Latvia-Belarus consular consultations held in Minsk

On 4 December 2019, Minsk hosted the bilateral consular consultations between Latvia and Belarus, addressing topics of current importance in consular work.

The officials shared views on various details concerning the provision of consular assistance, and the legalisation of documents with an Apostille in particular.

Attention was devoted to visa issues in relation to the Ice Hockey World Championship in 2021, amendments to the European Union Visa Code, and the upcoming agreement between the EU and Belarus on visa facilitation.

The participants had a discussion on the Agreement between Latvia and Belarus on Facilitation of Local Border Traffic for Border Residents, its application and alignment of practices. In the course of several years, the number of visas issued by the Embassy of Latvia in Belarus and the Latvian Consulate in Vitebsk remains high, reaching up to 60,000 visas per year, which is evidence of interest among Belarusian citizens in visiting Latvia.  

Latvian nationals (both citizens and ‘non-citizens’) can travel to Belarus without a visa on the following conditions: the arrival and departure takes place only via the National Airport “Minsk”; and the length of stay does not exceed 30 days.

The previous Latvian-Belarusian consular consultations took place on 22 January 2014 in Riga.