MINSK, June 5 (Sputnik) - A German national, heading for the upcoming FIFA World Cup in Russia, has become the first foreign football fan to cross the Belarusian border without a visa as part of the temporary visa-free regime between Russia and Belarus, a spokesman for the Belarusian State Border Committee, Anton Bychkovsky, told Sputnik Tuesday.
"A supporter from Germany was the first to cross the [Belarusian] border... He's planning to attend a match in Moscow," Bychkovsky said adding that a total of five foreigners heading for the World Cup in Russia had entered Belarus since June 4 when the visa-free regime came into force.
A temporary mutual visa recognition agreement was signed by Minsk and Moscow in May, allowing foreign citizens with Fan IDs to enter Belarus without a visa.
A Fan ID grants its holders a visa-free entry to Russia during the World Cup, with fans being able to enter the country 10 days before the first match and stay until 10 days after the last game.
The Belarusian Interior Ministry expects more than 150,000 supporters from the European Union to pass through the country on their way to the World Cup and back.
The 2018 FIFA World Cup will take place between June 14 and July 15 at 12 stadiums in 11 Russian cities, Moscow, Kaliningrad, St. Petersburg, Volgograd, Kazan, Nizhny Novgorod, Samara, Saransk, Rostov-on-Don, Sochi and Yekaterinburg.
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