Travelling to Belarus; Crossing the border
- When crossing the border into Belarus, you'll have to buy a compulsary medical insurance for during your stay in Belarus. This insurance is meant for emergencies, you need to have it on you to be able to show it in case you e.g. brake a leg and end up in hospital. It costs 50 eurocents per day. They accept euros.
- Documents: don’t bring a pile with political magazines/campaigning materials. But generally, if you bring a book, a magazine, it’s no problem (also because the people working at the customs generally don’t speak english). Internationals travelling into Belarus can, when asked about the reason they have this or that book, just say they're interested in the topic, or that they're students, and therefore have the book, or magazine.
- There are printers in Minsk where you can print out your workshops stuff, and other info.
- Equipment: when the train crosses the border, you have to fill in a form to clarify if you have anything to declare. Weapons and nucleair stuff are on it (:)), but laptop, camera aren't.
- If customs try to get some money, don’t give any money
- Officially, you're a tourist. Because the kind of visa which is relatively easiest to obtain, is a tourist visa (see below for more info on obtaining a tourist visa). So you should have the name and address of the hotel you're going to stay with you (in case they ask for it). We'll inform you what hotel this is before you take off.
- Being a tourist, it will be good if you bring some printouts of touristic sight seeing possibilities in Belarus, and/or some information about the country. You should have some idea of why you're going to Belarus for tourism, in case this is being asked (the chance this happens is versy small, but just in case). You can find such information by just googling Belarus and tourism. It's really interesting:)!
- Because of EYFA's no-flight rules, we ask you to come by train, or otherwise by bus. If this isn't possible, contact us.
- Keep all tickets for funding reasons: if you're traveling by train, the 'train conductor' takes your ticket and reservation. The ticket is given back just before you get off the train. But they want to keep your reservation. Ask them to write a new reservation to replace the original one. Even when their reaction is grumpy, they just have the obligation to do this:)
- Arriving in Belarus: you'll be picked up from the train station. A phonenumber to call in case of need will be sent to you beforehand.
- Money: it's unclear if cashmachines can be used with international bank cards. The hosts suggest not to take the risk and bring the money you plan to spend.
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