Найм иностранных граждан через белорусский EOR: что изменилось в 2026 году

Most of the people we employ for clients in Belarus are Belarusian. But a growing number of requests involve someone else: a team lead from Kazakhstan who should join the Minsk office, an engineer from Uzbekistan the client has worked with for years, or a specialist from India relocating to Belarus with their family.

Clients usually ask whether we can simply add that person to the payroll. In most cases we can, but the route depends on the candidate’s citizenship and residence status. Since August 2025, employers of foreign workers also have a noticeably longer list of duties.

Below we explain who needs a work permit, what the 2025 rules changed, how this works when the EOR is the employer, and what to plan for between the offer and the first working day.

What Changed in 2026

The main change is Edict No. 202 of 21 May 2025, «On enhancing the role of employers in external labour migration». Most of its provisions have applied since 23 August 2025, and the rule on electronic notifications since 1 January 2026. The edict doesn’t change who can be hired. It changes what the employer must do once a migrant worker is on staff.

In short, the employer now has to:

• sign the employment contract within 30 calendar days of the worker’s entry to Belarus or of the permit being issued, instead of the previous six months;
• name, in a local act, the people responsible for overseeing the worker’s employment and living conditions;
• visit the worker’s accommodation during the contract term to check that it meets sanitary requirements;
• check knowledge of Russian or Belarusian before hiring for professions on a list set by the government;
• keep track of when the worker’s visa, ID and other documents expire;
• explain the job description, internal rules and safety instructions in a language the worker understands;
• report the signing, extension and end of contracts through the Unified Portal of Electronic Services.

The edict also prohibits temporarily transferring a migrant worker to another employer. Breaches are treated as unlawful employment of a foreign national, with fines of up to 50 base units for a first violation and up to 100 for a repeat one.

Start With the Candidate’s Status

Before anything else, find out the candidate’s citizenship and whether they already hold a residence permit in Belarus. That decides whether you need a work permit, whether the 2026 duties apply and how long the process will take.

Candidate	Special work permit	Edict No. 202 duties	What to know
Citizen of Russia, Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan or Armenia (EAEU)	Not required	Do not apply	Hired much like a local employee; standard notifications still apply
Holder of a Belarusian permanent residence permit	Not required	Check with your provider	Generally employed on the same terms as Belarusian citizens
Other foreign national in a listed in-demand profession	Not required	Apply	No permit, but all employer duties and notifications remain
Other foreign national in any other role	Required	Apply	Full permit process plus the 2025 duties
Employee of a Hi-Tech Park resident	Simplified regime	Check with your provider	HTP residents have their own rules for foreign hires

EAEU citizens are the easiest case. Under the union’s rules, they need no permit to work under an employment contract in another member state, and Edict No. 202 explicitly excludes them. For a Russian or Kazakh engineer, the process is close to hiring a Belarusian, apart from migration registration and the employer’s notification.

For everyone else, check the list of in-demand professions first. Since 1 August 2024 it has included «software engineer» along with many engineering and medical roles, and employers can hire people in these professions without a special work permit. The expanded list of professions exempt from the permit covers both blue-collar trades and specialist roles. Whether a specific job title fits the list is a legal question, so confirm it before making an offer.

How the Standard Permit Process Works

If the role isn’t on the list and the candidate isn’t from an EAEU country, the employer needs a special work permit. The process has been the same since the 2023 reform and runs roughly like this:

1. The employer registers the vacancy with the local employment service. It normally has to stay open for a minimum period before a permit can be issued.
2. The employer applies to the citizenship and migration department for a special work permit for the specific candidate.
3. Once the permit is issued, the candidate gets a visa where needed, enters Belarus and applies for temporary residence.
4. The employer signs a fixed-term employment contract within 30 days. The contract can’t run longer than the permit.
5. The employer notifies the migration authorities within three working days of signing, and again on extension or termination, under the notification rules introduced in 2023.
6. On the first days of work, the employee is introduced to the responsible person and goes through familiarisation and safety training in a language they understand.

The fixed-term contract and notification rules date from the 2023 reform. The 2026 edict didn’t replace them; it added new duties on top.

In practice, allow at least a month from the vacancy notice to the first working day, and more if a visa or relocation is involved. If you’re hiring several people at once, our step-by-step guide to hiring IT specialists in Belarus covers the recruitment side.

What the 2026 Duties Mean When the Employer Is an EOR

With an EOR, the legal employer is the provider, not your company. That means the provider carries the duties from Edict No. 202: it names the responsible person, visits the accommodation, tracks documents, runs familiarisation and sends notifications. A good provider builds these into the service and the price instead of treating them as extras.

Your role is mostly to share information quickly. Tell the provider if the employee moves to a new address, plans long trips abroad or needs a document renewed. If you’re helping with relocation, make sure the housing you arrange meets basic sanitary standards, because it will be checked. The familiarisation part relies on proper local acts, which we cover in our article on which company policies apply to EOR employees.

