Almost 60 thousand citizens of Lithuania and Latvia use opportunity to visit Belarus since launch of visa-free regime

Almost 60 thousand people have used an opportunity to visit Belarus since April 15, i.e. from the start of the visa-free regime for citizens of Lithuania and Latvia.

Initially, visa-free entry was introduced for the residents of the Baltic States for a month - until May 15, but later it was prolonged until the end of the year. This is what the inhabitants of the border areas on both sides are only happy about. It's an opportunity for the Baltic citizens to visit their relatives in Belarus without unnecessary paperwork, do their shopping, get qualified help in medical institutions and take a vacation in the Belarusian resorts. 

For half a century the international festival "Braslavskie Zarnitsy" united talented teams of the borderland. This year the festival welcomes the delegations without visas after a two-year break. Since April 15, more than 17 thousand citizens of Lithuania and Latvia have entered Belarus without a visa. In the country as a whole, this figure is many times higher.

Anton Bychkovsky, official representative of the State Border Committee of the Republic of Belarus:

“Since the beginning of visa-free entry into our country, about 59 thousand foreigners have passed through. Most of them, almost 40 thousand, are citizens of Lithuania. The flow of visa-free trips is increasing on the eve of holidays and weekends.”

Almost every resident of Braslav District has relatives in the Baltic States. The visa-free visit is a long-awaited opportunity to meet, hug close people, and visit the graves of their parents. Because of the pandemic, Kristina Gabasova from Riga was deprived of this opportunity for several years. 

On June 1, Vitebsk Regional Executive Committee decided to remove restrictions on the export of Belarusian products by Lithuanian and Latvian individuals. This decision is going to stimulate the retail turnover.