Belarus is one of the few jurisdictions in Eastern Europe where a foreigner can register a company in a single working day. Not a month, not two weeks of queues and apostilles — one day, if the documents are prepared correctly.
No local partner required. No restrictions based on citizenship. 100% foreign ownership is the norm, not the exception.
That said, there are a few places where people consistently lose time and money. Let’s go through everything properly.
Short answer: almost anyone. Belarusian law makes no distinction between locals and foreigners when it comes to registering a business — the rights are equal.
A foreign individual aged 18 or above can open a company, as can a foreign legal entity — as long as it’s not in the process of liquidation or bankruptcy. A foreigner can also serve as company director, and no work permit is required for that.
One nuance worth knowing: if the sole founder is a foreign company that itself has only one participant, it cannot be the sole founder of a Belarusian legal entity. It sounds more complicated than it is — in practice it’s easily resolved by adding a second founder or adjusting the ownership structure slightly.
Before registering anything, you need to decide on the legal form. For most foreign investors, there are four realistic options.
The most common choice for small and medium businesses. Minimum share capital is essentially symbolic — it can be as low as one Belarusian ruble. Between one and fifty participants are allowed, liability is limited to the amount of the contribution, and the founder can also serve as director. Management is flexible and straightforward.
Works well for: trading, services, IT companies, startups, and operational offices of international businesses.
For a detailed breakdown of this structure, see our LLC registration in Belarus page.
Similar to an LLC, but the share capital is divided into shares distributed among a limited circle of shareholders. The key advantage: information about shareholders does not have to be entered into the public register. That gives an extra layer of confidentiality around the ownership structure.
More on this: CJSC registration in Belarus.
Essentially an LLC or CJSC where the sole founder is a foreign company. It’s a fully independent legal entity — it operates on its own, signs contracts in its own name, and its liability is separate from the parent. If you’re an international business opening an operational presence in Belarus, this is typically the right structure.
Full guide: subsidiary registration in Belarus.
Not a legal entity. Cannot conduct commercial activity — it can only represent the interests of the parent company, study the market, and build relationships. Registered with the Ministry of Foreign Affairs for up to three years, with the option to extend.
Good for companies that want to test the waters before committing to a full legal entity.
For the vast majority of foreign entrepreneurs, an LLC is the right call. The rest of this guide focuses on that.
Before anything else, you need to get the company name approved. This is free — done through the Unified State Register portal (egr.gov.by), in person, or by email. You can submit up to three name options at once in case some are already taken. The answer comes within one working day.
The name must be in Russian or Belarusian. A foreign-language version can sit alongside it as a transliteration, but it can’t stand alone. Once approved, the certificate is valid for one month — after that, you’d need to reapply.
Every company must be registered at a non-residential address. You can rent a real office, or use a virtual address — both are legally valid and sufficient for registration and receiving official correspondence.
This is where most foreigners lose time, so it’s worth paying attention.
If the founder is an individual:
If the founder is a foreign legal entity, add:
On legalisation — this is the part that catches people out. If your country has signed the Hague Convention, an apostille is enough. For Russia and most CIS countries, no legalisation is needed at all — a notarised translation is sufficient. For everyone else, consular legalisation is required, which can take several weeks. Check this in advance, or you’ll end up restarting the clock.
For help with document translation and apostille, we handle this as part of the registration process.
Documents are submitted to the executive committee at the location of the company’s legal address. In Minsk, that’s the Minsk City Executive Committee.
You can submit in person, through a notary (who sends everything electronically), online via egr.gov.by, or through a representative acting under a power of attorney — meaning you don’t have to be in Belarus at all.
Submit before 1:00 PM and the registration certificate is issued the same day. Within five working days, the company is automatically registered with the tax authority, the Social Protection Fund, Belgosstrakh, and the statistics office — no additional steps needed on your end.
Once you have the registration certificate, you can open a corporate bank account. The main banks that work actively with foreign-owned businesses include Belarusbank, Priorbank, Belgazprombank, MTBank, and Bank BelVEB.
You’ll need the registration certificate, the stamped articles of association, the director appointment order, and passports of the director and founder. The account is typically opened within one working day. A company can hold accounts at multiple banks simultaneously, including in foreign currency.
One thing to check in advance: some banks require the director to be present in person for the account opening. Others are fine with a power of attorney. It varies by bank, so confirm before you make the trip — or before you don’t.
Full details: opening a corporate bank account in Belarus.
The EDS is what lets you manage tax filings and interact with government portals remotely. Without it, every submission means either physically being in Belarus or giving someone a power of attorney for each individual action. It’s one of those things that seems optional until you realise it isn’t. Issued through the National Center for Electronic Services.
This decision needs to be made within 20 working days of registration. Miss that window and you’re on the general tax system by default — and you can only switch at the start of the following year.
Simplified tax system (STS) — 6% of revenue, no VAT. Available to companies with up to 50 employees and revenue within the established annual threshold. For most small and medium foreign-owned companies, this is the sensible default.
General tax system — 20% corporate income tax, 20% VAT. Mandatory once you exceed the STS limits, or for certain types of activities.
Hi-Tech Park (HTP) resident status — a separate regime for IT companies: 0% corporate income tax, reduced personal income tax for employees, simplified currency controls, and a range of other advantages. This is a big topic on its own — we’ve covered it in detail in our guide to HTP Belarus for foreign IT companies.
Document legalisation. Not checking the specific requirements for your country’s documents before starting the process is the single most common reason registrations get delayed by two to three weeks.
The articles of association. The registration authority checks the charter formally — it doesn’t take responsibility for the content. Poorly drafted rules around profit distribution or management decisions tend to surface later, usually at the worst possible moment: a dispute between partners, or when someone wants to sell their share.
The tax regime window. The 20 working days after registration go by quickly. A lot of founders focus on getting the company open and forget to file the STS notification. That’s an expensive oversight.
Accounting. Even if the company has zero activity, you’re still legally required to file zero reports. For help with this, see accounting services in Belarus.
Do I need a local partner to open a company in Belarus?
No. A foreigner can be the sole founder and own 100% of the company — no conditions attached.
Do I have to come to Belarus in person?
Not for the registration itself — that can be done through a representative under a notarised power of attorney. For the bank account, it depends on the bank. Some require the director to appear in person; others don’t.
Can a foreigner be the company director?
Yes, without any restrictions. No work permit is required for a foreign national serving as the sole executive body.
What if the company isn’t doing anything yet?
You still need to file zero reports. Accounting obligations apply to all legal entities regardless of activity level.
How much does it cost?
It depends on the founder’s citizenship, the chosen structure, and how straightforward the document situation is. The variables are significant enough that the only useful answer is a specific one — reach out and we’ll give you a clear picture for your case.
Get in touch with us
If you want to talk through your specific situation — get in touch, and we’ll take it from there. You can also contact us directly here: [email protected]
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