Tsikhanouskaya’s Office Warns Of Risks Of Traveling To Belarus For A New Passport

Reform.news Editorial Team · 21 September 2026, 20:43

https://reform.news/en/tsikhanouskaya-s-office-warns-of-risks-of-traveling-to-belarus-for-a-new-passport/

Leanid Marozau, legal adviser to Sviatlana Tsikhanouskaya, has urged people not to rely on stories of Belarusians who traveled to Belarus to obtain a new passport and returned without any problems.

The warning was prompted by reports in Belarusian diaspora groups in which people say they safely applied for a new passport, passed checks at the border and returned to their country of residence. According to Marozau, such experiences cannot guarantee the safety of others.

“Someone else’s positive experience of traveling to Belarus today cannot guarantee your safety. The fact that someone was quickly allowed through the border does not mean the same will happen to you. And it is by no means only about checking your phone. There have been cases of interrogations, hours-long checks, harsh personal searches — including being ordered to undress — as well as detentions and criminal prosecution. Moreover, you may be allowed through the border and then detained several days after returning home.

Therefore, traveling to Belarus for a new passport is effectively playing Russian roulette with your freedom. You may obtain the document and return, or you may go there for a passport and then lose the opportunity to leave. It is safer to look for available legalization options in your country of residence than to risk your freedom for the sake of a passport,” he said.