Photo: lookby.media
At the end of April, several Belarusian banks reported that their cards stopped working in EU countries. Most of the 21 commercial banks operating in Belarus are under European sanctions due to the human rights situation in Belarus and the Belarusian regime’s support for the war in Ukraine.
Which Belarusian bank cards do not work in the European Union?
From April 21, 2026, operations using Mastercard cards from Belgazprombank and Alfa-Bank Belarus became unavailable in EU countries, as well as in online stores registered in these countries. Already in March, Visa cards from these banks stopped being accepted in EU countries. This happened by decision of the payment systems due to EU sanctions imposed against Belarusian banks.
Three Belarusian banks were included in the 19th package of EU sanctions against Russia, which entered into force on December 2, 2025: Alfa-Bank, Sberbank, Bank VTB. BelVEB and Belgazprombank are also mentioned in the document – for them, sanctions began to apply retroactively, from February 25, 2025. In addition, Belinvestbank, Belagroprombank, Bank Dabrabyt, and Development Bank are also under European sanctions. In 2022, they were disconnected from the SWIFT system, and from July 18, 2025, the EU introduced a ban on any banking operations with these organizations.
The payment system also matters
It must be understood that cards from any banks on the Belarusian payment system “Belkart” and the Russian payment system “Mir” are not accepted anywhere in Europe. Accordingly, when traveling to Europe, you should have cards from Visa or Mastercard systems with you.
In addition, there is an alternative payment system – the Chinese Union Pay. It is especially popular in Asian countries, but it can also be accepted in EU countries – it all depends on whether a specific bank terminal supports the payment. In Belarus, Union Pay cards are issued by Belgazprombank.
Some Belarusian cards work in Europe, but there’s a nuance
Cards from Belarusbank, Bank Resheniye, RRB-Bank, Belarusian People’s Bank, BSB Bank, MTBank, Neo Bank Asia, Paritetbank, Priorbank, StatusBank, Technobank, and Zepter Bank are still considered working.
However, there are no guarantees that payment with a Belarusian card will go through in Europe, as shared by Belarusian travelers’ experiences.
Even a card from a bank that is not under sanctions may not work when paying in Europe due to regulations of the specific bank serving the payment terminal or retail outlet.
Often, European banks block any operations with a “Belarusian component” – they close accounts for Belarusian citizens or do not allow payments with Belarusian cards. This caveat also applies to cash withdrawals at ATMs in Europe.
What about online payments with Belarusian cards?
On housing booking services like Booking.com and Airbnb, it is practically impossible to pay with a Belarusian card – they have officially stopped working with Belarusian banks.
However, as Belarusians write on social media, sometimes payment does go through – you can try cards from different banks, enable VPN, or choose to pay via Paypal.
It is also advised to choose options during booking that do not require prepayment and allow payment in cash on the spot.
The same applies to payments in European online stores, taxi services, and delivery services – cards from non-sanctioned banks with VISA and Mastercard payment systems should work, but there are no guarantees.
As an alternative, you can use ApplePay with a non-sanctioned bank card.
What else you need to know for payments abroad
In some restaurants, hotels, and shops in Europe, you can ask about paying with Paypal – if the card is already linked, payment on the phone with NFC using a QR code should go through without problems.
Given the difficult situation with card payments during trips to the European Union, the most popular advice for travelers is to carry cash. Without declaring, Belarusians can transport up to 10,000 dollars across the border, but the requirements of neighboring countries must also be taken into account. For example, when leaving Lithuania for Belarus, there is a limit of 60 euros in cash per person (this restriction does not apply to other currencies).