Belarusians started to receive fewer residence permits in the EU. Who, where, and why left in 2025

At the same time, almost nine out of ten permits are still issued by Poland, and most recipients are people of working age. "Belsat" reviewed new data from Eurostat and looked at where Belarusians are leaving, for what reasons, and who is receiving their first documents to live in the EU.

In Eurostat statistics, a "first-time residence permit" is a document that for the first time grants the right to stay in an EU country for at least three months. This category may include not only residence permits but also some long-term visas and other migration documents.

Permit renewals are not taken into account, so the number of issued documents cannot be considered the number of people who have left Belarus.

Belarusians are receiving fewer residence permits for the second year in a row

In 2025, citizens of Belarus were issued 147,558 first-time residence permits in European Union countries. In 2024, there were 174,712. Thus, over the year, the figure decreased by 27,154, or by 15.5%.

This is the second consecutive year of decline. In 2022, Belarusians were issued a record 311,516 first-time permits; in 2023 – 281,503; in 2024 – 174,712.

Compared to the peak of 2022, the figure has already decreased by 52.6%. However, it is still significantly higher than before the political crisis and mass emigration after the 2020 presidential elections.

95% — Poland and Lithuania

The main destination for Belarusian migration remains Poland. In 2025, it issued 128,468 first-time permits to citizens of Belarus — 87.1% of all permits in the EU. Lithuania is in second place with 11,857. Together, these two countries account for 95.1% of all permits.

In other countries, the numbers are significantly smaller: Germany issued 1,466 permits, Spain — 1,407, Cyprus — 546, Italy — 535, Netherlands — 380, Portugal — 356, France — 352, Latvia — 324.

Almost all of the decrease in 2025 also fell on Poland and Lithuania. In Poland, the number of permits decreased from 151,116 to 128,468 — by 15%; in Lithuania — from 15,812 to 11,857, or by 25%. Together, these two countries issued 26,603 fewer permits than a year earlier — this is about 98% of the total decrease in the EU.

Other countries did not experience such a drop. Germany issued 4% more permits than a year earlier, Spain remained almost at the same level, and in Italy, their number increased by approximately 21%.

More than half leave for work

The main reason for obtaining a first-time residence permit remains work.

In 2025, 83,574 permits were issued to Belarusians on employment grounds — 56.6% of the total.

Another 51,533 permits, or 34.9%, were issued for "other reasons." On family grounds, 8,102 permits were issued — 5.5%; for study — 4,349, or 2.9%.

For comparison, among all citizens of non-EU countries, the structure differs significantly. In 2024, work accounted for approximately 32% of all first-time permits in the EU, family — for 27%, study — for 16%. Among Belarusians, the share of work permits was significantly higher — 55.2%.

Over the year, the number of work permits for Belarusians decreased by approximately 13%. In 2024, there were 96,506 — almost 13,000 more.

Even more strongly, in relative terms, the number of study permits decreased — from 5,437 to 4,349, or by 20%. The "other reasons" category decreased from 66,039 to 51,533 — approximately by 22%.

The only large category that grew was family migration. In 2024, 6,730 first-time permits were issued to Belarusians on family grounds; in 2025 — already 8,102. The growth was 20.4%.

The reasons also vary significantly depending on the country. In the two main destinations of Belarusian migration, work predominates. In Poland, 71,541 permits were issued on employment grounds, in Lithuania — 9,395.

In Germany, Spain, and Italy, family migration plays a much larger role. In Germany, 647 permits were issued on family grounds compared to 442 work permits; in Spain — 672 compared to 498; in Italy — 269 compared to 30.

Two-thirds of recipients are men

Among Belarusians who received their first residence permits in the EU in 2025, men significantly predominate. They accounted for 96,117 permits — 65.1%. Women were issued 51,432 — 34.9%. In nine other cases, gender was not specified in the statistics.

The male majority slightly increased over the year. In 2024, the share of men was about 64%, women — about 36%.

A year earlier, the gap was particularly noticeable in the two main countries of Belarusian migration. In Poland, men accounted for 62.4% of first-time permit recipients, and in Lithuania — as much as 86.5%. In Germany, Spain, and Italy, on the contrary, women predominated among recipients.

Almost four out of five are aged 20 to 59

The age structure has barely changed over the year. The majority of recipients are Belarusians of working age: in 2025, 78.8% of all first-time permits were received by people aged 20 to 59. A year earlier, their share was practically the same — 78.7%.

The largest age group is 35-39 years: it accounted for 14.5% of all permits. Overall, almost 40% of documents were received by Belarusians aged 30 to 44.

Children and young people under 20 accounted for about 15% of permits, and people over 65 — less than 3%.

How many Belarusians left the country after 2020

It is impossible to accurately estimate the scale of emigration after 2020, with various sources naming between 200,000 and 600,000 people.

Materials from the Parliamentary Assembly of the Council of Europe and Freedom House cited estimates of 200,000-500,000 people. Sociologist Henadz Korshunau, based on open data for 2020-2024, estimated the number of those who left at 500,000-600,000, or about 6-7% of the population of Belarus.

Belarusian authorities also named different figures. Mikalai Karpyankou in 2023 said approximately 350,000 had left and "do not support" the authorities, and the Ministry of Internal Affairs reported more than 200,000 people who left the country only in 2021-2022.

However, the decrease in the number of first-time permits in the EU does not mean that Belarusians have started returning home: Eurostat takes into account new permits, not all Belarusians who already live in the European Union.

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