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Question: What is the procedure for citizens to stay in the border zone and the border strip?

Answer: In accordance with Article 37 of the Law of the Republic of Belarus dated July 21, 2008 No. 419-Z On the State Border of the Republic of Belarus (as amended. The Law of the Republic of Belarus dated 13.10.2022):

Entry (entry), stay and movement in the border zone of citizens of the Republic of Belarus and foreign citizens and stateless persons permanently residing in the Republic of Belarus who have reached the age of fourteen are carried out on the basis of identity documents or a military ID card, driver's license, service certificate issued by authorized state bodies (organizations) containing a photo which allows to identify the identity of their owner.

Entry (entry), stay and movement in the border zone of citizens of the Republic of Belarus and foreign citizens and stateless persons permanently residing in the Republic of Belarus who have not reached the age of fourteen are carried out on the basis of identity documents, or birth certificates, or documents confirming the status of the legal representative of a minor, in case the minor is accompanied by a legal representative a representative.

Entry (entry), temporary stay and movement in the border zone of foreign citizens and stateless persons permanently residing outside the Republic of Belarus who have reached the age of fourteen are carried out on the basis of valid passports or other documents replacing them intended for traveling abroad and issued by the relevant authorities of the States of nationality or the usual place of residence of foreign citizens and stateless persons or international organizations, and passes for the right of entry (entry), temporary stay, movement in the border zone issued by the border service authorities, unless otherwise provided for by this Law, other legislative acts and international treaties of the Republic of Belarus.

Entry (entry), temporary stay and movement in the border zone of foreign citizens and stateless persons permanently residing outside the Republic of Belarus who have not reached the age of fourteen are carried out on the basis of valid passports or other documents replacing them intended for traveling abroad and issued by the relevant authorities of the States of nationality or the usual place of residence of foreign citizens citizens and stateless persons or international organizations, unless otherwise provided by this Law, other legislative acts and international treaties of the Republic of Belarus.

Foreign citizens and stateless persons permanently residing outside the Republic of Belarus who are in transit (transit) through the border zone are allowed to enter (enter), temporarily stay and move through the border zone on the basis of valid passports or other documents replacing them, intended for traveling abroad and issued by the relevant authorities of the States of nationality or the usual place of residence of foreign citizens and stateless persons or international organizations, along the shortest route along general-purpose highways, railways and waterways:

• from the place of entry (entry) into the border zone to the place of exit (exit) from the border zone, with the exception of entry (entry) into territories not included in the border zone in accordance with part one of Article 36 of this Law;
• from the place of entry (entrance) to the border zone to the checkpoints and further to the State border or from the State border to the checkpoints and further to the place of exit (exit) from the border zone;
• from the place of entry into the border zone to the territories not included in the border zone in accordance with the first part of Article 36 of this Law, and back;
• from the place of entry (entrance) to the border zone to the place of entry (entrance) to the border strip, subject to receipt of appropriate passes issued by the border service authorities, unless otherwise provided by this Law, other legislative acts and international treaties of the Republic of Belarus, and back.

Foreign citizens and stateless persons permanently residing outside the Republic of Belarus who are in transit (transit) through the border zone are allowed to visit roadside service facilities.

Entry (entry), temporary stay and movement in the border zone of individuals are carried out on the basis of valid documents required for entry into the Republic of Belarus and (or) exit from the Republic of Belarus, or identity documents and passes for the right of entry (entry), temporary stay, movement in the border zone issued by the authorities the Border Guard Service, unless otherwise provided by this Law, other legislative acts and international treaties of the Republic of Belarus.

Individuals carrying out transit travel (transit) through the border strip are allowed to enter (enter), temporarily stay and move through the border strip on the basis of valid documents required for entry into the Republic of Belarus and (or) exit from the Republic of Belarus, along the shortest route along general-purpose highways, railways:

from the place of entry (entrance) to the border strip to the checkpoints and further to the State border;

from the State border to the checkpoints and further to the place of exit (exit) from the border strip.

Entry (entry), stay and movement in the border zone and border strip of individuals accompanied by employees of the border service bodies shall be carried out on the basis of documents provided for in this article, without appropriate passes.

In exceptional cases related to extraordinary circumstances, as well as in order to ensure the national interests of the Republic of Belarus, by decision of the Chairman of the State Border Committee or an official authorized by him, individuals may enter (enter), temporarily stay, move in the border zone or border strip without appropriate passes.

Entry (entrance), temporary stay in the border strip and exit (exit) from the border strip are carried out in places, and engineering structures and barriers in the border strip abroad – in places and at times established by the border service authorities. Information on the established places of entry (entry), temporary stay in the border strip and exit (exit) from the border strip, places and times of entry (entry), temporary stay abroad of engineering structures and barriers in the border strip and exit (exit) abroad of engineering structures and barriers in the border strip is placed by the border service authorities on the official website of the State Border Committee on the global computer network Internet, it is brought to the attention of individuals when they are issued the appropriate passes.

