# Belarus

 Country code: BY · Currency: BYN · Language: Belarusian

**Pros**
- Significant tax exemptions for technology companies within the specialized high-tech economic zone.
- High level of public safety and low rates of violent crime in urban centers.
- Advanced digital infrastructure and a large pool of highly skilled technical talent.

**Cons**
- Pervasive state control over major economic sectors and limited protection for private property rights.
- Severe restrictions on political expression and lack of democratic institutional safeguards.
- Extensive international sanctions restricting cross-border financial transfers and global market integration.

Long story short: In Minsk, the state leaves you almost entirely alone on taxes and inspections as long as you stay out of politics: street-level corruption is next to nil. The catch: a banking system under sanctions, international transfers turned into a headache, and a regime that can freeze your accounts or yank your license overnight if you rub it the wrong way.

Besides that: Soviet-era infrastructure that still works, streets safe even late at night in the nice neighborhoods, hearty but unrefined food, and forests and lakes that are gorgeous if you like it quiet.

## Will your income be taxed?

Long story short: NO.
**Belarus** doesn't tax personal income, and nobody comes sniffing around when you settle in. No withholding, no tax return, no centre-of-vital-interests trap waiting to snap shut.

Earn what you want: the taxman here simply doesn't know your name.

**01.1 Income tax**

| Metric | Value | Detail |
| --- | --- | --- |
| Personal income tax | NONE | no personal income tax framework |

**01.2 Tax residence test**

| Metric | Value | Detail |
| --- | --- | --- |
| 183-day rule | does not exist here |  |
| Economic interest | does not exist here |  |
| Family centre | does not exist here |  |
| Habitual abode | does not exist here |  |
| Extended-stay test | does not exist here |  |

## Will your wealth be taxed?

Long story short: NO.
**Belarus** keeps its hands off what you hold. *No capital gains tax*, no annual wealth grab, no inheritance regime.

Your portfolio compounds in peace and leaves the way it came in; nobody's standing at the door with their palm out.

**02.1 Investment income**

| Metric | Value | Detail |
| --- | --- | --- |
| Capital gains | NONE | no capital gains regime |
| Dividend tax | NONE | no dividend tax |
| Interest income | NONE | no interest income tax |

**02.2 Wealth & estate**

| Metric | Value | Detail |
| --- | --- | --- |
| Wealth tax | NONE | no annual wealth tax · no real-estate wealth tax · no net-worth assessment |
| Inheritance system | NONE | no estate tax · no heir-based duties · no succession tax framework. Wealth transfers across heir-classes are not taxed in this jurisdiction. Only standard probate / registration fees may apply. |

**02.3 Crypto**

| Metric | Value | Detail |
| --- | --- | --- |
| Crypto · tax regime | ZERO TAX | Rate: 0% · Belarus maintains a tax-free regime for individuals' crypto activities (mining, trading, and exchange) provided they are conducted through High-Tech Park (HTP) residents. While the general tax holiday under Decree No. 80 expired on Jan 1, 2025, the 2025 Tax Code (Art. 202-1) and Decree No. 367 (2024) preserve the 0% rate for HTP-mediated transactions. Trading on foreign exchanges or P2P platforms is restricted for residents and may be subject to a 13% income tax or administrative penalties. |
| Crypto-to-crypto | NEUTRAL | a swap is not a taxable realisation event |
| FATF travel rule | NOT SIGNED | no information-sharing obligation on VASP transfers |

## Easy to run a company there?

Long story short: YES, BUT EXPOSED.
**Belarus** has *no corporate income tax* but stacks the two nastiest non-fiscal frictions: *criminal liability* for misuse of corporate assets (jail on the table for sloppy intra-company spending) and *public registries* (your name served up to anyone with a browser).

The sticker says zero; the exposure says otherwise, on every other axis.

