Good news for travellers as Russia & Belarus finally sign long-awaited deal on mutual recognition of visas

Good news for travellers as Russia & Belarus finally sign long-awaited deal on mutual recognition of visas

In broader European terms, it may be a niche, but overland travel to Russia and Belarus has long frustrated Western tourists. It has also kept both countries off the continent’s “inter-railing” circuit. The problem was that visitors needed two separate visas to enter both states. Even then, it wasn’t legally possible, for a third-country national, to cross from Belarus into Russia by train or automobile, as there were no border controls, due to the common travel area.