‘I Had An Appointment At The Consulate Literally In A Month!’

Belarusians are cursing the authorities because of Lukashenka's new decree.

Lukashenka's decree “on passports” significantly limited the rights of Belarusians abroad. Now they cannot receive documents or issue powers of attorney outside the country. Radio Svaboda publishes several revealing stories.

The fact that Lukashenka signed a new decree, which significantly limits the rights and opportunities of Belarusians living abroad, became known on September 5. The document has already been published on the National Legal Portal, it will come into force on September 7. Radio Svaboda spoke with the Belarusians of Poland, Germany, Georgia and Lithuania, whose interests were directly affected by the decree.

“I had an appointment in the consulate literally in a month!”

Belarusian Mikhail (all names have been changed for security reasons — RS) lives in Gdansk, Poland. His passport will run out soon. Therefore, Mikhail made an appointment in advance at the consulate in Warsaw.

“However, they said that they would not give me a new passport, but prolong this one. But with such a passport you cannot travel anywhere outside Poland. It was possible to make a “travel document”, but it is given only when the passport is “expired” and not “renewed”, says Mikhail.

His residence permit (made for work) is valid until next year.

“Next year, I need to apply again for a “residence card”, a residence permit. And it is given only with a valid passport. Plus, after moving from Belarus, I issued a general power of attorney for property in the name of my sister. It is valid for three years. Here it ends, I will not issue a new one. I would like to go to Belarus, but my relatives dissuade me,” Mikhail added.

“A child in Belarus was not given a passport for a long time”

Nadzeja, her husband and daughter left their homeland for political reasons in 2021. They live in Lithuania on the basis of a humanitarian temporary residence permit. Nadzeja says that they prepared a little for emigration, so they made new passports for her and her husband.

“For my daughter, no matter how much we wanted to, we could not make a passport with a long term. After all, children at the age of 10 must change their passport. My daughter will be 10 next year. We called the consulate in advance, in the summer. We asked how we can change our daughter's passport. They answered: “Call in September, we will make an appointment”. And now it’s September — and this decree! Is it a a coincidence, or did they already know?” Nadzeja says.

She calls such actions of the authorities “petty ridicule” and mockery. The interlocutor adds that it is possible to issue a “travel document” in Lithuania. But that is done on the basis of a valid residence permit, it must be renewed annually.

“We will apparently apply for refugee status in order to have a “Geneva passport,” says the Belarusian.

Nadzeja added that after three years of emigration, she had the only connection with the state — a Belarusian passport. “Now we are deprived of such relations,” Nadzeja noted.

From Lithuania, she issued a power of attorney in the name of her mother, who is in Minsk, for an apartment deal.

“But the mother was turned down with this power of attorney back in August, they said that they did not want to accept a power of attorney made in Lithuania. We made a new one. But now I don't know what will happen. Such actions of the authorities no longer cause anger, but disgust. As if someone is shitting in your presence and smearing it around, and you have to endure it, ”added Nadzeja.

“Our ancestral apartment is now hanging in thin air”

Katsiaryna lives in Lithuania after the events of 2020. She, her husband and children have a residence permit and refugee status. They had an apartment in Zhlobin, which was inherited.

“My husband decided to sell it. To make a power of attorney, I had to go to Latvia, as there were very long queues at the Belarusian consulate in Lithuania. So I issued this document, paid 100 euros. Transferred papers to Belarus. There began the preparatory process for the sale. We ordered a general cleaning of the apartment. Paid 200 euros for the husband to be temporarily registered at a different address. Is it all over now?” Katsiaryna says.

She added that she is now crying, and her husband is angry and curses the authorities.

“I have a “Geneva passport”, and let them take the house”

Belarusian Aliaksei lives in Lithuania, has a refugee status and the so-called Geneva passport.

“I only learned from the Department of Migration that my Belarusian passport will expire soon. I looked — indeed, September 25, 2023. I wrote to the migration office: “What should I do?”. They said nothing. “If you want to travel, then you have a “Geneva passport”. Well, I calmed down. I don’t need that Belarusian passport,” says Aliaksei.