Passes for the right of entry (entry), temporary stay, movement in the border zone or border strip are issued by the border service authorities in accordance with their competence and grant the right of entry (entry), temporary stay and movement in a certain section of the border zone or border strip, respectively. Passes for the right of entry (entry), temporary stay, movement in the border zone or border strip may be issued by the border service authorities to a group of individuals following, respectively, to the border zone or border strip jointly and within the same period, on the basis of an application from a legal entity or individual entrepreneur.

In order to ensure border security, authorized officials of the border service bodies may impose additional temporary regime restrictions on entry (entry), temporary stay and work in the border zone, with the exception of measures to eliminate the consequences of natural and man-made emergencies, localization and elimination of infectious and mass non-communicable diseases.

In the interests of ensuring the national security of the Republic of Belarus, by a decision of the Council of Ministers of the Republic of Belarus, entry (entry), temporary stay and movement in the border strip or in certain sections thereof may be temporarily restricted, suspended or terminated.

Sale of travel documents, with the exception of electronic tickets and tickets sold through self-service terminals, to individuals for travel in vehicles following regular routes to settlements located within the border zone or border strip, and to individuals carrying out transit travel (transit) on republican highways through the border zone or the border strip is made upon presentation of the documents provided for in this article, unless otherwise provided by this Law, other legislative acts and international treaties of the Republic of Belarus.

Entry (entry), temporary stay and movement in the border zone and border strip are prohibited to individuals, with the exception of individuals registered at their place of residence (place of stay) in settlements located in the border zone or border strip, and individuals carrying out transit travel (transit) through the border zone or border strip:

suspected or accused of committing a particularly grave, grave crime, intentional less serious crime, illegal crossing of the State border, violation of the period of prohibition of entry into the Republic of Belarus;

convicted of the crimes specified in the second paragraph of this part, before the execution of punishment or release from punishment;

brought to administrative responsibility for illegal crossing of the State border, brought repeatedly within one year to administrative responsibility for violating the regime of the State border or border regime, until the end of the period after which the individual is considered not to have been subjected to administrative punishment.

An individual who is prohibited from entering (entering), temporary stay and movement in the border zone and border strip may be allowed by the border service authorities to enter (enter), temporary stay and movement in the border zone and border strip for up to one month due to serious illness or death of a close relative registered at the place residence (place of stay) in a locality located in a border zone or border strip, or in connection with other valid reasons.

Control over entry (entry), stay and movement in the border zone and the border strip is carried out by the border service bodies and internal affairs bodies.

Entry (entry), stay and movement in the border zone and border strip of military personnel of the border service bodies are carried out on official certificates (military tickets), civilian personnel of the border service bodies – on identity documents.

The bodies of the border guard service, internal affairs bodies and State security bodies interact with each other in the field of ensuring the border regime and, within their competence, carry out mutual information in this area.

 

2. Question: What are the rights and obligations of legal entities and individuals associated with staying in the border zone and border strip

Answer:  In accordance with Article 371 "Rights and obligations of legal entities and individuals related to staying in the border zone and border strip" of the Law of the Republic of Belarus dated July 21, 2008 No. 419-Z On the State Border of the Republic of Belarus (as amended. The Law of the Republic of Belarus dated 13.10.2022):

Individuals entering (entering), staying and moving in the border zone and border strip have the right to receive information about the border regime, the State Border regime and other information related to ensuring the border regime and the State Border regime, which is not classified in accordance with legislation as information containing information constituting state secrets, official information of limited distribution or other information, access to which is limited by legislative acts.

Individuals staying in the border zone and the border strip are obliged to have with them and submit for verification, at the request of authorized officials of the border service and internal affairs bodies, the documents provided for in Article 37 of this Law, and provide explanations about their presence in the border zone or border strip.

Individuals operating mechanical vehicles within the border zone and border strip are required to carry and hand over for inspection, at the request of authorized officials of the border service and internal affairs bodies, documents provided for by Traffic Rules approved by Decree of the President of the Republic of Belarus No. 551 dated November 28, 2005, to provide access to vehicles to carry out their inspection and (or) inspection.

