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Minsk
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maruss



Joined: 18 Mar 2003
Posts: 1145
Location: Cyprus

PostPosted: Tue Sep 02, 2014 2:36 pm    Post subject: Belarus.... Reply with quote

I has always been a strange country which is ruled by someone who looks a bit like Hitler and who thinks the Soviet Union still exists in his kingdom!
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the dakota kid



Joined: 25 Oct 2008
Posts: 44

PostPosted: Sat Jan 10, 2015 3:17 am    Post subject: Rising prices are the biggest issue Reply with quote

I lived there from January to August 2014. I worked at a tech company providing cultural training and language classes. IH is one of the better known firms in town, but there are plenty of competitors, but low wages as well.

The biggest problem I had was the ever increasing rate for rent. In 2011, I paid 300 USD for an apartment downtown... right next to McD's and TGI Friday's (if you are familiar with the area), in 2012, it cost 400 USD for an apt near Pushkinskaya Station, and 650 USD for a place about 15 minutes walk from Jakuba Kolasa Station. I was able to pay my rent and eat out most nights for the salary I received. Saving money? Not really.

The best deal? Study Russian at one of the Unis... but the dorms are not the finest Smile

Missing Minsk,
tdk
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Partizan



Joined: 11 Jan 2013
Posts: 61

PostPosted: Wed Jan 28, 2015 9:20 am    Post subject: Reply with quote

Update:

I am still in Minsk after moving here last October. I am liking the city a lot, however the economy has been going very badly. The currency (Belarusian Rouble) has devalued by +30% and this has increased the hardship on the locals who have seen their purchasing power cut substantially. The Government has maintained a price freeze on locally produced goods in a bid to offset the current crisis but foreign imports have seen their prices jump by 20% or more. To say that the country is in a tough situation right now is putting it lightly.

On my side of things, the school in which I worked for has been experiencing financial difficulties. With the BYR going through the floor (US$1 = 15,229 BYR), the school tried to peg my salary at the $1 = 11,900 BYR for the next 3 months instead of the current, fluctuating US$ exchange rate as they had initially promised. I said no way and handed in my notice. However Lady Luck smiled on my and I managed to get a job at an IT company here which pays in US$ on double my salary. I start with them next month. So all in all, things are looking very good for me.

Fingers crossed.
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BenE



Joined: 11 Oct 2008
Posts: 321

PostPosted: Thu Jan 29, 2015 5:41 am    Post subject: Reply with quote

Sounds like a tough place to work to make a living. Glad to hear you managed to find a better job in an IT company.
Do all the shops/restaurants still keep the same prices then for local food?
Can you still get a beer for 10,000 BLR?
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Partizan



Joined: 11 Jan 2013
Posts: 61

PostPosted: Thu Jan 29, 2015 7:06 am    Post subject: Reply with quote

BenE wrote:
Sounds like a tough place to work to make a living. Glad to hear you managed to find a better job in an IT company.


It most certainly is. The locals are struggling and me getting a job at a multinational IT company is seen as akin to winning the lottery in this climate. For example, last Sunday week, a girl who I was out on a date with said that due to the devaluation her salary is now only $450 a month in comparison to $700 before the devaluation and she works two jobs.


Quote:
Do all the shops/restaurants still keep the same prices then for local food?


Yes they do.

Quote:
Can you still get a beer for 10,000 BLR?


Not a chance. The cheapest beer that I got was 27,000 BLR.

My advice to anyone wanting to come here is unless you have a very good job lined up before you come and they pay in hard currency, don't bother.
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maruss



Joined: 18 Mar 2003
Posts: 1145
Location: Cyprus

PostPosted: Thu Jan 29, 2015 1:34 pm    Post subject: Will they emigrate? Reply with quote

My Ukrainians from the East are emigrating to Russia,especially now that a new law enables those from that area to get Russian passports(I have a friend from Donetsk who has lived in Moscow since 1994 and she has just received one.)Not that she likes Putin and co. either but as she pointed out,when you are desperate you can keep your mouth shut!
Will Belarussians start doing the same?
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Partizan



Joined: 11 Jan 2013
Posts: 61

PostPosted: Thu Jan 29, 2015 7:03 pm    Post subject: Re: Will they emigrate? Reply with quote

maruss wrote:
My Ukrainians from the East are emigrating to Russia,especially now that a new law enables those from that area to get Russian passports(I have a friend from Donetsk who has lived in Moscow since 1994 and she has just received one.)Not that she likes Putin and co. either but as she pointed out,when you are desperate you can keep your mouth shut!
Will Belarussians start doing the same?


Belarus and Russia are in a common union so its probable.
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BenE



Joined: 11 Oct 2008
Posts: 321

PostPosted: Fri Jan 30, 2015 5:27 pm    Post subject: Re: Will they emigrate? Reply with quote

Partizan wrote:
maruss wrote:
My Ukrainians from the East are emigrating to Russia,especially now that a new law enables those from that area to get Russian passports(I have a friend from Donetsk who has lived in Moscow since 1994 and she has just received one.)Not that she likes Putin and co. either but as she pointed out,when you are desperate you can keep your mouth shut!
Will Belarussians start doing the same?


Belarus and Russia are in a common union so its probable.


