Minsk Free Economic Zone Expands by 37 Hectares by Government Order

FTZ News: Belarus has expanded the boundaries of the capital’s Free Economic Zone. Four parcels, totaling just under 40 hectares.

According to Resolution No. 457 of the Council of Ministers of Belarus, the expansion was approved on September 9, 2026. The Minsk FEZ is gaining 37 hectares across four parcels measuring 28.2976, 3.112, 3.4401 and 1.9057 hectares.

Together, the four parcels cover exactly 367,500 square meters. That is enough space for a large factory or two or three logistics warehouses. The first parcel makes up almost 77 percent of the newly added land. The other three are much smaller and scattered around the existing urban area.

That layout, one large parcel and three smaller pieces, could mean changes to the location of customs facilities, security posts and power infrastructure. Fencing the new areas will also come with a significant cost.

The Minsk Free Economic Zone has been one of Belarus’s several FEZs for years. Its rules operate separately from those of the European Union, including rules covering exemptions and export limits to Russia and the Eurasian Economic Union.

For Western investors, however, operating in the zone is not particularly easy. Sanctions affecting banking and logistics remain a major obstacle.

Goods manufactured in the Minsk FEZ and shipped into the European Union still enter through the same third-country route. They do not receive the treatment given to goods moving through a Spanish zone or a British freeport. Expanding the free zone does not change EU tariffs or the bloc’s requirements.

Minsk Zone Timeline

The Minsk Free Economic Zone was established under Presidential Decree No. 93 on March 2, 1998. Before the September 2026 expansion, it covered about 21 separate parcels and more than 2,651 hectares.

Official figures for 2025 show about 107 residents and 25,230 employees in the zone, with 603 new jobs registered during the year.

Industrial production reached 11.56 billion Belarusian rubles, down from 12.46 billion rubles in 2024. More than 70 percent of production was classified as import substitution, while about 80 percent of output was exported.

Goods exports totaled $2.80 billion, compared with $3.07 billion the previous year. Services exports reached $87 million.

Fixed investment stood at 673 million Belarusian rubles. Foreign direct investment totaled $212 million, including $185 million net, from more than 15 countries.

Tax payments were approximately 1.4 billion Belarusian rubles./.