From January to July 1807 the Department was known as the Białystok Department (Departament Białostocki) with the capital of Białystok, but after Treaties of Tilsit, Russia agreed for the creation of the Duchy of Warsaw, but in exchange it was ceded for powiats: Białostocki, Bielski, Sokólski and Drohicki.
They were briefly reunited in the same country 1938-39 after Poland's annexation of Zaolzie, although as two separate gminas in two different powiats: Cieszyn (Marklowice Górne) and Frysztat (Marklowice Dolne).
The acts of parliament applied for powiats of Grodno and Wołożyn of Białystok Voivodeship, as well as 20 other powiats in the eastern voivodeships of Poland.