The second month of spring 2024 will bring many new and pleasant things to Belarusians: schoolchildren will return to their desks. However, graduates cannot relax and must be fully prepared – it is in April that one needs to register for the Centralized Testing.
It is in April that certain categories of pensioners are entitled to significant financial payments – up to BYN 4000 in some cases. There will also be further financial innovations: a new system for paying sick leave benefits will begin to be tested, and business trips will now be paid for in a new way. And all this, not to mention that the Minsk fountains will soon start working…
Duty-free import limits to Belarus from April 1, 2024
Directly from April 1, 2024, the limits for duty-free import of goods into Belarus are being reduced. Until this date, it was possible (without paying customs duties) to transport goods worth up to 1000 euros and weighing up to 31 kilograms across the state border. From 00:00 on April 1, these parameters will change: the amount will be up to 500 euros, and the weight will be up to 25 kilograms.
As for goods for personal use imported by air transport, the duty-free import norm remains unchanged. It is 10,000 euros and 50 kilograms.
Ban on import of goods from Lithuania to Belarus from April 1, 2024
From April 1, 2024, a ban on the import of certain categories of goods from Lithuania into the territory of Belarus will be introduced. This concerns, for example, the ban on the import of wine, beer, water, vermouths, grape must, other fermented beverages, ethyl alcohol, and vinegar.
Calculation of sick leave benefits in Belarus, 2024
From April 1, 2024, Belarus will begin a gradual introduction of a new system for calculating sick leave payments. As we wrote earlier, from the specified date, Belarusian employers will be able to use a new mechanism for interaction with the Social Protection Fund of the Ministry of Labour and Social Protection (FSZN) for paying sick leave benefits. The new mechanism will be tested for three months, which will allow all interested parties to prepare for the transition to the new procedure from July 1.
What is changing? The average daily earnings for calculating sick leave will increase: various one-time payments, such as financial assistance, will be taken into account. If an employee has more than 10 years of service, 100% of lost earnings will be paid from the first day of sick leave; if the service is less than 10 years, it will be 80%. In addition, the minimum sick leave payment will be tied to the minimum wage in the republic, which is currently 626 rubles.
Payment for business trips in Belarus, 2024
New mechanisms for paying for business trips will come into effect as early as April 6, 2024. There are more than ten changes: firstly, the daily allowance for business trips within Belarus will increase from 9 to 12 rubles; secondly, if the business trip is within the republic, the employer will have to pay for apartment rental.
Pension Payments 2024
This refers to veteran pensioners who are entitled to a payment on Victory Day. Invalids and participants of the Great Patriotic War will receive 4000 Belarusian rubles. Rear-service workers, awarded with orders and medals of the USSR, will receive payments of 2000 rubles (here we explain all categories that will receive a payment timed to coincide with May 9). It should be noted that the payments themselves will begin on Thursday, April 25, 2024, and will end by May 4.
Registration of Schoolchildren for Centralized Testing
From April 1, 2024, Belarusian schoolchildren will begin their last, fourth, quarter of the year. The last bells for 9th and 11th graders are scheduled for Saturday, May 25, 2024; all other schoolchildren will study until May 31. And then - the long-awaited holidays, which will last for 92 days. As for the graduates of 2024, they need to register for the Centralized Testing: this must be done in April, from the 9th to the 22nd (all details and dates of the Centralized Testing are here). By the way, registration for the Centralized Testing can also be done online through the student's personal account.
When Fountains and Amusement Rides Will Start Operating, 2024
Spring is gaining momentum: as early as Friday, April 26, 2024, fountains will start operating in Minsk. In the central part of the Belarusian capital, they will operate until midnight on holidays and weekends; on weekdays, they will delight citizens until 9 p.m. As for amusement rides, they will also start operating in April; in 2023, for example, in the Chelyuskintsev and Gorky parks of the capital, this happened in the third decade of the second spring month.
Burial Benefit, April 2024
According to current regulations, the amount of the burial benefit is reviewed monthly: the specific amount changes depending on the average wage in Belarus for the month before last, counting from the date of death. From April 1, 2024, this payment will amount to 2025 rubles and 70 kopecks (this is how much the average wage in Belarus was in February 2024), which is 34.5 rubles more than in March.
Mobile Operator Tariffs in Belarus, April 2024
All three mobile operators will increase their service tariffs in April 2024. A1 will increase its subscription fees for some tariffs from April 1st, while MTS will introduce changes to mobile internet payments from the same date. The life:) operator has also announced price increases for some services (details about all of them can be found here).
Cigarette price increase, April 2024
From April 1st, 2024, Belarusian cigarette manufacturers and suppliers will raise the prices of their products: 201 brands will become more expensive. It should be noted that for some items, the price increase is quite significant: for example, "Magnat" cigarettes will increase in price to 2.20 rubles (previously 1.90 rubles), "Premier QS" to 2.25 rubles (previously 1.95 rubles), and "Fest Compact" will cost 1.90 rubles.