English

US embassy again suspends visa services

The US embassy in Minsk has once again suspended the acceptance of visa applications from Belarusian citizens.

In a statement posted on its website, the embassy links the new suspension of visa services to the Belarusian government’s demand for a further reduction of the diplomatic mission’s staff. “As you are aware, only last week, our Embassy reduced the number of American staff by half. We consider these demands by the Belarusian Government to be unwarranted and unjustified,” the statement says.

At present, the embassy’s Consular Section is able to provide American citizen services by appointment only.

On March 19, the embassy announced that it was suspending its visa services because of the Belarusian government’s urgent request for staff cuts. The embassy then said that its resources were “engaged addressing other priorities,” and that further information would be provided “once the extent of the U.S. Embassy’s ability to provide visa services in Belarus has been determined.”

The embassy resumed visa processing on April 1.