The ban on temporary transfers deserves attention. The worker must be employed by the EOR on a genuine basis, with the provider meeting all employer obligations. Ask your provider how its model fits this rule, especially if the employee will also work on projects for other companies in your group.

Finally, the language check. It applies only to professions on a list approved by the Council of Ministers, and the assessment happens before the contract is signed. Workers hired before the rule took effect can continue until their current contract ends. Ask your provider whether the role you’re hiring for is on the current list.

Contracts, Pay and Tax

Contracts with foreign workers who need a permit are fixed-term and tied to the permit’s validity. They must also say what happens if the permit is cancelled. The general rules on working time, leave and dismissal in the Labour Code of the Republic of Belarus apply to foreign employees just as they do to Belarusians.

Salaries are paid in Belarusian rubles through local payroll, and relocation support or housing allowances can be added on top. On tax, a foreign employee becomes a Belarusian tax resident after spending more than 183 days in the country in a calendar year, and the treatment of their income can change at that point. Ask your provider to model net and gross pay for the specific case before you agree a salary.

When setting pay, remember that relocated specialists compare the offer with what they’d earn at home and with the Minsk market. Our 2026 benchmarks for Belarus IT salaries are a useful reference point for the local side.

What If the Specialist Stays Abroad?

A Belarusian employment contract for a foreign national assumes the person will live and work in Belarus. If your specialist plans to stay in their home country, this is usually the wrong tool. An EOR in their country of residence or a contractor arrangement tends to be simpler and safer, and we’re happy to tell you which option makes more sense.

Mistakes We See Most Often

• The candidate arrives, paperwork drags on, and the 30-day deadline for signing the contract passes.
• No local act names the responsible person, only an internal email or an order.
• The housing visit happens, but nobody records it.
• A visa or residence permit expires because no one was tracking the dates.
• Familiarisation is done only in Russian for an employee who doesn’t read it.
• An EAEU citizen is put through the permit process, or a non-EAEU citizen is hired as if no permit were needed.

Checklist Before You Make an Offer

1. Confirm the candidate’s citizenship and any existing Belarusian residence permit.
2. Check whether the role needs a special work permit or is on the in-demand list.
3. Check whether the role requires a Russian or Belarusian language assessment.
4. Agree a realistic start date that allows for the permit, visa and travel.
5. Arrange accommodation that meets sanitary requirements.
6. Confirm who the responsible person will be on the provider’s side.
7. Prepare familiarisation documents in a language the employee understands.
8. Set reminders for visa, residence and permit expiry dates.

If you’re also deciding how to structure your presence in Belarus, our comparison of HTP residency and EOR as ways to enter the market explains where the Hi-Tech Park regime gives you more flexibility with foreign hires.

How EOR.by Helps

We handle the whole process for foreign employees: work permit applications where they’re needed, migration notifications and the duties added by Edict No. 202. Through our HR consulting services, we also prepare the local acts and familiarisation documents, including versions in the employee’s language.

Once the employee starts, we run payroll, track document expiry dates and keep the records the authorities may ask to see.

FAQ

Can a Belarusian EOR hire foreign nationals?

Yes. An EOR can employ foreign nationals in Belarus as long as the employee has the right to work, either through a special work permit, an exemption or EAEU citizenship. The EOR then carries all employer duties, including those added in 2025.

Do Russian or Kazakh citizens need a work permit in Belarus?

No. Citizens of EAEU member states, which include Russia, Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan and Armenia, don’t need a work permit, and the 2025 edict doesn’t apply to them. Standard notifications and migration registration still apply. The EAEU rules on labour migration confirm that workers from member states need no permit to work under an employment contract.

What is Edict No. 202 and when did it take effect?

It’s a presidential edict of 21 May 2025 that sets new duties for employers of migrant workers. Most provisions apply from 23 August 2025, and electronic notifications through the state portal from 1 January 2026.

How long does it take to hire a foreign employee who needs a permit?

Plan for at least a month from registering the vacancy to the first working day. A visa, relocation or a role that needs a language assessment can add more time.

Does a foreign developer need to pass a Russian language test?

Only if the role is on the government list of professions that require a language check. Confirm the current list with your provider before making an offer.

Can a foreign specialist work for us from outside Belarus?

A Belarusian employment contract for a foreign national assumes they work in Belarus. For someone who stays abroad, an EOR in their country or a contractor arrangement is usually a better fit.

Final Thoughts

Hiring a foreign specialist in Belarus is entirely possible, and for EAEU citizens or people in listed professions it’s fairly quick. What changed in 2026 is the amount of follow-up the employer has to do. When you work through an EOR, most of that work sits with the provider, so it’s worth checking that yours has a process for it.

Have a foreign candidate in mind? Send us their citizenship and role, and we’ll tell you which route applies, how long it will take and what the 2025 rules require.