Will Those Who Are Already Registered In Line Be Able To Exchange Passports At Diplomatic Missions?

We asked the embassy.

Maryna has been living in Poland for two years, she has a residence card — a local residence permit. In March, the woman applied to the consular department of the Belarusian Embassy in Warsaw to sign up for a replacement passport. Her turn comes in December. After it became known that Belarusians living abroad would no longer be issued, changed or renewed passports through diplomatic missions, Maryna had a question, could she still apply for this service, because the woman has been standing in the consulate’s electronic queue for a long time?

The Zerkalo journalists could not get through to the consular department of the Belarusian embassy in Warsaw, so with a question from Maryna, they dialed the embassy in Georgia as ordinary citizens. They could not say whether the decree, which shocked many Belarusians today, has entered into force.

“Everything is on official sources,” the specialist said and asked to look there. Meanwhile, the decree has already been registered on the National Legal Portal, it will enter into force after its official publication.

As for the fate of those who waited in the electronic queue to submit documents for a passport, an employee of the consular service of the embassy answered as follows:

— Unfortunately, we will not be able to accept your application, this service is available only at the place of registration.

To clarify whether the queues are canceled from today, she replied: “In fact, yes”.

— I have a friend who, for example, is scheduled for September 20. It turns out, he has no chance either?

— Correct. But those who have already submitted an application, the entire package of documents and paid the consular fee, will receive passports through embassies. They will not have to go to Belarus for the document.

In the chats of Belarusians abroad, people discuss whether one of the relatives can get a passport in Belarus if there is a power of attorney. This cannot be done, since the law obliges an adult citizen to receive documents personally.