Chief of the Migration Service Department in Kazakhstan’s Akmola region, Colonel Zhenis Karakoishinov has said that foreign nationals seeking a temporary residence permit (TRP) in Kazakhstan must follow a number of legal procedures depending on the purpose of their stay.
He noted that entry into Kazakhstan generally requires a visa, determined by the purpose and length of stay, The Caspian Post reports via Kazakh media.
Visa-free entry is granted to citizens of countries with which Kazakhstan has bilateral agreements on mutual travel, including Russia and Azerbaijan. Under this regime, foreigners may visit for tourism, private purposes, or short-term business trips, but they are prohibited from engaging in paid activities such as employment, consulting, installation, or training. For these purposes, a visa is mandatory.
The permitted duration of stay also varies by nationality. Citizens of the Eurasian Economic Union (Armenia, Belarus, Kyrgyzstan, and Russia) may remain in Kazakhstan for up to 90 days from the date of entry, provided the host party registers them within three days through the visa-migration portal or the eQonaq mobile app.
“A foreign national may legally stay in Kazakhstan for 90 calendar days from the date of entry. After this period, they must either leave the country or apply for a temporary residence permit. TRPs are issued for employment, family reunification, business immigration, medical treatment, and study,” Karakoishinov explained.
Applications for TRPs must be submitted by the host party through a Public Service Center (PSC). For example, a foreign worker is required to sign a labor contract with an individual entrepreneur or a limited liability partnership, which is then registered on the enbek.kz platform. Based on this contract, a TRP is issued for one year with the option of extension. Permits for medical treatment are issued on the basis of a doctor’s conclusion, while family reunification permits require at least one year of registered marriage and are initially valid for one year, extendable up to three years.
Citizens of many non-CIS countries, including the US, can stay visa-free in Kazakhstan for up to 30 days. To remain longer, they must obtain a visa through Kazakhstan’s embassies or the Ministry of Foreign Affairs abroad before applying for a TRP. Nationals of India and Iran are allowed visa-free stays of up to 14 days.
“Information on visa-free stays by country is available on egov.kz. Simply put, citizens of visa-free countries apply for TRPs directly through the PSC, while citizens of visa-required countries must apply through the Ministry of Foreign Affairs abroad. Upon arrival, local migration authorities handle visa extensions,” Karakoishinov noted.
He also emphasized the importance of complying with migration rules. Overstaying or failing to obtain a TRP on time carries penalties: a warning for delays of up to three days; a fine of 10 MCI (monthly calculation index) for three to five days; 15 MCI for five to ten days; and for more than 10 days, cases are referred to court, where offenders may face a 25 MCI fine or administrative expulsion. Foreigners deported from Kazakhstan are banned from re-entry for five years.
Host parties are also held accountable. Failure to register foreign nationals or ensure their legal stay results in penalties: a warning for individuals, fines of 10 MCI for officials and small businesses, 15 MCI for medium-sized businesses, and 20 MCI for large enterprises.
The announcement comes amid broader global changes to migration rules. Earlier, it was reported that Europe plans to increase its visa waiver fee from 7 to 20 euros, while the US will introduce a new $250 charge.
