Visitors toKazakhstan must obtain avisa from one of theKazakh diplomatic missions unless they are citizens of one of the visa-exempt countries or citizens eligible for an e-visa.
Kazakhstan's visa and other migration policies are also implemented in accordance with themobility rights arrangements within the Commonwealth of Independent States and the rules of thesingle market of the Eurasian Economic Union.
Holders of ordinary passports of the following countries and territories may enter Kazakhstan without a visa for the following period:[1][2][3]
90 days 30 days 14 days
|
ID - May enter with an ID card.
IP - May enter with aninternal passport.
C - ForChinese citizens withPeople's Republic of China passports,Hong Kong Special Administrative Region passports orMacao Special Administrative Region passports only.
1 – 90 days within any 365-day period.
2 – 90 days within any 180-day period.
3 – 30 days within any 1-year period.
4 – 30 days within any 180-day period.
5 – 60 days within any 180-day period.
6 – 42 days within any 180-day period.
Citizens of the following countries may enter Kazakhstan without a visa for 30 days as part of a visa-free policy for countries with the largeforeign direct investment in Kazakhstan's economy. These visitors can stay for a maximum of 90 days within any 180-day period (counted from the first entry).[5]
The program was initially started on 15 July 2014 providing unilateral visa free access to 10 countries and in July 2015 it was further extended to a total of 19 countries, then to 43 in January 2017 and to 54 in September 2019.[6][7][8][9][10]
| Date of visa changes |
|---|
Citizens of Armenia, Azerbaijan, Belarus, Georgia, Kyrgyzstan, Moldova, Russia, Tajikistan, Ukraine, Uzbekistan have never required a visa to enter Kazakhstan.
Cancelled: |
Turkmenistan - residents ofBalkan Region have visa-free entry toAtyrau Province andMangystau Province for up to 5 days.[26]Under reciprocal agreements, holders of diplomatic or service passports of the following countries may enter and remain in Kazakhstan without a visa:[27]
|
D - Diplomatic passports
S - Service passports
1 – 90 days for diplomatic passports, 30 days for service passports.
2 - For citizens of Bulgaria, Cyprus, Hungary, Romania, Slovakia: 90 days for diplomatic or service passports; for citizens of Austria, Croatia, Ireland, Malta, Sweden: 30 days for diplomatic or service passports.
3 – 90 days
4 – 90 days within any 365-day period.
5 – 90 days within any 180-day period.
6 – 30 days
7 – 30 days within any 180-day period.
8 – 14 days
A visa is not required for holders of aUN Laissez-Passer for up to 30 days within any 180-day period.
Kazakhstan has signed visa exemption agreements with the following countries, but they have not yet entered into force:
| Country | Passports | Agreement signed on |
|---|---|---|
 Suriname | Diplomatic, official | 25 January 2024 |
 Saint Kitts and Nevis | Diplomatic, official | 25 January 2024 |
 Laos | Diplomatic, official | 4 July 2024 |
 Rwanda[28] | Diplomatic, service | September 2024 |
 Sierra Leone[29] | Diplomatic, service | September 2024 |
 Jordan[30] | Ordinary | To be determined later |
Citizens of other countries (exceptAfghanistan,Cape Verde,Democratic Republic of Congo,Equatorial Guinea,Iraq,Jordan,Libya,Pakistan,Palestine,Solomon Islands,Somalia,South Sudan,Sudan,Syria,Taiwan,Timor-Leste andYemen) may obtain an e-Visa.[33][34][35]
Kazakhstan issues business, investor, medical treatment and tourist e-visas. Holders of an e-visa must arrive viaNursultan Nazarbayev International Airport orAlmaty International Airport.
