Belarus Determines Who's Not Allowed To Go Abroad For No Reason

The document has been made public.

Back in the spring, Belarus changed the law on the procedure for leaving and entering the country. Six months later, the government has set out how officials, judges and state employees can travel abroad. The decree, published on the National Legal Internet Portal, specifies who can leave the country and with whose permission, as well as when to submit an application for departure and what it should contain.

Who cannot leave the country without a permit?

Permits will be required for the heads of state bodies and state organisations, as well as for employees who have access to state secrets. Permits will be signed by officials who have the right to conclude contracts or employment agreements with them.

The deputy prime ministers, the head of the office of the Council of Ministers, the heads of the republican bodies of state administration and other organisations subordinate to the government, the commissioner for religions and nationalities, the chairman of the presidium of the National Academy of Sciences of Belarus will be cleared by Prime Minister Raman Halovchenka himself.

"Senators", chairmen of regional and Minsk city "councils of deputies" - Natallia Kachanava, "deputies" - Uladimir Andreichenka.

The Prime Minister appoints the heads of the CEC, Belstat, the Higher Certification Commission, the Belarusian Institute for Strategic Studies, the National Centre for Legislation and Legal Research, the National Centre for Legal Information and other organisations subordinate to the administration.

Aliaksandr Lukashenka is the head of the same administration.

Judges of the Constitutional Court, as well as employees of this body - the Chairman of the Constitutional Court. The same system will operate in the Supreme Court, but in addition, the Chairman of the Supreme Court will be able to sign the exit permit for the chairmen of regional (Minsk City) courts, economic courts of regions and Minsk. The chairmen of the regional courts authorised the judges of lower rank.

Chairmen of city executive committees, district executive committees, heads of local administrations of districts in cities, state officials and employees of regional executive committees - governors, officials and employees of the Minsk City Executive Committee - the Mayor of Minsk.

Officials and employees of lower ranks may not go abroad without permission.

Permits are issued to officials and employees of city executive committees, district executive committees, local executive and administrative authorities of the primary territorial level (except for local administrations of city districts) by the chairmen of city executive committees and district executive committees, and to state officials and employees of local administrations of city districts by the heads of local administrations of city districts.

What kind of permission?

In order to obtain permission to leave the country, it is necessary to submit an application in writing - 10 calendar days before the planned date of departure. The document should not be drawn up in a free form, but should indicate: the country(ies) to be visited and/or transited;

the purpose of the journey;

address(es) of residence;

contact details of the applicant.

"The decision to grant permission to leave the country or to deny such permission in order to safeguard the interests of national security shall be formalised by a resolution," the decree reads.

The decree will come into force on 23 November.

It is worth remembering that in the spring Belarus changed the law on the procedure for leaving and entering the country. The government was then given six months to decide who and how to release officials abroad.

However, top officials will only be able to go abroad with the agreement of Aliaksandr Lukashenka.