The People's Embassies of Belarus, supported by the German Marshall Fund (GMF), have implemented the project “Mapping Legalization Issues of Belarusians in Exile”, dedicated to researching the legalization and documentation challenges faced by Belarusians abroad and exploring potential solutions.

As part of the project, experts collected and analyzed the situation in over 20 countries.

The central question of the study is what Belarusians abroad should do when their Belarusian passport expires and obtaining a new one is impossible.

During the research, comparisons were drawn regarding solutions available in different countries: the issuance of aliens' passports and other travel documents, the recognition of expired Belarusian passports, obtaining international protection, and other legalization mechanisms. Additionally, the study examined issues concerning documents and certificates from Belarus, apostilles, visas, bank accounts, driver's licenses, citizenship, and the security of Belarusians abroad.

The analysis utilized Eurostat statistics and national data, legislation and administrative practice, real case studies from Belarusian organizations, as well as interviews with experts working directly on legalization issues for Belarusians.

The main objective of the mapping project is to transition from a map of problems to practical solutions: to highlight mechanisms already functioning in various countries and identify best practices that can be adapted where such solutions do not yet exist.

The project resulted in 20 country-specific analytical papers outlining concrete issues and proposed solutions, along with a comparative cross-country report compiling best practices and solutions from across the region.

These materials can be used for advocacy at both national and international levels—with national governments and parliaments, European institutions, and international organizations. They can also be utilized by Belarusian organizations and representatives of democratic forces in their advocacy work.

Below is information on individual countries covered by the study: key problems, existing mechanisms, and proposed solutions.