Changes

When travelling on a 'private' visa to Belarus, you have to register be registered with the authorities as a "temporary resident" if stay in a migration department when staying the country for longer than 5 working business days (weekends not included'''including Saturday!''') in . Registration consists of a Soviet-style blue stamp on the back of your "Migration Card" (you'll get this at the countryborder). You get a private visa when someone invites How this is done will vary depending on where you to stay with them in Belarus, e: '''1.gHotels only'''Easiest option - they'll do it for you automatically and you won't have to worry about it. friendsIn some rare instances, couchsurfers or other acquantaincesthey may charge extra for registration, so do ask if registration is included. When entering Belarus, you will get a so-called ''Migration-card'2. It is a little piece of paper which is very important if you want Couchsurfing/squatting/camping'''You'll have to stay out of trouble. Visit a migration department in visit the first local "Migration Department" within 5 business days of your stay in Belarus with this card, and be sure to take your ('''including Saturday!''') '''with your and your host's passport''' with you (your host does not they don't have to be there in person , but if you don't speak Russian, it could be a lot easier as people in the office hardly speak English's best that they are). They will require 'll ask you to fill out a form and to make pay a fee at a payment twicelocal bank branch(!the fee is around EUR 10). It might sound scary, but it 's relatively straightforward. It is not much. The total amount advisable that you register with your first host upon arrival to Belarus for the entire duration of your stay(until your visa expires) - youwon'll t have to worry about/pay for registration again. Legally, you should re-register if you stay somewhere else for more than 5 days, but no one will (most probablybother you about this and you can always say "I got here yesterday" :) be about 5 Euro '''3. Couchsurfing+hotels'''After This is the most complicated option. Hotels will only register you for the duration of your stay. Once you check out, you've done all thisre no longer considered registered and the 5 day period does not apply any more. Therefore, if you then stayed with someone working through couchsurfing, you'd need to register immediately, in person, as is described in option 2. If you register with a host first (regardless for how long) and '''then''' stay at a hotel, your previous registration becomes void and the hotel registration applies, so the moment you check out you need to re-register somewhere else (either stay in another hotel or with a host - again the 5 day period won't apply). You could ask the office will hotel to not stamp your migration card, so that your previous registration is still valid during and after your hotel stay but this is technically illegal and up to the receptionist's discretion. You need ([[user:uncle_sam01|uncle_sam01]] got his hotel stamp on a sticky note with a migration card to be stamped to show it at "you-naughty-boy" gesture from the border while leaving the countryreceptionist... So )  '''be sure Lack of and/or incorrect registration will lead to have this card fines for you and your host, sometimes even deportation!!! (if your host had a previous guest who also screwed up their registration, they'd be considered a repeat offender and would face a higher fine)'and have it stamped'' Basically, too'''plan your first night in Belarus with a CS host and register with them until your visa expires. If you did not do stay at a hotel afterwards, make sure they don't stamp your migration card any more. Registration sounds way scarier than it, is and shouldn't deter you and your host can get in troublefrom visiting Belarus.