The Czech cabinet was scheduled to consider a proposal on October 5, 2026, that would expand access to a short-term visa for Belarusians whose family ties reach specific relatives in the country. The measure would broaden an existing exception, rather than lift the general restrictions on Belarusian nationals.
The draft would let qualifying relatives apply at Czech diplomatic missions. It sets out a route for parents, grandparents, children and grandchildren of eligible residents.
A relative in the country could be a Czech citizen or a Belarusian national with a long-term visa, a long-term residence permit or permanent residence. The cabinet review was scheduled; the proposal’s adoption was not established in the material available for this article.
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The draft would widen a narrow exception, not end the visa restrictions
The proposal would remove age, financial-dependency and care-need tests for the listed relatives. It would also remove a requirement that relatives accompany or join the Czech or EU citizen they visit, or travel together.
That change would broaden the current exception, which covers some short-term visits by relatives accompanying or joining Czech and other EU citizens. The draft would extend eligibility to relatives of Belarusians legally living in the country, as well as to relatives of Czech citizens.
The covered relationships are specific: parents and grandparents, along with children and grandchildren. The proposal does not describe eligibility for other relatives. Applications would be lodged at Czech diplomatic missions, with the applicant’s relationship and the qualifying relative’s status forming the stated basis for applying.
The country largely stopped issuing visas and residence permits to Russian and Belarusian citizens after Russia’s full-scale invasion of Ukraine in 2022. The broader restrictions remain in place under the proposal; the change concerns a defined group of Belarusian relatives.
Existing exemptions already allow some visits by relatives of Czech and EU citizens. The draft would alter who can qualify and remove the listed tests, rather than create a general route for Belarusian nationals to obtain visas or residence permits.
Diplomatic outreach preceded the cabinet review
The proposal came through the Czech Foreign Ministry. Belarusian opposition figure Sviatlana Tsikhanouskaya’s Prague visit in August 2026 was cited as part of the push for the change, alongside advocacy by Belarusian civil-society and diaspora figures.
Foreign Minister Petr Macinka initiated draft amendments in May. The Foreign Ministry sent the draft regulation for consultation on August 11, 2026, before the scheduled cabinet consideration.
The proposal had not faced formal opposition from other ministries at the time of reporting. That describes its position during interministerial consultation, not approval by the cabinet. Tsikhanouskaya’s meeting with Macinka was also linked to diaspora efforts around the proposal.
The stated provisions focus on family visits and the named residence categories. The proposal would allow eligible relatives to apply, but it does not describe a guaranteed visa decision or a change to the wider restrictions.
The same legal package also touches Ukrainians
The legal package was also described as creating new residence options for some Ukrainians, a separate element from the proposed Belarusian family-visit route. The cabinet’s scheduled review on October 5, 2026, placed both issues within the same package under consideration.
