Which Belarusian bank cards work in the European Union?

Photo: lookby.media

At the end of April, several Belarusian banks announced that their cards had 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?

As of 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, EU countries stopped accepting Visa cards from these banks. This happened by decision of the payment systems due to EU sanctions imposed against Belarusian banks.

The 19th package of European Union sanctions against Russia, which came into force on December 2, 2025, included three Belarusian banks: Alfa-Bank, Sberbank, and VTB Bank. The document also mentions BelVEB and Belgazprombank — for them, sanctions came into effect retroactively, as early as February 25, 2025. In addition, Belinvestbank, Belagroprombank, Bank Dabrabyt, and Development Bank are also under European sanctions. They were disconnected from the SWIFT system back in 2022, and from July 18, 2025, the EU introduced a ban on any banking operations with these organizations.

Payment system also matters

It should be understood that cards from any banks using 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 this payment method. In Belarus, Union Pay cards are issued by Belgazprombank.

Some Belarusian cards work in Europe, but there's a nuance

Cards from Belarusbank, Bank Reshenie, RRB Bank, Belarusian National Bank, BSB Bank, MTBank, Neo Bank Asia, Paritetbank, Priorbank, StatusBank, Technobank, and Zepter Bank are still considered operational.

However, there are no guarantees that payment with a Belarusian card will go through in Europe, Belarusian travelers share their experiences.

Even a card from a bank not under sanctions may not work when paying in Europe due to regulations of the specific bank servicing the payment terminal or point of sale.

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 accommodation booking services like Booking.com and Airbnb, it is virtually impossible to pay with a Belarusian card — they have officially ceased operations with Belarusian banks.

However, as Belarusians write on social media, sometimes payments do 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 offer the possibility to pay in cash upon arrival.

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 card from a non-sanctioned bank.

What else you need to know for payments abroad

In some restaurants, hotels, and stores in Europe, you can ask about paying with PayPal — if the card is already linked, then payment via phone with NFC using a QR code should go through without problems.

Given the difficult situation with card payments when traveling to the European Union, the most popular advice for travelers is to carry cash. Without declaration, 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 (restrictions do not apply to other currencies).

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