Public associations shall be created on the initiative of citizens of the Republic of Belarus of 18 years of age and older, except for youth and child public associations which may be created by citizens of the Republic of Belarus of 16 years of age.
Procedure of registration of public associations depends on the association’s status. Legislation lists the associations which may be created and conduct their activity in the Republic of Belarus:

• international public associations (public associations, which act on the territory of the Republic of Belarus (in one or several administrative and territorial units) and on the territory of one or several foreign states, and which have organizational structures there);
• republican public associations (public associations, which conduct their activity on the whole territory of the Republic of Belarus);
• local public associations (public associations, which conduct their activity on the territory of one or several administrative and territorial units).

State registration of international and republican public associations shall be conducted by the Ministry of Justice of the Republic of Belarus, of local public associations - by the Offices of Justice of Oblast Executive Committees, Minsk City Executive Committee (hereinafter - registering bodies) in place of establishment of a directorate body of the association and following the report of the Republican Commission on Registration (re-registration) of Public Associations.

Initiators of establishment
The first step for registration shall be a properly arranged will of citizens for the establishment of a public association. 
For the establishment of international public associations there shall be no less than 10 initiators of establishment (members) - citizens of the Republic of Belarus, and no less than one founder (member) shall be from one or several foreign states.
The Ministry of Justice elaborated the Rules on Compilation and Examination of the Documents for State Registration, which set forth a requirement that made a process of registration of an international public association more complicated. According to the Rules, to be registered international public associations shall have organizational structures in the Republic of Belarus with at least 10 members in each structure, and organizational structures in one or more foreign states with at least 3 members. So the Ministry of Justice distinguishes the process of establishment of international public associations from the registration process. In practice, one foreign founder shall be enough for the establishment of an international public association, however there shall be three foreign citizens (an organizational structure) for the association to be registered.
Republican public associations shall have no less than 50 initiators of establishment - citizens of the Republic of Belarus, and at least 10 initiators shall be in the majority of oblasts of the Republic of Belarus and in Minsk.
Local public associations shall have at least 10 initiators of establishment - citizens of the Republic of Belarus, within the administrative and territorial unit (territory).

Constituent assembly (conference). Constituent documents
Founders of a public association shall call a constituent assembly (conference, common assembly, other constituent organizational event). At the constituent assembly they shall decide on the establishment of a public association, adopt the Statute, create directorate and controlling bodies. At the constituent assembly they also shall decide on authorizing three members of the directorate to represent the public association in the process of registration or in court disputes.
The second step is applying to the registering body with a complete package of documents required. Application shall be filed within a month after the day of establishment of a public association.
The following documents shall be handled to the registering body:

• application signed by at least three members of the directorate;
• statute (2 copies);
• minutes of the constituent assembly (conference, common assembly, other constituent organizational event);
• bank confirmation of the payment of registration fee;
• document on preliminary payment for the announcement on state registration;
• confirmation of the number of founders of the association, listed information about them;
• statements from individuals (their close relatives) on agreement for using their personal names in the name of a public association;
• confirmation of legal address (place of directorate);
• geographic picture of organizational structures of the association drawn in accordance with the Statute;
• information on the members of elected bodies of the association.

The papers to be handled to the registering body shall be printed or typed on A4 paper, with 1.5 line spacing, the requirements of record keeping shall be observed (computer front Times New Roman 14pt).
When examining the authenticity of the documents, the registering body may ask the directorate, representatives and founders of the association, and other interested individuals for:

• the originals of the papers required, other additional materials;
• information and clarifications on issues related to registration of the association (its symbols), changes and amendments into the statute.

Name of a public association
The Law provides certain requirements for the name of a public association:

• The name shall include an indication at its organizational and legal form – "public association" or "public organization";
• The name shall include an indication at the character of activity - youth, women, sport, ecological, etc;
• The name of a public association, as well as its contracted name, shall be different from the names of other public associations registered in the Republic of Belarus, and shall not violate the right to intellectual property;
• Use of words "the Republic of Belarus", "Belarus", "national", "popular", "academy", "institute", "center" of any grammar case shall be prohibited, as well as the use of state symbols or an official name and symbol of a foreign state except for cases provided by law;
• The name of a public association may include a personal name of an individual only with the agreement for this individual, and in case of his/her death - with the agreement of his/her spouse, parents and children of legal age. In cases when such persons are absent, the public association itself shall decide the issue of use of the personal name;
• The name of a public association cannot promote the following: overthrowing or violent change of the constitutional system, violation of state integrity and security, propaganda of war, violence, national, racial and religious hatred and activities which might have a negative impact on physical and psychic health of citizens;
• The name of a public association, as well as its contracted name, shall be different from the names and contracted names of public associations that were liquidated by the decision of the court.