It is prohibited within the border zone and the border strip:

• to conduct photo and video filming of border guards, border signs, infrastructure facilities of the border territory and the State Border, other objects of the border service bodies, photo and video filming of the territory of the neighboring state without the appropriate permission of authorized officials of the border service bodies;
• to be without documents provided for in Article 37 of this Law;
• to leave money in the documents submitted for verification;
• obstruct the performance of duties by employees of the border service and internal affairs bodies;
• destroy, render unusable, move border and warning signs, communication and communication lines, infrastructure facilities of the border territory and the State Border, other facilities of the border service;
• to leave motor vehicles outside populated areas without notifying the nearest unit of the border guard service. In the event of a breakdown of a mechanical vehicle, the individual driving it and living within the border zone is obliged to take measures to evacuate it to a locality at the place of residence, another individual – outside the border zone and border strip. If an individual does not notify the nearest division of the border service authorities about such a mechanical vehicle and does not take measures to evacuate it to a locality at the place of residence or outside the border zone and border strip, respectively, this mechanical vehicle is subject to forced towing (evacuation) and placement in a guarded parking lot or towed without placement in a guarded parking lot in accordance with the procedure established by law;
• to move and store goods in cases established by legislative acts.

It is also prohibited within the border strip:

• to use optical (electron-optical), optoelectronic means, including optical sights, binoculars, night vision devices, thermal imagers, telescopic sights, camera traps, without coordination with the border service authorities;
• to talk to individuals located on the territory of a neighboring state, to receive or transfer any goods from them or to give them any signals;
• to influence or overcome engineering structures and barriers, other objects erected, equipped and used for the purpose of marking, maintaining the State Border and ensuring its protection;
• hunting, with the exception of the seizure of wild animals in order to prevent epizootics and other emergencies and eliminate their consequences, regulate the distribution and abundance of wild animals, carried out in coordination with the State Border Committee;
• grazing and keeping of livestock within the preventive strip along the State border established by the Council of Ministers of the Republic of Belarus;
• to be in the period when entry (entry), temporary stay and movement in the border strip or in certain sections thereof are temporarily restricted, suspended or terminated, with the exception of transit passage (transit) of individuals through the border strip and other cases determined by the Council of Ministers of the Republic of Belarus.
• If an individual is located in the border zone without legal grounds, he is obliged, at the request of authorized officials of the border service bodies and internal affairs bodies, to immediately leave its borders.

 

Question: 3. What is the minimum length of service required for the appointment of an old-age labor pension, what periods of activity are counted in this length of service?

Answer: Mandatory conditions for the appointment of an old-age and long-service labor pension according to the norms of the articles 11, 12, 13, 15, 24, 47-492 The Law of the Republic of Belarus "On Pension Provision" (hereinafter – the Law), an old-age labor pension in accordance with Articles 32, 33 of the Law of the Republic of Belarus "On Social Protection citizens affected by the Chernobyl disaster and other radiation accidents" is the presence of work experience with the payment of mandatory insurance premiums to the budget of the state extra-budgetary fund for social protection of the population of the Republic of Belarus (hereinafter – insurance experience) in 2023, the good is at least 19 years old (Article 5 of the Law). Starting from January 1, 2017, the specified work experience increases annually from January 1 by 6 months until the age of 20.

The previous requirements for the length of insurance experience have been retained for appointment:

• disability pensions, in case of loss of breadwinner (at least one day of insurance experience is required);
• age pensions for parents of disabled children (disabled since childhood); mothers with many children who gave birth to five or more children; disabled since childhood, etc. (Articles 17-22 of the Law) - at least 5 years of insurance experience is required.
• Also, in accordance with article 221 of this Law, an old-age labor pension requires work experience with payment of mandatory insurance contributions to the fund's budget for at least 10 years.

The insurance record includes periods of work (other activities) provided for in part one of Article 51 of the Law, including periods of work on the territory of the USSR, as well as periods of receiving temporary disability benefits (for pregnancy and childbirth) by persons subject to state social insurance (paragraph "b" of part two of Article 51 of the Law).

Other periods provided for in part two of Article 51 of the Law, including the period of being on parental leave and caring for a child under the age of three; military service; the period of caring for a disabled person of group 1 or a disabled child under the age of 18, as well as a person who has reached the age of 80; periods of receiving vocational, secondary specialized, higher and postgraduate education, etc.; periods of receiving unemployment benefits are not counted in the insurance record.

Periods of work that took place outside the Republic of Belarus may be included in the insurance record, if this is provided for by international treaties (agreements).

Citizens who do not receive a labor pension and (or) a pension from other states in accordance with international treaties of the Republic of Belarus have the right to a social pension under the conditions provided for by this Law.

Question 4: I am a mother of six children, in 2018 I was assigned an early retirement pension 5 years earlier. I received a pension and continued to work. I have now reached the retirement age of 58 and I want to increase my seniority during this job. Is it possible?

Answer: If a pensioner received a pension during the period of work, then this is the time

it cannot be counted in the length of service. This is stipulated in part 4 of Article 51 and Article 66 of the Law of the Republic of Belarus "On Pension Provision". According to these standards, the working time after the appointment of an old-age pension, including early (for example, for work with special working conditions, a mother with many children, the mother of a disabled child, etc.), is counted in the length of service for calculating the pension amount if the pensioner did not receive a pension during this period.

This rule applies to periods of work with simultaneous receipt of early retirement after August 1, 2006.