Byelorussia: Information on exit visas for the period October 1989 to March 1990
| Publisher | Canada: Immigration and Refugee Board of Canada |
| Author | Research Directorate, Immigration and Refugee Board, Canada |
| Publication Date | 1 November 1991 |
| Citation / Document Symbol | BYS9541 |
| Cite as | Canada: Immigration and Refugee Board of Canada, Byelorussia: Information on exit visas for the period October 1989 to March 1990, 1 November 1991, BYS9541, available at: https://www.refworld.org/docid/3ae6abe158.html [accessed 6 June 2023] |
| Disclaimer | This is not a UNHCR publication. UNHCR is not responsible for, nor does it necessarily endorse, its content. Any views expressed are solely those of the author or publisher and do not necessarily reflect those of UNHCR, the United Nations or its Member States. |
Information specific to exit visas in Belorussia is not currently available to the IRBDC. In reference to the Soviet Union in general, a document from External Affairs Canada, dated 19 March 1990, indicates that exit permits were not required in the USSR for purposes of emigration, although a statement of the purpose of foreign travel is recorded in the passport. Country Reports 1989 and 1990 indicate that exit visas were required for travel abroad by Soviet nationals in 1989 and 1990 (Country Reports 1989 1990, 1284; Country Reports 1990 1991, 1316). According to a Professor with the Centre for Canadian-Soviet Studies, exit visas were required in 1989 and 1990, although perhaps not for individuals emigrating from the Soviet Union (26 Nov. 1991). In June 1991, the new Law on Exit and Entry into the Soviet Union was passed. Although the law does not come into effect until January 1993, exit visas have not been required since June 1991 (Ibid.).
Please find attached an excerpt from a December 1989 Helsinki Watch Report which includes some information on the procedures involved in obtaining exit visas in the USSR. The USSR: Country Profile provides details on current exit and return practices in the Soviet Union. Related information is available in the REFINFO database.
There is no further information currently available to the IRBDC on this topic.
Bibliography
Department of External Affairs Canada. 19 March 1990. Emigration/Family Visit Regulations-Eastern Europe.
Helsinki Watch. December 1989. Towards the Rule of Law: Soviet Legal Reform and Human Rights Under Perestroika.
Professor with the Centre for Canadian-Soviet Studies, Carleton University. 26 November 1991. Telephone Interview, Ottawa.
U.S. Department of State. 1991. Country Reports on Human Rights Practices for 1990. Washington: U.S. Government Printing Office.
. 1990. Country Reports on Human Rights Practices for 1989. Washington: U.S. Government Printing Office.
Attachments
Department of External Affairs Canada. 19 March 1990. Emigration/Family Visit Regulations -Eastern Europe.
Helsinki Watch. December 1989. Towards the Rule of Law: Soviet Legal Reform and Human Rights Under Perestroika.