Citizens of the following countries and territories must apply for a visa at a Kazakhstan embassy or consulate:
A pre-arranged visa for a stay of up to 1 month may be obtained on arrival for citizens arriving from a country without aKazakh diplomatic mission. The fee is approximately 80USD, and they must hold an invitation letter and obtain an approval from theKazakh Ministry of Foreign Affairs. They must enter via one of the following ports of entry:[1]
Kazakhstan issues 39 types of visa.[36]
| A | ||
| Diplomatic visa | ||
|---|---|---|
| A1 | Issued to foreign dignitaries, diplomats traveling on official business and diplomatic couriers | |
| A2 | Issued to diplomats accredited to Kazakhstan | |
| Service visa | ||
| A3 | Issued to members of the official delegations, accredited mass media journalists, military personnel on official visits and dependents, members of international organizations, diplomatic couriers without a diplomatic passport, service passport holders on official business | |
| A4 | Issued to administrative-technical and maintenance staff of foreign missions and offices | |
| Investor visa | ||
| A5 | Issued to heads and deputy heads and heads of structural divisions of legal entities carrying out investment activities and their family members | |
| B | ||
| Business visa | ||
| B1 | Issued to participants of conferences and meetings, persons accompanying humanitarian aid, lecturers, participants in youth programs and student and school exchanges | |
| B2 | Issued to persons installing or maintaining equipment or to persons providing consulting and auditing services | |
| B3 | Issued to persons arriving for negotiations or to the founders or the board directors | |
| International road carriage visa | ||
| B4 | Issued to persons engaged in international road transport | |
| B5 | Issued to aircraft, train and sea and river vessel crews | |
| Visa for participation in religious events | ||
| B6 | Issued to persons participating in the activities of religious associations, except for missionary activity | |
| Student visa | ||
| B7 | Issued to persons for practical training or internships and their family members | |
| Permanent residence visa | ||
| B8 | Issued to persons arriving to register a permit for permanent residence | |
| B9 | Issued to persons arriving for permanent residence | |
| Private visit visa | ||
| B10 | Issued to persons traveling for private reasons, funerals, former compatriots, persons accompanying family members who are citizens of Kazakhstan and spouses or children of ethnic Kazakhs | |
| Adoption visa | ||
| B11 | Issued to persons for adoption of citizens of Kazakhstan | |
| Tourist visa | ||
| B12 | Issued to persons traveling as tourists | |
| Transit visa | ||
| B13 | Issued to persons transiting through the territory of Kazakhstan | |
| Exit visa | ||
| B14 | Issued to permanent residents when exiting for permanent residence abroad | |
| B15 | Issued to persons who have lost their passport in Kazakhstan | |
| B16 | Issued to persons whose visa validity was reduced | |
| B17 | Issued to persons under administrative responsibility, not associated with deportation, if there are no reasons for further stay | |
| B18 | Issued to persons who arrived or are staying without a valid visa, if there are no reasons for further stay | |
| B19 | Issued to persons who have served criminal sentence or were exempted or whose probationary control or deferral expired | |
| B20 | Issued to persons who have presented proof of force majeure for overstay | |
| B21 | Issued to persons who were victims of grave or especially grave crimes | |
| B22 | Issued to persons charged with criminal offense where the criminal case has been closed or other persons in respect of whom legal restrictions on exit are lifted | |
| C | ||
| Permanent residence visa | ||
| C1 | Issued to ethnic Kazakhstan traveling to Kazakhstan for permanent residence | |
| Family reunification visa | ||