I'm married to a Belarusian and have many friends + family there. Not sure they are really that keen to get Russian passports and submit to Moscow officially.
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Darzin



Joined: 30 Aug 2014
Posts: 13
Location: United States

PostPosted: Sat Feb 07, 2015 6:36 am    Post subject: Reply with quote

How difficult/expensive is it to get a visa to Belarus vs. Russia?
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maruss



Joined: 18 Mar 2003
Posts: 1145
Location: Cyprus

PostPosted: Mon Feb 09, 2015 10:57 am    Post subject: If you are in Russia already..... Reply with quote

There is no border control on trains or on the road between there and Belarus so it's technically possible to get to Belarus without a visa-I did it several times during the 1990's but stayed with friends and not in a hotel.BUT if you try to cross the border into Poland you will be in deep s*** with the Belarussian police for not having one and get fined and maybe even detained!They sent me back to Poland on a Saturday afternoon for not having one when I tried to catch a train to Moscow at Brest,even though I did not need a Russian visa at that time because I was using my Cyprus passport so was only in transit via Belarus!I had to wait in Warsaw until the following Monday when the Belarussian embassy there opened and then buy a transit visa,for which you also have to go to a bank and pay and then go back and collect it!
Belarus is run by a crap regime which is notorious for still having the death penalty,among other things,which even Putins mob don't have any longer!(although they can still get you by using other "methods' if they decide to!)
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Ryan_XC



Joined: 26 Feb 2014
Posts: 8

PostPosted: Tue Feb 10, 2015 7:25 am    Post subject: Reply with quote

Wow, I'll take a moment to strongly advise against what maruss seems to be recommending and do NOT try to go into Belarus without a visa! I've heard a few expat stories about doing this and some getting caught and having an unpleasant time with their deportation. Bad advice!

Helpful links to answer your question:

http://mfa.gov.by/en/visa/
http://belembassy.org/index_eng.html

And if you're in Moscow:
http://embassybel.ru/consular-questions/

Looks like the cost for us US citizens has gone down as of Jan 13th (who said they don't like Americans??) and is as cheap as $70 (90 day single entry) and as expensive at $140 (1 year multi-entry) + a processing fee ~$30, I would guess.

I don't know about difficulty but I imagine the process is almost identical to getting a Russian visa, seeing that they even share the same immigration cards, etc. In other words, not so bad.

Reminds me that I need to get mine! Looks like a beautiful country with welcoming people - but learn some Russian first!
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maruss



Joined: 18 Mar 2003
Posts: 1145
Location: Cyprus

PostPosted: Tue Feb 10, 2015 1:54 pm    Post subject: Linked immigration records? Reply with quote

Several Russian people have told me that not only do the two countries have virtually no border controls between them any longer but also that the data in their computers at border control points with other places are shared?
In my case,no longer being able to get into Russia would therefore presumably mean that Belarus wouldn't let me in either??Not that I am stupid enough to try to find out, of course!!
What often catches people out who are going by train to Russia from Poland via Belarus is that they do not issue Belarussian transit visas on the train at Brest and other crossing points,as I found out in 1997 when the b******* sent me back to Tiraspol on the first available train,despite me offering to pay whatever was needed!!!
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BenE



Joined: 11 Oct 2008
Posts: 321

PostPosted: Wed Feb 11, 2015 12:42 am    Post subject: Reply with quote

No. Visas for Belarus are much simpler. Short form and 30 days without any papers are usually given. Cost is now 60 Eur for everyone.

You do Need a visa though to stay there and I wouldn't recommend going across the border without one. There are spot checks (according to my Belarusian mother in law who does the trip twice a month by land.)
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maruss



Joined: 18 Mar 2003
Posts: 1145
Location: Cyprus

PostPosted: Wed Feb 11, 2015 10:25 am    Post subject: Spot checks? Reply with quote

Probably even more likely if you look like a foreigner and cannot speak Russian etc?
Interesting country and some nice people-terrible history though and a nasty regime which behaves as if the Soviet Union still exists!I have friends in Vitebsk and Brest-when I last spoke to them around New Year they said things are getting worse,especially economically?
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jonniboy



Joined: 18 Jun 2006
Posts: 751
Location: Panama City, Panama

PostPosted: Tue Mar 03, 2015 9:16 pm    Post subject: Re: Linked immigration records? Reply with quote

maruss wrote:
Several Russian people have told me that not only do the two countries have virtually no border controls between them any longer but also that the data in their computers at border control points with other places are shared?
In my case,no longer being able to get into Russia would therefore presumably mean that Belarus wouldn't let me in either??Not that I am stupid enough to try to find out, of course!!
What often catches people out who are going by train to Russia from Poland via Belarus is that they do not issue Belarussian transit visas on the train at Brest and other crossing points,as I found out in 1997 when the b******* sent me back to Tiraspol on the first available train,despite me offering to pay whatever was needed!!!


I guess you could get around the train stuff by heading Warsaw - Riga - Moscow if the transit visa is a hassle. Until the early 2000s they used to catch unwary travellers out on the Warsaw - Vilnius train, as it cut across a corner of Belarus, until both Poland and Lithuania got hacked off with the situation and its cost to their tourist industry and bypassed Belarus altogether!
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