**03.1 Rates**

| Metric | Value | Detail |
| --- | --- | --- |
| Corporate tax | NONE | no corporate income tax framework |
| VAT standard rate | NONE | no general VAT · no consumption tax framework |

**03.2 Regime & registry**

| Metric | Value | Detail |
| --- | --- | --- |
| IP Box · Patent Box | NONE | no IP regime · IP income taxed under standard corporate rules |
| Misuse of corporate assets | CRIMINAL | criminal liability · Article 210 of the Criminal Code of the Republic of Belarus · In Belarus, a legal entity (such as a Limited Liability Company - LLC) is the sole owner of its assets, which are legally distinct from the property of its shareholders. A director, even if they are the sole shareholder, is considered an 'official' (должностное лицо). Using corporate funds for personal expenses without a legal basis (e.g., formal dividend distribution) is classified as 'Theft through abuse of official authority' under Article 210. The company's solvency does not negate the criminal nature of the act, as the law protects the property rights of the legal entity as a separate subject of law. |
| Shareholders privacy | PUBLIC PAYWALL | Unified State Register of Legal Entities and Individual Entrepreneurs (USR) |
| Directors privacy | PUBLIC PAYWALL | Unified State Register of Legal Entities and Individual Entrepreneurs (USR) |

**03.3 Incorporation cost**

_In this country, the most standard company form is called Общество с ограниченной ответственностью (ООО) (Limited Liability Company (LLC)). The costs below are for incorporating a company in its simplest form, for reference only._

| Metric | Value | Detail |
| --- | --- | --- |
| Government Registration and Work Permit Fees (6 Base Values) | USD 79 |  |
| Professional Legal and Incorporation Services | USD 1,251 |  |
| Company Seal and Mandatory Document Translation | USD 66 |  |
| Total | USD 1,396 |  |

## A good fit for a holding?

Long story short: NO.
**Belarus** has no treaty network at all, which buries the holding question, full stop.

Every dividend in or out eats the statutory withholding at full rate, and no domestic regime can patch a hole that sits on the source side. Don't park a holding here.

**04.1 Substance & exemptions**

| Metric | Value | Detail |
| --- | --- | --- |
| Territorial · individuals | WORLDWIDE | worldwide income taxation regardless of source |
| Territorial · corporates | WORLDWIDE | worldwide corporate taxation |
| Participation exemption | NONE | no dividend participation exemption regime |
| CFC rules | NONE | no controlled foreign corporation regime · foreign-source corporate income out of scope |

**04.2 Withholding tax · non-resident**

| Metric | Value | Detail |
| --- | --- | --- |
| WHT · dividends | NONE | no withholding on outbound dividends |
| WHT · interest | NONE | no withholding on outbound interest |
| WHT · royalties | NONE | no withholding on outbound royalties |
| Tax-haven WHT | NONE | no punitive rate on record |

**04.3 Treaty network**

| Metric | Value | Detail |
| --- | --- | --- |
| Treaties signed | 0 | active |
| Treaties pending | — | in negotiation |

## Easy to come and go?

Long story short: SOME.
**Belarus** taxes your worldwide income while you're resident, but at least the exit is free: *no exit tax* on the way out.

Leaving costs you paperwork, not money; your unrealised gains walk out the door with you, untouched.

**05.1 Exit & dual nationality**

| Metric | Value | Detail |
| --- | --- | --- |
| Exit tax | NONE | no triggers active · residence change tax-free · no deemed-disposal mechanism |
| Dual citizenship | FORBIDDEN | naturalisation requires renouncing existing citizenship |

**05.2 Citizenship paths**

| Metric | Value | Detail |
| --- | --- | --- |
| Residence | 5 years | available path to naturalisation |
| Marriage | — | not available |
| Birth | — | not available |
| Descent | — | not available |
| Investment | — | not available |

## Is your money watched?

Long story short: NO.
Foreign tax offices see next to nothing of what you do in **Belarus**: it has signed *few exchange frameworks*.

But the *corporate registries are public*: your shareholdings and directorships are one search away for anyone curious. Invisible from abroad, on display at home.

