
Recognition and Enforcement of Foreign Court
It is quite difficult for companies that have achieved a resolution of a legal dispute and received a foreign court decision against a resident of Belarus to execute such a decision without the help of an experienced lawyer. Our lawyers will advise you on the enforcement of foreign judgments and prepare the necessary documents for their recognition and enforcement.
When a foreign court’s decision can be recognized and enforced in Belarus
In Belarus, it is possible to recognize court decisions of States with which Belarus has signed international treaties or on the principle of reciprocity.
Belarus participates in a number of international treaties on legal assistance, under which decisions of foreign courts are recognized and enforced in Belarus. Agreements on legal assistance are in force with the CIS states, a number of European and Asian states.
The principle of reciprocity works when an international agreement has not been concluded between Belarus and the state whose court issued the decision. For such recognition, it is necessary to study the practice of recognizing the decisions of the Belarusian court in this state.

Enforcement of Court Decision
Decisions of the courts of the Russian Federation are executed in Belarus on the principle of reciprocity. This means that the decisions of the Russian courts are executed on the territory of Belarus in the same manner as the decisions of the Belarusian courts. To fulfill them, you do not need to go through the recognition procedure. It is enough to send the executive document issued by the court of the Russian Federation to the system of enforcement agencies. Our lawyer will advise you on the issue of the execution of the decision of the court of the Russian Federation, make an application for the initiation of enforcement proceedings, and represent your interests in enforcement proceedings.
Grounds for Recognition and Enforcement of Court Judgments in Belarus
For foreign court judgments and arbitral awards to be recognized and enforced in the Republic of Belarus, there must be a valid legal basis—either an international treaty to which Belarus is a party or the principle of reciprocity. The recognition and enforcement of foreign judgments are governed not only by Belarusian national legislation, including the Constitution, the Civil Procedure Code (CPC), and the Economic Procedure Code (EPC), but also by numerous international treaties, both multilateral and bilateral. This framework ensures that foreign judicial acts can be effectively integrated into the Belarusian legal system, provided they meet the established procedural and substantive requirements. Ambylegal assists clients in navigating these complex regulations to secure the lawful recognition and execution of foreign court decisions in Belarus.

Decisions Recognized and Enforced
Courts in the Republic of Belarus consider petitions for the enforcement of judgments rendered by foreign courts and arbitral (or tribunal) awards, as well as applications for the recognition and enforcement of such decisions. Belarusian courts recognize and enforce foreign judgments issued in disputes and other matters arising in the economic sphere, in civil cases, and criminal judgments insofar as they pertain to compensation for damages caused by a crime. This legal mechanism ensures that foreign judicial and arbitral acts that meet Belarusian procedural and substantive requirements can have binding effect and be executed within Belarus. Ambylegal provides professional support to ensure compliance with all applicable standards for successful enforcement.
Time Limit for Filing an Application
Foreign court judgments may be submitted for enforcement in Belarus within three years from the date they become final and binding, unless an applicable international treaty provides otherwise. If this period is missed, the court may restore the deadline upon the applicant’s request, provided the reasons for the delay are deemed valid and justified.
As for foreign arbitral awards enforced under the Convention on the Recognition and Enforcement of Foreign Arbitral Awards, signed in New York on June 10, 1958, Belarusian practice allows such awards to be enforced even after the three-year period. Ambylegal advises clients on compliance with these procedural timeframes to protect their rights effectively.

