Belarusians living in Ukraine with expired passports have encountered difficulties in maintaining their legal status. Under a Ukrainian government resolution, from August 3 all foreign nationals holding temporary residence permits must either renew or confirm their permits, but this requires a valid passport.
“If your Republic of Belarus passport has expired, the situation currently remains unresolved,” the Mission of the Belarusian Democratic Forces in Kyiv said.
The mission, together with the Free Belarus Center and the Association of Free Belarusian Business in Ukraine, has appealed to the State Migration Service of Ukraine and submitted a request to the Cabinet of Ministers.
The Belarusian democratic forces asked for the implementation of the resolution to be postponed until January 30, 2027, and urged the authorities to consider allowing Belarusian citizens with expired passports to obtain and renew Ukraine’s internal legalisation documents.
Ukraine’s Interior Ministry, which oversees the State Migration Service, rejected both proposals.
According to the Office of Tsikhanouskaya, 2,958 Belarusian citizens currently hold temporary residence permits in Ukraine. The Office estimates that only 40–50% of them have valid Belarusian passports, and those documents will eventually expire.
“This means that nearly 3,000 Belarusians in Ukraine are potentially at risk of losing their legal status,” said Hanna Krasulina, spokesperson for Sviatlana Tsikhanouskaya.
The Mission of the Belarusian Democratic Forces in Ukraine and the Office of Tsikhanouskaya said they are working to resolve the issue.