The man left behind a house in Belarus. “Even before, I issued a power of attorney in my dad’s name. But he could not sell the house, as it is in a remote village. Well, let them take it for themselves,” added the interlocutor.

“The consulate told me to go to Belarus”

Maryja lives in Georgia with her son. His passport will expire next year. She started calling the embassy today, but, she says, they simply did not pick up the phone there until the very evening.

“In the evening they answered that that’s all — no appointments, no passports, go to Belarus. I say: “What if I had applied for the passport earlier? They replied that it wouldn't work anyway. I don’t know what to do yet,” the Belarusian says.

The situation for her is aggravated by the fact that her son is now going to the first grade in Georgia (the academic year begins in Georgia on September 15 — RS).

“Go to Poland? We've only just begun to get settled here. Another thing is that the child’s passport will run out in March and they won’t even get a visa for him, since it is necessary that the passport be “older” for three months,” adds Maryja.

In Belarus, she still had “debts” — a tax on a car.

“Dad once issued it to me, then, by my power of attorney, he gave it to someone for spare parts. That is, there is no physical car, but I have to pay tax for it. I can’t deregister, according to a new decree,” says Nadzeja.

She says that she is now in despair and does not yet know what to do.

“In Germany, a residence permit is valid as long as a valid passport”

Aleh Hrableuski is forced to live in Germany. He fled Belarus without a passport. Appealed to the embassies of different countries. Germany replied that they would “accept” him. There he received international protection and, according to it, a residence permit. But he cannot go anywhere outside of Germany.

“And not only me. If anything, German officials say to us, Belarusians, the following: “Give us a passport.” No passport. Then they: “So go to your consulate and make it”. But I can’t, I received international protection here, so what contacts can there be with representatives of the Belarusian authorities, for whom I am a “fugitive criminal?” Then the officials demand a piece of paper — an embassy, consulate should give me a certificate that they refuse to renew or replace the passport. If there is no such certificate, German officials refuse to do any administrative procedures,” Aleh explained.

The interlocutor noted that things are different in different lands (administrative divisions in Germany — RS) it is different. He himself lives in the land of Bremen.

Aleh found 39 Belarusians who cannot apply to the Belarusian embassy, and they wrote a collective appeal to the Bundestag.

“This was before the adoption of this decree on the ban on obtaining passports abroad. After all, for us, Belarusians, the problem existed before. Now, you see, everything is even worse,” says Aleh.

He recalled that the right to move is basic. And if the state of Germany gave people protection, then maybe it will take care that people can move?

“There are mechanisms for this, but political will is needed. After all, we do not have refugee status in order to obtain a “Geneva passport”. And many Belarusians cannot, do not want to go to the embassy, because they are afraid. German officials live a “peaceful life” here and do not understand our problems,” the source added.

In their appeal, the applicants suggested issuing so-called “grey passports” (“foreigner's travel document”) as a solution to the problem. The corresponding letter was sent to the representative of the Bundestag commission.

“Fled Belarus just by a miracle!”

Anastasia lives in Poland. Last winter, she called the consulate about changing her passport, but there was a very long queue. “Although I was detained in 2020, I took a chance and went to change the passport for myself and my daughter. It was done quickly, within a week. But the day before returning to Poland, I was summoned to the financial police of the State Control Committee. They said that in 2020 I made a transfer to the “extremist fund”, 20 dollars. They “offered” that I donate $500 for a nursing home. I promised, only said that I don’t have so much money, I will transfer in parts. I transferred 60 rubles, showed the receipt and left the next day,” says Anastasia.

She added that the financial police officers called her on Viber, demanding that she “pay the rest”.

“I say that Belarus is under sanctions and I cannot transfer money from Poland there. They stated that they have a European account. This is how they do everything,” added Anastasia.

She has an apartment in Belarus.

“But this is probably it now. I will not be able to go to sell it,” said the interlocutor.