In Belarus, a new convenient electronic service has been launched for elderly citizens and recipients of social benefits. Now, extending an application for a pension through a banking institution can be done remotely via the Social Protection Portal, completely eliminating the need for personal visits to government agencies.

The innovation has been introduced by the Ministry of Labor and Social Protection of the Republic of Belarus to improve the accessibility of administrative procedures and digitize the social sector.

How does the new electronic service work?

The process of transferring the service to a digital format has been maximally simplified for user convenience:

Activation timing: Exactly three months before the current application expires, the user's personal account on the Social Protection Portal automatically opens the technical possibility to submit documents.

Automatic submission: The citizen only needs to fill out the ready electronic form. After confirmation, the application is instantly redirected to the departmental system — directly to the labor, employment, and social protection office that accrues and pays the pension for that specific individual.

Extension period: Responsible specialists of the agency review the received electronic appeal, after which the pension payment to the bank card is officially extended for another three years.

Important condition: Only pensioners who have an open and active basic account in a bank can use the remote service.

Other useful features of the personal account

The Ministry of Labor reminded that the Social Protection Portal provides Belarusians with an extensive list of other remote capabilities. Without visiting offices, in the personal account you can:

• Schedule an online appointment with specialists of the Social Protection Fund of the Population (SPF), Territorial Centers of Social Service (TCSS), or the Department of State Labor Inspection.
• Submit an application for social services: order assistance from a professional nanny, caregiver, or social worker from your TCSS. Notably, this can be done either for yourself personally or remotely for your elderly relatives or lonely neighbors.
• Use the interactive "Accessible Environment" map: find pharmacies, hospitals, stores, and railway stations, pre-assessing the level of their infrastructure accessibility for people with disabilities and persons with limited mobility