Procedure of issuing
In accordance with the Decree of President of the Republic of Belarus of June 3, 2008 No. 294 «On documenting the population of the Republic of Belarus» a certificate of return is being issued by diplomatic missions or consular offices for:
- citizens of the Republic of Belarus in case of loss (theft) of a passport of a citizen of the Republic of Belarus, an official or diplomatic passport or expiration of its validity during their stay outside the Republic of Belarus;
- minors in case they are born outside the Republic of Belarus;
- stateless persons permanently residing in the Republic of Belarus, refugees and foreign citizens who are granted asylum in the Republic of Belarus in case of loss (theft) of the travel document during their stay outside the Republic of Belarus;
- citizens and stateless persons permanently residing in the Republic of Belarus, who have invalid documents for leaving the Republic of Belarus and (or) entry into the Republic of Belarus in case of their deportation, deportation to the Republic of Belarus, or extradition to the Republic of Belarus.
A certificate of return is being issued for a single entry into the Republic of Belarus and can not be used for departure from the Republic of Belarus.
When accepting an application for a certificate of return, the official of the diplomatic mission or consular office of the Republic of Belarus establishes the identity and citizenship of the applicant, interviews him about the circumstances of the loss (theft) of the passport of a citizen of the Republic of Belarus, diplomatic or service passport, travel document and the availability of documents confirming his personality and citizenship.
In case of impossibility to establish the identity and citizenship of the applicant, the official of the diplomatic mission or consular office of the Republic of Belarus shall send a request to the internal affairs bodies at the applicant's place of residence in the Republic of Belarus to confirm the identity and citizenship of the applicant.
Upon arrival to the Republic of Belarus, the owner of the certificate of return must, within one month, transfer it to the Citizenship and Migration Unit of the Interior Ministry at the place of residence or to the Ministry of Foreign Affairs (in the case of issuing a return certificate to replace the lost (stolen) diplomatic or service passport, and as well as the passport of a citizen of the Republic of Belarus to a citizen permanently residing outside the Republic of Belarus and consisting on consular registration).
In accordance with the list of administrative procedures established by Decree of President of the Republic of Belarus of April 26, 2010 No. 200, the issue of a certificate for the return to the Republic of Belarus of a citizen of the Republic of Belarus or a stateless person who has reached the age of sixteen residing in the Republic of Belarus, is carried out on the basis of the following documents:
- application for the issuance of a certificate;
- a statement specifying the circumstances of the loss (theft) of a passport, diplomatic or service passport of a citizen of the Republic of Belarus or a travel document of the Republic of Belarus;
- two color photos of the applicant, corresponding to his age, with a size of 40x50 mm (one sheet);
- a document issued by the competent authority of a foreign state that confirms the applicant's appeal regarding the loss (theft) of a passport, diplomatic or service passport of a citizen of the Republic of Belarus or a travel document of the Republic of Belarus (except for cases when it is impossible to receive it);
- a document confirming the payment of consular fee.
When registering a certificate for the return to the Republic of Belarus of a citizen of the Republic of Belarus who is under 16 years of age or a stateless person permanently residing in the Republic of Belarus, the legal representative of a minor presents:
- application for the issuance of a certificate;
- a statement specifying the circumstances of the loss (theft) of a passport of a citizen of the Republic of Belarus or a travel document of the Republic of Belarus;
- passport or other document certifying the identity of the legal representative of the minor (if any);
- birth certificate — for minors born outside the Republic of Belarus;
- two color photos of a minor, corresponding to his age, measuring 40x50 mm (one sheet);
- a document issued by the competent authority of a foreign state that confirms the applicant's appeal regarding the loss (theft) of a passport of a citizen of the Republic of Belarus or a travel document of the Republic of Belarus.
Documents issued by the competent authorities of foreign countries are accepted subject to their legalization, unless otherwise established by international treaties of the Republic of Belarus, and translated into one of the state languages of the Republic of Belarus in accordance with the procedure established by law.
The consular fee for the issue of a certificate of return is 20 euros.
Citizens who have not reached the age of 14 are issued a certificate free of charge.
Also free of charge are certificates of return for citizens of the Republic of Belarus and stateless persons permanently residing in the Republic of Belarus, who are sent, deported to the Republic of Belarus or issued to the Republic of Belarus at the request of law enforcement agencies of foreign states, or are victims of human trafficking, or do not have the means to pay consular fee.
The term for processing the certificate of return to the Republic of Belarus is up to 1 month from the date of application.
The validity of the certificate of return to the Republic of Belarus is up to 6 months, depending on the need to obtain citizens and stateless persons of exit and transit visas.
