Since the beginning of 2024, Belarus has welcomed an influx of 43,735 foreigners from the European Union, each drawn by the lure of its visa-free regime.
The Belarus State Border Committee has revealed that 25,072 came from Lithuania, another part of 8,622 citizens, and 2,091 non-citizens were from Latvia, while 7,950 foreigners were Polish citizens, SchengenVisaInfo reports.
According to the same source, 844,341 travellers have been registered in Belarus since the beginning of this visa-free initiative. As a result, 520,283 are residents of Lithuania, while 193,423 individuals, including 58,206 non-citizens, came from Latvia. And among this crowd, another 72,429 from Poland have left their mark on Belarusian soil.
Over 800,000 Visit Belarus Since Visa-Free Regime Began
The previous report from the State Border Committee further revealed that as of January 1 until the end of February 2024, 22,686 people from Lithuania, 7,540 citizens, and 1,837 non-citizens of Latvia, along with 7,062 Polish citizens, visited Belarus. According to this report, a total of 839,731 travellers from neighbouring EU countries have travelled to Belarus following the start of the visa-free regime.
As the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of the Republic of Belarus explains, on April 15, 2022, the visa-free entry policy for citizens of Latvia, including non-citizens and Lithuania, entered into force. The same action was later extended to the citizens of Poland on July 1, 2022. The move was set to last until December 31, 2024.
Following this agreement, citizens of Lithuania and citizens, including non-citizens, of Latvia are granted access through specially designated international border crossing points on the Belarus-Lithuania and Belarus-Latvia borders.
At the same time, citizens of Poland are granted broader freedom, enjoying the flexibility to cross Belarus’s borders through any international crossing point located along the Belarus-EU border.
233 Belarusians, Including Lukashenka, Banned from Entering EU Until 2025
Last month, the Council of the EU decided to extend the restrictive measures against 233 individuals and 37 Belarusian entities, extending the deadline until February 28, 2025.
The EU has taken a tough stance against Belarus since August 2020, implementing successive rounds of sanctions targeting individuals and entities implicated in domestic repression, human rights violations, and the nation’s involvement in Russia’s conflict with Ukraine.
With this latest decision, 233 Belarusians, including the country’s president, Alexandr Lukashenka, will face another year of exclusion from EU borders.
In addition, Lithuania has taken the decisive step of closing its Lavoriškės and Raigardas border points with Belarus, which came into effect on March 1, 2024.
For citizens of Belarus seeking to enter Lithuania, access is now limited to only two remaining border crossing points – Medininkai and Šalčininkai. The country has also implemented a 50 per cent reduction in permits issued to Belarusian and Lithuanian carriers engaged in regular international shipping.
