Expand your organization into Belarus even if you don’t have a Belarusian entity
If your organization is planning an expansion into Belarus, it is important to understand that the process can be complicated. The language barrier, cultural differences, and unique regulations can be difficult to navigate, and your organization may encounter unexpected delays. Establishing an in-country entity, hiring employees, and ensuring compliance with the law can easily take weeks or even months.
At Horizons, we help businesses from all industries to expand abroad, including into Belarus. Our professional employer organization (PEO), employer of record, and payroll services can provide your organization with everything you need to kickstart your Belarusian expansion in a matter of days, not months.
As the only global PEO with an in-house recruitment team, we can also take care of the sourcing, hiring, and onboarding of your Belarusian workforce, along with any associated HR and legal compliance work. Our tailored services can save you thousands in associated expansion costs.
How can our Belarus experts help you expand?
Horizons enables your business to expand its operations into Belarus, even without a Belarusian entity.
Rapid Market Entry
Horizons will enable you to source, hire, and onboard professionals across Belarus in as little as 48 hours.
Cost-Effective Expansion
Our PEO solution can help you benefit from cost savings of up to 85%, without the need to establish a Belarusian entity.
Payroll Outsourcing
Simplified Belarus salary & payroll processing, including social security payments, tax, and any other required contributions.
Employee Onboarding
Utilize the relevant provision for all types of Belarusian labor contracts, whether a fixed-term or open-ended contract.
Onsite Legal & HR Team
Full support for Belarus-specific contract renewals, terminations, annual leave management, HR, and strategic guidance.
Ensure Full Compliance
We ensure that employment contracts are fully compliant and adhere to Belarus labor laws and best practices.
Hiring in Belarus: Employment law overview
📝 Employment contracts in Belarus
We strongly recommend that you always provide your employees in Belarus with a formal contract of employment. All relevant details of the agreement should be included, such as maternity leave rights, sick leave, and salary/wage. All references to compensation should be in the local Belarusian ruble currency, and the contract should be written in one of the official languages (Russian or Belarusian).
⏰ Working hours in Belarus
The standard working week in Belarus is 40 hours, with eight-hour days. Employees can consent to overtime work, but this must be compensated at 200% of normal pay and cannot exceed 180 hours per year.
📅 Public holidays in Belarus
There are several nationally celebrated public holidays in Belarus. Most employees receive the days off work:
🏖 Belarus vacation leave
Employers in Belarus are required to provide a minimum of 24 days of paid vacation leave per year to their employees.
😷 Belarus sick leave
Employees in Belarus are entitled to paid sick leave. The initial 12 days is compensated at 80% of normal salary, and any following days are paid at 100% of normal pay. Sick leave payments are covered by the state.
👶 Parental leave in Belarus
Female employees in Belarus are entitled to at least 126 days of paid maternity leave, and a further three years of unpaid leave. Employers must retain the employee’s role and allow her to return to work once the leave is over.
💰 Terminations and severance in Belarus
Employment contracts in Belarus can be terminated under certain specific circumstances, such as by mutual agreement between the employer and employee. If no notice period has been set in the employment contract, then the usual length is around two months.
Upon dismissal, employees are entitled to a severance payment of three months of salary.
The limit for probation periods in Belarus is three months.
🏦 Taxation in Belarus
Employers in Belarus must contribute 6% of salaries to the social security system, which covers things like sick leave and maternity pay. They must also pay between 0.3% and 0.9% for workplace accident insurance, and 28% for pensions.
The income tax rate in Belarus is generally a flat rate of 13%, although this can vary in specific circumstances.
The corporate tax rate in Belarus is 18% of profits for most companies.
🏥 Health coverage in Belarus
Belarus has a public health system, so private health insurance is not strictly necessary. However, many employers do choose to offer it as part of their benefits packages to employees.
💳 Belarus compensations & benefits
Compensation laws in Belarus
The minimum wage in Belarus is set at 330 Belarusian rubles per month for full-time employees.
Benefit management in Belarus
While Belarusians do receive many state benefits, employers still regularly choose to offer things like private health insurance, extra vacation leave, and so on. Setting up a benefits system for your employees in Belarus is an important part of being an employer and expanding into the country. However, it can be difficult if you are not familiar with the country’s complex labor laws, languages, and administrative procedures.
Horizons can help you bypass this element of your Belarus expansion by offering benefit system outsourcing that can save you time and money. Our experts will advise you on the best course of action and take care of your benefit setup and management, helping you focus on the rest of your expansion.
Request a Proposal
Horizons will help you expand your business into Belarus faster
Horizons’ Belarus-specific PEO, employer of record, and payroll services provide your business with everything needed to start trading in Belarus quickly and compliantly. Our Belarus experts will help you set up your operation and begin trading in Belarus in as little as 48 hours, and could save you as much as 82% in expansion-related costs, even if you haven’t already registered an entity in the country.
We will take care of all your expenses, payroll setup and management, benefits, and legal compliance in Belarus, as well as any HR work. And as the only global PEO with an in-house recruitment team, we can also source and onboard your local workforce, providing our Belarusian subsidiary to act as employer of record for your hires so you don’t even need to establish a Belarusian entity.
Get in touch with our Belarus experts today to find out more about our Belarus expansion support services.