**Multilateral reporting frameworks — 1/9 active · 2 pending**

| Item | Status | Detail |
| --- | --- | --- |
| CRS | None | — |
| CARF | None | — |
| FATCA | In force | 2014 |
| MLI | None | — |
| BEPS | Signed | — |
| MAAC | None | — |
| GLOBAL FORUM | Signed | — |
| EOIR | None | — |
| CRYPTO TRAVEL RULE | None | — |

## Is it blacklisted?

Long story short: NO.
**Belarus** sits on no major blacklist, though it's *outside* the FATF club.

Some counterparties will run a bit of extra due diligence out of habit, but there's no formal stigma: you won't get hassled for dealing with it.

**Blacklist exposure — Clear everywhere**

| Item | Status | Detail |
| --- | --- | --- |
| EMBARGO | Clear | un / us / eu sanctions |
| FATF | Clear | grey / black list |
| EU | Clear | non-cooperative list |
| FRANCE | Clear | ETNC list |
| SPAIN | Clear | tax-haven list |
| PORTUGAL | Clear | favourable regimes |
| BRAZIL | Clear | low-tax list |

## Do you feel free there?

Long story short: NO.
Press freedom in **Belarus** is *locked down* (RSF rank **\#166**). Independent media and civic space operate under pressure (when they operate at all), and that kind of grip usually spills over into economic life too.

Small mercy: crypto isn't formally banned.

**08.1 Press freedom**

| Metric | Value | Detail |
| --- | --- | --- |
| Press freedom · RSF index | 166/180 | score 25 · ↑ 1 rank year-on-year |

Central bank digital currency

    Program Status Cross-border Sources     Digital Ruble

The motivation of the National Bank of Belarus is to keep up with modern trends and approaches, while also preparing for the potential of other countries introducing their own digital currencies. The digital ruble could also offer benefits for cross-border payments, providing citizens and legal entities with high-quality services.

Central Bank of Belarus

   RESEARCH   YES   [announce →](https://interfax.com/newsroom/top-stories/111022/ "Announcement")

 programs 1

## Connected to the world?

Long story short: POORLY CONNECTED.
The two rails that matter are both dead in **Belarus**. *Stripe* won't onboard you, so card payments mean a foreign structure or a local processor with its own rules. *Amazon* doesn't deliver either.

Some secondary services run (**3/11**), but for an online business this is swimming against the current.

**Accept payments — 2/6 available**

| Item | Status | Detail |
| --- | --- | --- |
| Stripe | Not available | card payments |
| PayPal | Available | wallet payments |
| Adyen | Available | enterprise psp |
| Mollie | Not available | eu payments |
| GoCardless | Not available | direct debit |
| Paddle | Not available | merchant of record |

**Bank and move money — 0/3 available**

| Item | Status | Detail |
| --- | --- | --- |
| Wise | Not available | multi-currency |
| Revolut | Not available | personal banking |
| Revolut Business | Not available | business banking |

**Buy and sell on Amazon — 1/2 available**

| Item | Status | Detail |
| --- | --- | --- |
| Amazon | Not available | consumer delivery |
| Amazon Seller | Available | marketplace selling |

  SEE ALSO## Other jurisdictions worth comparing

Picked by similarity of strategic profile to Belarus. No editorial ranking — neighbours in the same scoring space.

  PROFILE-ADJACENT Same shape, comparable overall friction.

 [   Central African Republic CF  → ](https://stateless.sx/en/country/cf) [   San Marino SM  → ](https://stateless.sx/en/country/sm) [   North Korea KP  → ](https://stateless.sx/en/country/kp)

  NOTABLY MORE FAVORABLE Same family of strategies, higher total score.

 [   Central African Republic CF  → ](https://stateless.sx/en/country/cf) [   Caribbean Netherlands BQ  → ](https://stateless.sx/en/country/bq) [   Uzbekistan UZ  → ](https://stateless.sx/en/country/uz)

  NOTABLY LESS FAVORABLE Same family of strategies, lower total score.

 [   San Marino SM  → ](https://stateless.sx/en/country/sm) [   North Korea KP  → ](https://stateless.sx/en/country/kp) [   Gambia GM  → ](https://stateless.sx/en/country/gm)