Belarus currency · Currency in Belarus
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Currency in Belarus
Currency in Belarus
Inside of Belarus, you can get Belarusian rubles (but NOT always US dollars or euros) from automatic bank machines for standard types of credit/debit cards, and you can change US dollars and euros into Belarusian rubles BUT NOT (since May 2011) vice versa at many exchange kiosks in big railway stations and centers of big cities. Converting Belarusian rubles back into hard currency shortly before departure or once you are outside of Belarus will probably be (except in Lithuania, Latvia, Moldova, strangely enough). However, if you exchange all your rubles before leaving, any last-minute purchases (or fines for overstaying, customs, whatever) would have to be paid in dollars/euros.
Be very careful: exchange kiosks will not exchange any bill that is damaged or marked on but with a commission of 1-2 per cent. About half of the bills you currently have in your wallet will be rejected for exchange in Belarus. Be sure to take only relatively new and undamaged foreign money with you.
A black market conversion (August 2011) is about 7000 Belarusian rubles = $1 US and 9000 Belarusian rubles = €1. Official exchange rates are: BYR 5200 = USD 1, BYR 7200 = EUR 1. Do NOT accept any currency exchange offers from the unknown individuals.
Most larger supermarkets, stores and hotels have credit card terminals, but smaller shops often do not. Visa and Mastercard are accepted, while American Express is not.
Prices are typically much lower than in Western Europe, especially for supermarket food and service industry. However, hotels and restaurants are not cheaper than Western Europe (and often a lot more expensive than neighboring Poland).
The Most Frequently Asked Travel Questions about Belarus
Where To Stay & Best Hotels in Belarus - updated Apr 2024
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Belarus Travel Guide from Wikitravel. Many thanks to all Wikitravel contributors. Text is available under Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike 3.0, images are available under various licenses, see each image for details.
