with this. For example, in the OGiM Sovetsky District Department of Internal Affairs, I often asked seemingly elementary questions to employees on how to correctly fill out the columns in the application, and I never felt any negativity towards me. Although I understand that they answer these questions 50 times a day. And once I saw how the employees found an interpreter for an English-speaking visitor to help them understand each other better, - says Viktor and clarifies: - Perhaps the most time in preparing documents for obtaining a residence permit is spent on preparing a medical certificate. He shares his plans to obtain Belarusian citizenship. He hopes that this will not be so difficult, because Viktor has already settled in here: he married a Belarusian woman and got a job. Avez Gildy from Turkmenistan also notes the readiness of the OGiM specialists to help. He applied for a residence permit in Belarus two months ago, and today he came to receive the document. - The employees of the Sovetsky District Department of Internal Affairs told me how to fill out the application, write an autobiography, what documents to bring. Without them, it would have been much more difficult to figure it out, - admits Avez. A native Muscovite, Ivan, assures that all issues can be resolved in the citizenship and migration department in half an hour, or even faster. - No kilometer-long queues, - he notes. Ivan came to study in Belarus at the insistence of his father, who used to live in Minsk: - He always spoke very highly of this country. It was clear that dad liked the Belarusian culture and the people. That's why I came here to study at the Belarusian National Technical University to become a power engineer. Now I'm in my fourth year, working at the Minsk City Lighting Department, and I'll be assigned there after I graduate. I met a girl. I don't regret listening to my dad. The main thing is to follow the laws Since September of this year, the document certifying a residence permit has changed in appearance - it has become similar to a biometric passport of a citizen of Belarus, noted Alexander Voronovich, Deputy HEAD of the OGiM Department of the Soviet District Department of Internal Affairs of Minsk. An envelope with three codes is issued with the card: to confirm identification, for an electronic signature, and a PUK code to restore the first two if a person has forgotten them.




















- We resolve all issues with issuing residence permits and obtaining Belarusian citizenship. Today, we issue such a document to 10-12 foreigners every day, - says Alexander Voronovich. - In addition, we provide assistance in collecting documents, filling out applications, and consult another 50-60 people daily.

Most of the visitors are Russians. There are also citizens of Iran, Syria, and Turkey working in Belarus. These are mainly doctors or university graduates. People who have relatives in our country also often contact us.

- First, foreigners receive a temporary stay permit, then a temporary residence permit. Many students, after completing their studies, look for a job and at this stage prepare documents for a residence permit. The main condition is to live in Belarus for at least 5 years without violations, - specifies Alexander Voronovich.

A residence permit can be revoked for an offense, most often for driving a vehicle while in a state ofALCOHOL intoxication . The need to comply with Belarusian laws when issuing a residence permit is warned in writing.

Alexey GORBUNOV,
photos provided by the Sovietsky District Department of Internal Affairs of Minsk,
the newspaper "7 days".