Reciprocity in Enforcement
When there is no international treaty between the Republic of Belarus and the state in which a court or arbitral decision was rendered, recognition and enforcement in Belarus may still proceed on the basis of the principle of reciprocity. This principle is explicitly established in Belarusian procedural legislation: Article 245 of the Economic Procedure Code (EPC) provides for reciprocity in economic matters, while Article 542 of the Civil Procedure Code (CPC) sets it out as a special principle governing civil proceedings involving foreign parties.
Reciprocity thus offers an additional legal avenue to protect rights in Belarus even in the absence of treaty obligations. Notably, the inclusion of this principle distinguishes Belarusian law from the legislation of many other states that do not recognize reciprocity, often leading to significant practical complications and unresolved legal questions. Ambylegal assists clients in leveraging this principle to enforce their rights effectively in Belarus.
Apostille and legalization of documents
These documents must be certified: apostilled or legalized at the consulate, translated into Russian or Belarusian and notarized translation.
The apostille is affixed to documents that are issued in the States parties to the Hague Convention. This is a special stamp that confirms the legal force of the document in all States parties to the convention. In particular, these are the following states: Azerbaijan, Armenia, Belgium, Bulgaria, Canada, Cyprus, China, Czech Republic, Denmark, France, Georgia, Germany, Greece, Israel, Latvia, Lithuania, Norway, Poland, Portugal, Republic of Korea, Saudi Arabia, USA, Great Britain, Turkey, etc. Documents issued in other countries need to be legalized. Documents are legalized at the Belarusian consulate in the state where the document was issued.

Legal Steps
Documents issued in a foreign language must be translated into the official language of Belarus: Russian or Belarusian. We recommend that you make a translation in Belarus, with an interpreter who cooperates with notary offices. The translation must be notarized.
Step 1. Payment of the state fee. Before submitting an application to the court, you need to pay a state fee of 10 basic units. This is 370 Belarusian rubles.
Step 2. Consideration of the application by the court. The court considers the application for recognition and enforcement of a foreign court decision with the summons of representatives of the parties.
Step 3. Recognition of a foreign court’s decision. In case of recognition of the decision of a foreign court, the Belarusian court issues a court ruling and a court order to the representative of the claimant — this is an executive document.
Step 4. Execution of a foreign court’s decision. After receiving the court order, an application for the initiation of enforcement proceedings is drawn up. Together with the court order, it is sent to the system of enforcement agencies for collection from the debtor.
Since April 10, 2022, the execution of executive documents in favor of residents of foreign countries who are declared unfriendly has been suspended. The list of unfriendly states includes 13 positions, including the member states of the European Union, the United States, Canada, and the United Kingdom. The execution of decisions of foreign courts made in favor of business entities, for which the Belarusian court’s rulings on recognition have been received, has been suspended. The execution of decisions of foreign courts in favor of individuals has not been suspended.

TIME LIMIT
Decisions of foreign courts may be submitted for enforcement within three years from the date the decision enters into legal force, unless otherwise provided by an international treaty.
If this time limit is missed, it may be restored by the court upon request, provided the reasons for the delay are deemed valid.
A foreign arbitral award submitted for enforcement under the Convention on the Recognition and Enforcement of Foreign Arbitral Awards, signed in New York on June 10, 1958, may be enforced even after the expiration of the three-year period.
PRINCIPLE OF “RECIPROCITY” IN THE RECOGNITION AND ENFORCEMENT OF COURT DECISIONS
If there is no international treaty between the Republic of Belarus and the state in which the relevant court or arbitral decision was rendered, recognition and enforcement may be carried out based on the principle of reciprocity. In the Republic of Belarus, this principle is expressly established in the Economic Procedural Code (Article 245).
In the Civil Procedural Code (Article 542), the principle of reciprocity is enshrined as a special principle of civil proceedings involving foreign persons. The principle of reciprocity provides an additional opportunity to protect one’s rights in a foreign jurisdiction in the absence of a bilateral or multilateral international treaty.
It is worth noting that the presence of the reciprocity principle in Belarusian legislation distinguishes it from the laws of a number of other countries where this principle is not recognized, which naturally leads to numerous complications and unresolved legal issues.
Our Services
Groups of Foreign States for Recognizing and Enforcing Belarusian Economic Court Judgments
Contact us
-
LawyerLegal assistance is provided by advocate Anton Grinewich, Specialized Legal Bar No. 2 in Minsk.
-
E-mail
-
AddressOffice: 1 Krasnaya str., Minsk, Republic of Belarus Postal address: 1 Krasnaya str., Minsk, Republic of Belarus
-
Working hoursMonday-Friday 9:00-19:00