Belarus Ratifies the CIS Agreement on Information Exchange Between Enforcement Authorities: New Opportunities for Debt Recovery

17.03.2026

On 12 March 2026, Law No. 132-Z “On the Ratification of the Agreement on Co-operation in the Exchange of Information in the Enforcement of Judicial Acts, Acts of Other Authorised Bodies and Officials” was adopted in the Republic of Belarus.

The Agreement provides for the establishment of a mechanism for the exchange of information between the enforcement authorities of the CIS member states. In particular, this concerns information on enforcement proceedings, the debtor’s financial position, place of employment, income and assets, as well as other information that may be of key importance for the actual enforcement of court decisions.

REVERA’s lawyers have analysed the Agreement and explain what will change and what opportunities it opens up for Belarusian businesses.

What the Agreement is

The Agreement was developed within the CIS framework and is aimed at strengthening co-operation between the participating states in the enforcement of judicial acts and enforcement instruments. The key provisions of the Agreement include:

• establishing a legal basis for the exchange of information between enforcement authorities;
• exchanging information on debts, the debtor’s financial position, place of employment, and the location of assets;
• transferring other data necessary to ensure the effective enforcement of judicial acts;
• establishing the procedure and procedural requirements for sending requests and responses;
• an obligation not to disclose the information received beyond the purposes for which it was provided.

The Agreement adjusts and strengthens the practice of inter-state co-operation within the CIS in matters relating to the enforcement of judicial acts. This is particularly important because the enforcement of decisions outside the national jurisdiction is often hindered by the lack of оперативe information on debtors and their assets.

With regard to the information to be transmitted, Article 3 of the Agreement provides that, in carrying out enforcement procedures, enforcement authorities shall exchange:

• the following information:

1. on enforcement proceedings;
2. on the debtor’s financial position;
3. on the debtor’s place of employment, as well as official sources and the amount of his or her income;
4. on the whereabouts of the debtor or his or her property;

• information, certificates and documents received from the parties to enforcement proceedings, other persons and state authorities.

The time limit for executing a request is 30 working days from the date on which the relevant request is received by the enforcement authority, although that authority may request that the request be executed within a shorter period. The exchange of data under the Agreement will make it possible to:

• obtain information on the location of the debtor’s property;
• identify assets, including bank accounts and immovable property, in another country;
• clarify information on the debtor’s income and employment for the purpose of enforcing decisions;
• speed up debt recovery procedures.

From a practical perspective in Belarus, this means that court enforcement officers will be able to obtain information on a debtor’s foreign assets without the need to initiate separate international legal procedures or separate enforcement proceedings; the enforcement authorities of the CIS participating states will obtain a formalised right to request and transmit data, including in electronic and written form.

It should be noted that execution of a request may be refused if its execution may prejudice sovereignty or security, or if it is contrary to the legislation or international obligations of the requested party, or if the request is sent on the basis of an enforcement instrument in respect of which the requesting party has made a reservation.

The Republic of Belarus made the following reservation to the Agreement: the information provided for in paragraph (a) of part one of Article 6 of the Agreement and requested in accordance with part one of Article 5 of the Agreement will be provided by the Republic of Belarus to the following extent: information on the existence of funds in accounts, deposits or in safekeeping with banks and other credit institutions in the territory of the Republic of Belarus, excluding information on the names of banks and other credit institutions, account numbers and other account details, and the amount of funds in the account(s) and deposit(s).

Conclusion

The Agreement may become an additional instrument for improving the effectiveness of cross-border debt recovery and the enforcement of court decisions. However, its actual impact will depend on how actively the CIS countries ratify it and, accordingly, on the practice of applying the relevant mechanisms and the development of inter-state co-operation in this area.

Given the growing importance of cross-border enforcement proceedings for businesses, issues relating to the tracing of debtors’ assets and the co-ordination of actions across different jurisdictions are becoming increasingly relevant.

REVERA’s lawyers have significant experience in advising on debt recovery and cross-border enforcement of court decisions and are ready to support clients on matters related to the application of new mechanisms of international co-operation.

Author: Aliaksei Fedarovich.