Questions and Answers

• Is it possible to register a marriage in any civil registry office in the Republic of Belarus, regardless of place of residence?

  According to Article 210 of the Code of the Republic of Belarus on Marriage and Family, the registration of marriage is carried out by any civil registry office chosen by the persons entering into marriage.

• My wife gave birth to a child in one of the clinics in Minsk, but we live in the city of Volozhin. If we register the birth of our child at the civil registry office of the Volozhin District Executive Committee, which city will be indicated as the child's place of birth: Minsk or Volozhin?

  According to Article 204 of the Code of the Republic of Belarus on Marriage and Family, the registration of birth is carried out at the place of birth of the child or at the place of residence of the parents or one of them.

  The right to choose the place of registration of the child's birth belongs to the persons applying for the birth.

  If the registration of the child's birth is carried out at the place of residence of the parents (parent), and not at the place of birth of the child, then the place of birth of the child shall be indicated as the place of residence of the parents (parent).

  For example, if the birth of a child is registered at the registry office of the Volozhin District Executive Committee, then the place of birth of the child will be indicated as the city of Volozhin (at the place of residence of the parents), and if it is registered at the place of birth of the child, i.e., in one of the registry offices of the city of Minsk, then the place of birth of the child will be indicated as the city of Minsk.

• Is it possible to take a double surname upon entering into marriage?

  Upon concluding a marriage, spouses, at their own discretion, choose the surname of one of the spouses as their common surname, or each of them retains their pre-marital surname. Spouses or one of them may choose a double surname consisting of the pre-marital surnames of the spouses. If both spouses wish to have a double surname, by their agreement, it is determined which pre-marital surname it will be.

• My brother lives and works in Russia. He lost his birth certificate. Can I get his birth certificate for further forwarding?

  In accordance with Article 202 of the Code of the Republic of Belarus on Marriage and Family, duplicate certificates are issued to persons for whom a civil status record has been compiled. Duplicate birth certificates of children are issued to their parents, guardians, and custodians, and can also be issued by power of attorney certified in the prescribed manner.

  Thus, your brother must issue a power of attorney in your name to receive a duplicate of his birth certificate.

  Your brother can also contact the registry office at his place of residence with a request to obtain a duplicate of his birth certificate. Upon receipt of such a request (application), the registry office will send a duplicate of his birth certificate to the registry office at his place of residence in Russia.

• Can a child's surname be changed?

  The legislation of the Republic of Belarus provides that if a parent with whom a child under the age of 16 resides after the termination of marriage or annulment of marriage, or after entering into a new marriage, wishes to assign their surname, the guardianship and trusteeship authority has the right to permit the change of the child's surname based on the child's interests.

  The change of surname of a child who has reached the age of 10 is carried out in all cases with his consent, which is ascertained by the guardianship and trusteeship authority. The parent whose surname the child bears is informed about the filing of a petition to change the child's surname, and their opinion, along with other circumstances, is taken into account by the guardianship and trusteeship authorities when deciding on the change of the child's surname.

  It should be noted that by changing the child's surname, the other parent does not lose their rights based on the fact of kinship with the child. Such a change of surname does not relieve the parent of their obligations to support the child. A parent living separately has the right to communicate with the child and is obliged to participate in their upbringing.

  A child's surname can be changed upon registration of paternity with respect to him, as well as upon his adoption.

  The change of surname by citizens of the Republic of Belarus who have reached the age of 16 is carried out in the general order.

• How can I find out about my relatives who lived and were born in the territory of Volozhin district at the end of the 19th - beginning of the 20th century?

  The archival collection of vital records of births, marriages, and deaths from church and Roman Catholic books has been transferred for permanent storage to the state institution "National Historical Archive of Belarus" since December 2017.

  The procedure for issuing archival certificates should be clarified with the aforementioned archive at the address: 220002, Kropotkina St., 55, Minsk (e-mail: niab@.by).

  We further inform you that to search for vital records, it is necessary to specify the full date of registration of the civil status act (or to limit the search period if the exact date is unknown), the place of registration of the civil status act (village, farmstead, locality) or the place of baptism (name of the church or chapel).

  We also inform you that the registry office is not competent to fulfill genealogical (family history research), thematic (confirmation of residence, work and other facts; compilation of documents on various topics covering specific geographical and chronological frameworks) requests.

• Is it possible to dissolve a marriage at the registry office?

  Since January 1, 2013, civil registry offices have been granted the right to dissolve marriages upon a joint application by both spouses for the registration of divorce, provided that they have no common minor children and no property dispute.
  The application for the registration of divorce is submitted by the spouses (spouse) in writing to the civil registry office at the place of registration or the place of residence of the spouses (spouse) within the territory of the Republic of Belarus. A state fee of 4 base amounts is charged for submitting the application for the registration of divorce. If one of the spouses cannot appear at the civil registry office to submit a joint application for valid reasons, their signature on such an application must be notarized in accordance with the procedure established by law.
  Divorce shall be registered by the civil registry office no earlier than one month and no later than two months from the date of submission of the joint application for divorce.