Visa and Passport Information
The attention of visitors to Kazakhstan is drawn to the following visa requirements:
1. Citizens of Georgia**, Ukraine**, Argentina*, Brazil*, Serbia*, Turkey*, Mongolia**, Ecuador* and the countries of the Commonwealth of Independent States (CIS), namely Azerbaijan*, Armenia**, Belarus**, Kyrgyzstan**, Moldovia**, Russia**, Tajikistan*, and Uzbekistan* do not need an entry visa to Kazakhstan.
* Entry without a visa is restricted to 30 days.
** Entry without a visa is restricted to 90 days.
Starting from 1 January 2017 the visa free regime was expanded for the following countries: Australia, Austria, Belgium, Bulgaria, Canada, Chile, Croatia, Cyprus, the Czech Republic, Denmark, Estonia, Finland, France, Germany, Greece, Hungary, Iceland, Ireland, Israel, Italy, Japan, Korea, Latvia, Lithuania, Luxembourg, Malaysia, Malta, Mexico, Monaco, Netherlands, New Zealand, Norway, Poland, Portugal, Romania, Singapore, Slovakia, Slovenia, Spain, Sweden, Switzerland, the UK, the United Arab Emirates, and the USA. The citizens of the above mentioned countries may enter the territory of the country with all types of valid passports for a stay for up to 30 days. The citizens of Hong Kong SAR can enter Kazakhstan without a visa for up to 14 days.
The 72-hour transit visa free regime is open till 31 December 2019 for the citizens of the People’s Republic of China and the Republic of India, transiting on Air Astana flights through the international airports of Almaty and Astana to a third country or returning from a third country.
Please pay attention that if your stopover in Almaty or Astana is less than 24 hours and you want to leave the airport, you must not enter the transit zone but should proceed with the customs control immediately.
2. All other foreign citizens will need to obtain an entry visa to Kazakhstan.
Electronic Visas. As of 1 January 2019 the Republic of Kazakhstan introduced a procedure for obtaining a single entry visa for foreigners in electronic format, valid for entering and exiting the territory of Kazakhstan through the checkpoints of international airports of Astana and Almaty only.
An electronic visa (business, tourist and medical treatment) is issued based on a valid invitation from the Kazakh side, considered by the migration service units of the Ministry of Interior of the Republic of Kazakhstan under the established procedure.
To check the list of the countries eligible for electronic visas, please visit the website of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of Kazakhstan.
3. There are several types of entry visas, namely:
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Visa
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Description
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Business visas
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are issued to foreign citizens and persons without citizenship traveling to Kazakhstan for business (to attend business negotiations, forums, market research, etc.) upon application of non-governmental legal entities, registered on the territory of the Republic of Kazakhstan.
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Tourist visas
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are issued upon approval of a local travel agency's application, licensed to operate as such.
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Transit visas
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Transit visas are not required for those transiting through the same terminal, but necessary for those transferring to another terminal if no transfer zone is provided. Transit visas are issued upon provision of a visa valid to enter the country of destination and relevant tickets with confirmation of departure date from the transfer point on the territory of Kazakhstan, no later than 5 days from the moment of arrival to the port or station in Kazakhstan.
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Diplomatic visas
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are issued to holders of diplomatic passports and in some instances, when the issue of a diplomatic visa has been recognized expedient. Diplomatic visas are registered without levy of consular fees.
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Official visas
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are issued to personnel of foreign diplomatic and other representations and international organizations, who are not considered diplomatic personnel, and also to foreign citizens and persons without citizenship traveling on business, invited by government bodies of the Republic of Kazakhstan.
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Investor visas
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are issued to genuine investors - managers and representatives of managerial staff of major foreign companies, operating on the Kazakhstani market or who have genuine plans to develop business projects.
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Work visas
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Work visas are issued upon provision of permission for foreign labor recruitment and other documents if is not regulated by an international treaty or agreement of the Republic of Kazakhstan.
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Study visas
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are issued with permission of the immigration police upon application of educational institutions.
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Medical visas
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are issued to foreigners and persons without citizenship traveling to Kazakhstan for treatment, medical checkup, consultations and similar reasons upon application of the relevant institutions and organizations confirming the character of the invitation.
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Permanent Residence visas
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are issued upon provision of documents stipulated by the legislation.
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4. For most entry visas, your passport should remain valid for at least six (6) months after your planned departure date. Once approved, the issued visa will normally be glued into your passport.
5. Each application for a visa will need to be supported by a letter of invitation.
6. For citizens of certain countries, a letter of invitation is not required for single-entry official, private, business and tourist visas.
7. For multiple-entry business and tourist visas, a Permit from the Migration Police of the Ministry of Internal Affairs is also required, if the inviting body is a non-governmental organization.
8. Application for an entry visa should be made to the Kazakhstan diplomatic or consular office in the country of your residence. You can find a list of all Kazakhstan diplomatic offices in the Travel Information/Diplomatic Missions section of this website.
9. When applying for your visa, you will need the following:
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Valid passport
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Passport-size photograph
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The letter of invitation
The consul may determine on the spot if other documents are required.
10. Fees are payable for all visas, with the exception of Diplomatic Visas.
* It is recommended to visit the following website for detailed and updated information: www.mfa.kz.