| C2 | Issued to family members of Kazakhstan national who are permanently residing in Kazakhstan, ethnic Kazakhs and former compatriots with temporary residence permit, foreigners and stateless persons permanently residing in Kazakhstan as well as business immigrants | |
| Work visa | ||
| C3 | Issued to persons traveling to Kazakhstan or persons in Kazakhstan and their family members for the purpose of employment | |
| C4 | Issued to persons traveling to Kazakhstan or persons in Kazakhstan for self-employment in professions that are in demand in the priority sectors of the economy | |
| C5 | Issued to business immigrants | |
| C6 | Issued to seasonal workers | |
| Missionary activity visa | ||
| C7 | Issued to persons carrying our missionary activities and their family members | |
| Humanitarian purposes visa | ||
| C8 | Issued to volunteers and providers of humanitarian aid and with a view to charity and grants provision | |
| Education visa | ||
| C9 | Issued for the purpose of admission to educational organization in secondary, technical and vocational, post-secondary, higher and postgraduate education | |
| Private trip visa (ethnic Kazakhs) | ||
| C10 | Issued to ethnic Kazakhs | |
| Minor citizens visa | ||
| C11 | Issued to underage persons permanently residing in Kazakhstan or who have arrived to Kazakhstan without a visa or to persons born in Kazakhstan intending to go abroad | |
| Medical treatment visa | ||
| C12 | Issued to persons traveling for treatment, medical examination or consultation and accompanying persons as well as persons in Kazakhstan in the event of the need for treatment; persons traveling to Kazakhstan with the aim of caring for close relatives who are citizens of permanent residents of Kazakhstan and who are treated in hospitals or persons in Kazakhstan in case of need to care for close relatives | |
Entry and transit is refused to citizens ofKosovo, even if not leaving the aircraft and proceeding by the same flight. Kazakhstan also does not recognize the passports ofAbkhazia, theSahrawi Republic,Somaliland,South Ossetia andTransnistria.[citation needed]
| Year | Visitors |
|---|---|
| 1992—1995 | No data |
| 1996 |  202,000[37] |
| 1997 | 284,000[37] |
| 1998 |  257,000[37] |
| 1999 | 394,000[37] |
| 2000 | 1,683,000[37] |
| 2001 | 1,693,000[37] |
| 2002 | 3,678,000[37] |
| 2003 | 3,237,000[37] |
| 2004 | 4,291,000[37] |
| 2005 | 4,365,000[37] |
| 2006 | 4,707,000[37] |
| 2007 | 5,311,000[37] |
| 2008 | 4,117,000[37] |
| 2009 | 3,774,000[37] |
| 2010 | 4,097,000[37] |
| 2011 | 5,685,000[37] |
| 2012 | 6,163,000[37] |
| 2013 | 6,841,000[37] |
| 2014 | 6,333,000[37] |
| 2015 | 6,430,000[37] |
| 2016 | 6,509,000[37] |
| 2017 | 7,701,000[37] |
| 2018 | 8,789,000[37] |
| 2019 | 8,115,000[37] |
| 2020 | 2,035,000[37] |
Most visitors arriving in Kazakhstan were from the following countries of nationality:[38]
| Country | 2017 | 2016 | 2015 | 2014 | 2013 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
 Uzbekistan | 3,344,577 | 2,459,757 | 2,297,180 | 2,107,177 | 2,494,568 |
 Russia | 1,708,873 | 1,587,409 | 1,646,568 | 1,757,721 | 1,780,574 |
 Kyrgyzstan | 1,273,378 | 1,348,709 | 1,359,625 | 1,308,139 | 1,382,706 |
 Tajikistan | 383,368 | 207,009 | 158,507 | 137,443 | 186,214 |
 Azerbaijan | 110,810 | 94,846 | 89,296 | 83,174 | 112,617 |
 Germany | 99,396 | 90,286 | 88,346 | 79,572 | 75,491 |
 Turkey | 98,840 | 89,611 | 106,301 | 104,986 | 92,070 |
 China | 94,817 | 117,465 | 111,706 | 228,617 | 205,066 |
 Belarus | 70,810 | 63,520 | 62,786 | 55,356 | 55,090 |
 Ukraine | 66,041 | 73,390 | 97,100 | 84,932 | 82,971 |
| Turkmenistan | 63,249 | 63,156 | 69,230 | 66,938 | 47,711 |
 South Korea | 30,582 | 22,276 | 22,046 | 20,445 | 16,620 |
 United States | 29,632 | 26,402 | 29,124 | 25,824 | 22,508 |
 Armenia | 26,169 | 26,097 | 37,461 | 39,934 | 54,244 |
 India | 21,890 | 13,975 | 11,170 | 10,725 | 9,929 |
 United Kingdom | 21,341 | 20,166 | 24,201 | 23,036 | 22,389 |
| Total | 7,701,196 | 6,509,390 | 6,430,158 | 6,332,734 | 6,841,085 |
