President of Belarus Alexander Lukashenko issued the Decree #294 “On documenting of the population of the Republic of Belarus” June 3, BelTA learnt from the presidential press service. It is the first time the legal relationship in the area of documentation has been regulated on the legislative level in such a comprehensive way. In particular, one of the legislative acts defines identification cards (passport of a citizen, residence permit, refugee certificate) that are universal and can be used in all the legal acts to prove the identity of their holders; it also defines the identification documents necessary for entering or leaving the country. They include passport of a citizen, diplomatic or service passports, laissez-passer, national seaman certificate and travel document. The procedure of issuance, replacement and handing of the mentioned above documents has also been clearly defined. The Decree makes up for deficiencies concerning the suppression of these documents (including the temporary suppression) and their preparation. The categories of citizens eligible for getting diplomatic and service passports have been defined more exactly. The Decree comes into force 6 months after its official publication, with the exception of several provisions.