At the height of the tourist season, the Ministry of Sports and Tourism recalls the rules in force in the Republic of Belarus for the provision of sightseeing services.
Tours in Belarus can only be conducted by specialists who are certified by the state institution ”National Agency for Tourism“ and have the appropriate documents.
These requirements are regulated by:
By the Law of the Republic of Belarus dated November 11, 2021 No. 129-Z ”On Tourism" (https://mst.gov.by/ru/zakonodatelstvo/turizm/zakony.html );
The Regulation on the procedure and conditions for passing professional certification confirming the qualifications of tour guides and translation guides, approved by Resolution No. 582 of the Council of Ministers of the Republic of Belarus dated September 2, 2022 (https://mst.gov.by/ru/zakonodatelstvo/turizm/postanovleniya.html );
Resolution No. 33 of the Ministry of Sports and Tourism of the Republic of Belarus dated July 4, 2023 ”On Establishing professional
and ethical requirements for guides and Translation guides" (https://mst.gov.by/ru/zakonodatelstvo/turizm/postanovleniya.html ).
What does it mean? This means that only persons who have prepared and passed professional certification confirming the qualifications of guides, guides, translators, through computer testing for knowledge of the history and geography of Belarus, the political structure, linguistics and methods of excursion work, as well as passed an oral interview on a chosen topic. The applicant must submit to the Attestation Commission control texts and technological maps of the excursions on which he is going to work.
In case of successful completion of the certification, the applicant receives a badge, a certificate and a list of topics that he has defended. These attributes must be carried by the tour guide and the translation guide.
When contacting a travel company, it is necessary to clarify whether they have certified guides or translation guides. Travel companies can only work with certified specialists. Foreign guides cannot work on the territory of the Republic of Belarus.
As of July 1, 2023, 1,250 people have been certified in Belarus. Of these, there are 1,050 guides and 200 translation guides. Their number is increasing every year. For example, in 2022, 191 new tour guides were certified.
A tour guide or an interpreter guide can be certified for 1 route, or maybe 10. He passes a separate certification for each of them. However, there are exceptions.
On the territory of national parks, nature reserves, industrial enterprises, museum and memorial complexes, only their full-time or freelance employees can conduct excursions.
The National Register of Guides and Translation Guides of the Republic of Belarus is publicly available on the website of the National Agency for Tourism: https://www.belarustourism.by/guides/
We also remind you that the National Tourism Agency has organized training courses for guides and translation guides. Everyone can complete the training and gain the knowledge necessary to prepare for the certification.: https://www.belarustourism.by/uslugi/?ELEMENT_ID=537
