Guidance

Belarus: Knowledge Base profile

Published 13 May 2024

About: Belarus

This document contains useful information about Belarus which will assist HM Passport Office staff process passport applications.

Contacts

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Publication

Below is information on when this version of the document was published:

• version 4.0
• published for Home Office staff on 8 May 2024

Changes from last version of this document

This document has been updated with minor formatting changes.

Belarus: names

This section gives HM Passport Office operational staff information about names in Belarus.

Names in Belarus consist of:

• family name (surname) with a gender suffix (can be father’s or mother’s surname)
• forename (consisting of one or more names and can be hyphenated)
• father’s forename with a gender suffix added meaning ‘of the father’ (patronymic name). For example, if the father’s name is Ivan then the child’s patronymic name will be Ivanavich for a boy and Ivanauna for a girl.

All official documents will have a full version of a given name. The short version can also be used in official documents.

Change of name

Name changes are allowed in Belarus.

Following marriage, a husband and wife can choose to:

• take the family name of their spouse
• keep their own family name
• create a new family name by hyphenating both family names

Name alignment

A citizen must be resident in Belarus to renew or make changes to a Belarus passport.

Belarus: nationality

This section gives HM Passport Office operational staff information about nationality in Belarus.

Dual nationality in Belarus:

• was not recognised on or before 16 August 2002
• has been recognised since 17 August 2002 for anyone receiving a second citizenship from this date

Belarus: legitimacy and parental responsibility

This section gives HM Passport Office operational staff information about legitimacy and parental responsibility in Belarus.

Legitimacy

Belarus does not recognise a difference between legitimate and illegitimate births. This means that all births are considered legitimate whether a child’s parents are married or not.

Parental responsibility

Parental responsibility will be held by the:

• mother if parents are not married and father does not have a paternity certificate
• father if:
  • the parents are married; or,
  • the father has a paternity certificate

Belarus: adoption

This section gives HM Passport Office operational staff information about adoption in Belarus.

Adoption is legal in Belarus.

Belarus: surrogacy

This section gives HM Passport Office operational staff information about surrogacy in Belarus.

Surrogacy is legal in Belarus.

Belarus: gender recognition

This section gives HM Passport Office operational staff information about gender recognition in Belarus.

Transgender citizens are recognised in Belarus.

Belarus: civil partnerships and marriage

This section gives HM Passport Office operational staff information about civil partnerships and marriage in Belarus.

Civil partnerships or same sex relationships are not recognised in Belarus.

Civil marriages are officially recognised in Belarus.

Belarus: documents

This section gives HM Passport Office operational staff information about documents from Belarus.

All birth, death and marriage certificates have 2 information pages, one in Russian and the other in Belarusian.

Some documents record the holder’s name using initials for the forename and patronymic name.

Birth certificates

Hospital records are made at the birth of a child and will show the mother’s name and does not include the name of the father. This document is given to the mother when she leaves hospital. A birth certificate is then issued on the basis of a hospital record. 

Births must be registered at the local registry office (where the parents live) within 3 months. Late registrations are allowed.

If a certificate is issued with an error, a new certificate will be issued. If a birth certificate has been issued for a second time this will be noted on the new certificate.

Older birth certificates have a hard cover and are a small book of 2 pages.

Marriage certificates

The marriage is recorded within 3 months at the registry office where the official marriage registration ceremony took place. The registry office issue an official marriage certificate within 3 months of the marriage.

Death certificates

Death certificates should be applied for within 7 days of the death. A certificate is issued when a death is registered. Death certificates can be issued to a person holding either a doctor’s certificate or record issued by a hospital.

Death certificates are issued:

• in Minsk at a central register called city ZAGS
• in other areas of Belarus by the local register or SELSOVET

Identity documents

Residence permits for Belarus citizens are issued locally.

Belarus passport personal details page should have the holder’s forename and family name translated from Belarusian. Some citizens prefer to ask the passport authorities to translate their names from the Russian language (this is not guaranteed).

The passport page following the details page will show the holders forenames, patronymic name and family name in both Russian and Belarusian.