About Licensing

Regulatory Documents and Application Forms

General Provisions

As of January 1, 2023, the Law of the Republic of Belarus dated October 14, 2022 No. 213-Z "On Licensing" introduced licensing for retail trade in non-tobacco nicotine-containing products and liquids for electronic smoking systems, in addition to licensing for alcoholic beverages and tobacco products (new services that constitute a licensed type of activity).

Licensing is carried out to ensure the protection of state and public interests, life, health, rights, and legitimate interests of citizens, and the environment.

Powers of Licensing Authorities

  1. The licensing authority:
    1. makes decisions on licensing issues (except in cases where the adoption of such a decision is assigned to the jurisdiction of the court by this Law);
    2. determines the procedure for conducting assessments and/or examinations of the compliance of the applicant's capabilities with licensing requirements, the licensee with licensing requirements, and the qualification exam;
    3. enters information about granted licenses, their modifications, suspensions, renewals, terminations, as well as other information provided for by this Law into the Unified Register of Licenses;
    4. creates, in cases provided for by this Law, a commission on licensing issues, a qualification commission for conducting qualification exams (hereinafter, unless otherwise specified, – qualification commission), a qualification commission on advocacy issues in the Republic of Belarus, establishes the procedure for the activities and powers of such commissions;
    5. exercises control over compliance by licensees with licensing legislation, including licensing requirements;
    6. exercises other powers in the field of licensing provided for by this Law and other legislative acts.

Features of Retail Trade Licensing

Licensing of retail trade in alcoholic beverages, tobacco products, non-tobacco nicotine-containing products, and liquids for electronic smoking systems is carried out by the Minsk City Executive Committee, district and city executive committees at the location of the legal entity or individual entrepreneur.

The licensed type of activity RETAIL TRADE IN ALCOHOLIC BEVERAGES, TOBACCO PRODUCTS, NON-TOBACCO NICOTINE-CONTAINING PRODUCTS, LIQUIDS FOR ELECTRONIC SMOKING SYSTEMS is carried out by legal entities and individual entrepreneurs.

Individual entrepreneurs have the right to engage in retail trade in alcoholic beverages in public catering facilities by the glass, as well as in other cases established by the President of the Republic of Belarus.

  1. The licensed type of activity includes the following components of work and/or services:
    1. retail trade in alcoholic beverages;
    2. retail trade in tobacco products;
    3. retail trade in non-tobacco nicotine-containing products;
    4. retail trade in liquids for electronic smoking systems.

A pre-licensing requirement is the presence of ownership or other legal basis for trading facilities, public catering facilities that meet the requirements of legislation on state regulation of trade and public catering, production and circulation of alcoholic products, tobacco products, and liquids for electronic smoking systems.

Gross Violations of Licensing Legislation Include:

  • retail trade in alcoholic beverages, tobacco products, non-tobacco nicotine-containing products, and liquids for electronic smoking systems in places where it is prohibited by legislative acts, as well as in places not established by the local executive and administrative body for the licensee;
  • retail trade in alcoholic beverages, tobacco products, non-tobacco nicotine-containing products, and liquids for electronic smoking systems without accompanying documents confirming the legality of their acquisition (supply);
  • retail trade in alcoholic beverages, tobacco products, non-tobacco nicotine-containing products, and liquids for electronic smoking systems without excise stamps of the Republic of Belarus, special stamps and/or special signs, if the labeling of the specified beverages and products with these stamps and signs is provided for by legislative acts, as well as with counterfeit excise stamps, special stamps, and/or special signs;
  • retail trade in alcoholic beverages, tobacco products, non-tobacco nicotine-containing products, and liquids for electronic smoking systems subject to mandatory compliance assessment, without documents on compliance assessment provided for by legislative acts, resolutions of the Council of Ministers of the Republic of Belarus, international treaties of the Republic of Belarus, and international legal acts that constitute the law of the Eurasian Economic Union;
  • the presence of overdue debts of the licensee twice or more within 12 months for payments for supplied alcoholic beverages, tobacco products, non-tobacco nicotine-containing products, and liquids for electronic smoking systems;
  • the sale of counterfeit alcoholic beverages, tobacco products, non-tobacco nicotine-containing products, and liquids for electronic smoking systems, as well as the sale of alcoholic beverages, tobacco products, non-tobacco nicotine-containing products, and liquids for electronic smoking systems that do not meet the requirements of legislation, international treaties of the Republic of Belarus, and international legal acts that constitute the law of the Eurasian Economic Union, if such discrepancies arose as a result of the licensee's violation of the conditions for storage and sale of alcoholic beverages, tobacco products, non-tobacco nicotine-containing products, and liquids for electronic smoking systems.

State Duty Rates:

  1. Issuance of a license for retail trade in alcoholic beverages, tobacco products, non-tobacco nicotine-containing products, and liquids for electronic smoking systems 38 basic units
  2. Modification of a license for retail trade in alcoholic beverages, tobacco products, non-tobacco nicotine-containing products, and liquids for electronic smoking systems regarding:
    1. including retail trade in alcoholic beverages, retail trade in tobacco products, retail trade in non-tobacco nicotine-containing products, retail trade in liquids for electronic smoking systems as components of work and services, including trading facilities, public catering facilities, forms of trade in which (when carried out) the licensee intends to engage in retail trade in alcoholic beverages, tobacco products, non-tobacco nicotine-containing products, and liquids for electronic smoking systems, including when simultaneously making other changes 19 basic units
    2. other changes not specified in subparagraph 66.1 of this paragraph (except in cases where this change is made simultaneously with the changes provided for in subparagraph 66.1 of this paragraph) 4 basic units.
Payment Details for State Duty:

Main Department of the Ministry of Finance of the Republic of Belarus for Vitebsk Region - BY60АКВВ36003120000060000000, OJSC "ASB Belarusbank", Minsk, BIC АКВВВY2X, payment code:
03001 – for legal entities
UNP 300594330