Belarus: notarial and documentary services

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Documents and certificates available at the British Embassy in Minsk.

Services we provide in Belarus

Consular staff in Belarus can:

• administer an oath, affirmation or affidavit
• make a certified copy of a British passport, driving licences, divorce decrees
• prepare a limited range of letters and informative notes to 3rd parties in English or Russian/Belarusian

What to bring to your appointment

See the individual services below for details of supporting documents to bring. Make sure you have acceptable proof of identity, and payment for any fees.

Payment

We accept payment by Visa, Mastercard or cash in US dollars on the day of the appointment.

Proof of identity

For all appointments for documentary services you will need to bring acceptable proof of your identity. We accept passports as proof of identity.

Administer an oath, affirmation or affidavit

This service is for people who need to swear an oath, make an affirmation or make an affidavit in front of a consular officer. The Embassy will not draft documents for you. You may have to get the document drawn up or checked by a professional.

What you will need to bring with you:

• the oath, affirmation or affidavit that you will swear or affirm
• the correct fee
• proof of identity

Book an appointment to administer an oath, affirmation or affidavit in Minsk

Marriage-related affidavits/affirmations

Your marriage or civil partnership should be recognised in the UK if you follow the correct process according to local law. Contact the local authorities in Belarus to find out what you need to do to get married. Belarusian Registry offices, ZAGs, now accept the Affidavit/Affirmations worn before a British Embassy in Minsk Consular official, which substitute a Certificate of No Impediment.

Please make sure that you certify the signature of a British Embassy in Minsk Consular official with the MFA, Consular Department, located at 37a Karl Marx Street, Minsk, before you submit the document to the local registry office. Please note that the affidavit/affirmation cannot be signed by the notary public of Belarus.

If the affidavit/affirmation is issued by the British Embassy/Consulate in any other country apart from Belarus then the procedure should be the following: The British Embassy/Consulate issues the affidavit/affirmation. Then the British Consular Officer’s signature should be certified by the Ministry of Internal Affairs of the country it has been issued in and then by the Belarusian Embassy/Consulate in this country.

The affidavit/affirmation can be received in the UK and signed by the UK notary public. In this case you should receive an Apostille for this document in the UK for it to be recognised in Belarus.

Make a certified copy of a document

This service is for British nationals who need certified photocopies of the following documents:

• British passports
• British driving licences
• British divorce decrees
• UK educational documents (only those that have been issued in the UK by a recognised institution)

Please note that if you would like a certified copy so that it can be legalised in the UK you will need to get a copy certified by a UK notary public or solicitor.

What you will need to bring with you:

• the document that you need a certified copy of
• the correct fee
• proof of identity/address

We will not provide certified photocopies of:

• British marriage, birth and death certificates. You should apply to the General Register Office for copies of these documents
• non-UK documents including ID documents, passports and driving licences

Prepare a document in English or the local language

This service is for customers who require a signed and stamped version of one of our standard letters. In a limited number of cases consular staff can write a statement of fact (‘preparing a certificate’) to help British nationals with various local authorities. The wording must be cleared with the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office in London, which means these documents will take longer to prepare.

We can only provide this service if we have proof that the wording/content you require is correct and unambiguous. This service is provided at the discretion of consular staff and we can refuse to provide it.

We can prepare these documents in English or in the local language. Please ensure you select the correct service and note the difference in fees.

What you will need to bring with you:

• original written evidence to support your request for a letter from the consulate
• the correct fee
• proof of identity

Please contact the Embassy before making an appointment.

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