Belarus Sets Rates For ‘Going Abroad’ Tax

How much will you have to pay for registration in the queue at the border?

The Council of Ministers, by its resolution, amended the regulation on the procedure for passing vehicles across the border of Belarus. The document was published on the National Legal Internet Portal.

The document establishes a fee for registration in the electronic queue system of vehicles for entry to road checkpoints across the Belarusian border in the amount of one base fee (BYN 32) for each freight vehicle and bus. For a passenger car, a motorcycle and a moped, you will have to pay 0.3 base fees (BYN 9.6).

The fee for registration in the electronic queue system is charged for each vehicle entering the waiting area from the driver or owner of the car.

RUE Beltamozhservice will transfer 70% of the funds received from payment for registration in the electronic queue system to operators of waiting areas, 10% — to the State Border Committee for “improving the logistics of the border service”.

Who is exempt from entering the waiting and registration area

People with disabilities from the Patriotic War, participants in the war, people with the first degree of disability, as well as persons traveling with disabled children under the age of 18, with the exception of the specified category of individuals traveling in buses when performing international road transport of passengers in irregular traffic;

individuals traveling with diplomatic passports, biometric diplomatic passports;

individuals traveling with service passports of citizens of the Republic of Belarus, biometric service passports of citizens of the Republic of Belarus;

heads and employees of diplomatic missions and representative offices of international organizations, consular offices, as well as members of their families accredited at the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, regardless of the type of passport of their holders, when traveling on vehicles with diplomatic (consular) registration plates of the Republic of Belarus (CD and CC series);

foreign citizens and stateless persons traveling with documents confirming the severity and degree of difficulties in physical activity and participation 75-100 percent, issued by the competent authorities of the state of nationality or usual place of residence of a foreign citizen or stateless person, with the exception of the specified category of individuals, traveling in buses when performing international road transport of passengers in non-scheduled traffic.

In addition, individuals traveling with children under 3 years old are allowed to leave the waiting area without a queue, with the exception of those traveling in buses that carry out transportation in irregular traffic, Belpochta vehicles, as well as trucks transporting high-risk goods.

The document also defines the timing of the introduction of an electronic queue at two checkpoints. It is planned to introduce the system at Makrany on the Belarusian-Ukrainian border by 2025, and at the Kazlovichy cargo checkpoint on the Polish-Belarusian border — by 2023.

On August 16, Lukashenka signed a decree, according to which all drivers will pay for registration in the electronic system and pass the border on a first-come, first-served basis. Previously, Belarusians who traveled abroad by car through checkpoints with an electronic queue system did not pay for registration in it. Those wishing to pass the border faster could book a certain time for crossing the border, and drive past the free queue at the appointed time.