Recently, our correspondent investigated the new system at the border, no computers or tablets are necessary. The operator will register vehicles entering the waiting area and the number plate of the vehicle and queue number will be displayed on an electronic announcement board. All drivers know where to go next and will be unable to jump the queue or sell their place, as in previous years. If you are in a hurry and pressed for time, or have an urgent business meeting, there is the possibility of reserving a place in the queue in advance, for a fee, which applies to officials and citizens alike. The head of the press service of the State Border Committee, Alexander Tishchenko, notes that entering the checkpoint and border crossing in the regular way are still free of charge, “Payment is only taken for booking a specified time of arrival at the check point. The system of electronic queueing consists of two elements: the paid service, if people want to be sure that they will reach the checkpoint from the waiting area without a long wait, and the general queue, but with electronic registration recognition. The holders of diplomatic passports and children under 3 years old, as before, will be allowed to pass freely. Border and customs control remains unchanged.”
Electronic queue to help cross the border quicker and more easily
Places can be booked on the website https://belarusborder.by where you can choose the date and a one-hour time interval. The cost of booking before holidays, pre-festival days and state holidays is a flat rate of Br21. On other days booking is cheaper at 16 Roubles and 80 Kopecks. The service is available from 90 days to 3 hours before the intended crossing. Taking into account that the electronic booking system will take approximately 20-25 vehicles an hour, it is a good idea to consider booking in advance. For those who have done this, there is a separate corridor and electronic queue in the waiting area. The procedure is the same: the vehicle enters the site by a separate channel, the registration number is displayed on a screen ensuring that drivers will leave the waiting area at the stipulated time.
The Head of the Public Relations Department for Traffic Police in the Brest Regional Executive Committee, Natalia Sakharchuk, described how the arrangement of traffic in the area around the checkpoint has changed, “New road markings have been painted. The number of lanes was increased from two to three and protective barriers between the queues are now installed.”
In additional border news, the State Border Committee commented that, since September 1st, according to ruling #526 by the Council of Ministers, limitations on the number of departures from Belarus by privately owned vehicles have been abolished. It is now possible to travel by personal vehicle more often than once every 8 days. We must remember that since April 14th however, Belarus has introduced new rules for the import of goods for private use.
