Kazakh Visas: Frequently Asked Questions

In this section of our site, you will find questions that we are frequently asked about Kazakh visas and some general answers to them.

We try to ensure that information contained in this section is accurate and up to date, however if you don't find what you are looking for here or have specific questions, please either check our forum for answers, post you own question to the forum or contact us, and we will be happy to help.

If you are completing your application with us then we will tell you all you need to know, but feel free to take a look the FAQs below if you require peace of mind!

Many foreign nationals, including those from the UK, have visa-free entry to Kazakhstan at this time. The citizens of the following countries DO NOT require an official invitation for a single entry business visa (valid for up to 30 days) single (30 days) or double (60 days validity, allowing for no more than 30 days per visit) tourist visas and single entry private visa (valid for 30 days):

Australia, Austria, Belgium, Brazil, Bulgaria, Canada, Croatia, Cyprus, Czech Republic, Denmark, Estonia, Finland, France, Germany, Greece, Hungary, Iceland, Ireland, Israel, Italy, Japan, Republic of Korea, Latvia, Lithuania, Lichtenstein, Luxemburg, Malaysia, Malta, Monaco, Netherlands, New Zealand, Norway, Oman, Poland, Portugal, Romania, Saudi Arabia, Singapore, Slovakia, Slovenia, Spain, Sweden, Switzerland, United Arab Emirates, United Kingdom, USA

If your country is not on the list, you will need to obtain an official Kazakh Letter of Invitation arranged through the Kazakh Ministry of Foreign or International Affairs before we can submit your visa application pack to the consulate. Depending on your nationality as well as the type of visa that you wish to apply for, we may be able to arrange this for you. Please contact us for more details.

Kazakhstan online visa applications have now been made available to nationals of certain states. As of 1st January 2019, 117 states can complete a Kazakhstan eVisa by receiving an invitation from Kazakhstan and then completing the online application form without the need to obtain a conventional visa from the Consulate.

The list of countries eligible for Kazakhstan eVisas include:

Algeria, Andorra, Angola, Antigua and Barbuda, Aruba, Bahrain, Bangladesh, Barbados, Belize, Benin, Bhutan, Bolivia, Botswana, Brunei Darussalam, Burkina Faso, Burundi, Cambodia, Cameroon, Central African Republic, Chad, China, Columbia, Comoros, Congo, Costa Rica, Côte d'Ivoire, Cuba, Democratic People's Republic of Korea, Djibouti, Dominica, Dominican Republic, El Salvador, Eritrea, Ethiopia, Faroe Islands, Fiji, Gabon, Gambia, Ghana, Grenada, Guatemala, Guinea 44, Guinea-Bissau, Guyana, Haiti, Honduras, India, Indonesia, Jamaica, Kenya, Kiribati, Kuwait, Laos, Lebanon, Lesotho, Liberia, Liechtenstein, Macao, Macedonia, Madagascar, Malawi, Maldives, Mail, Marshall Islands, Mauritania, Micronesia, Montenegro, Morocco, Mozambique, Myanmar, Namibia, Nauru, Nepal, Nicaragua, Niger, Nigeria, Oman, Palau, Panama, Papua New Guinea, Paraguay, Peru, Philippines, Qatar, Rwanda, Saint Kitts and Nevis, Saint Lucia, Saint Vincent and the Grenadines, Samoa, San Marino, Sao Tome and Principe, Saudi Arabia, Senegal, Swaziland, Seychelles, Sierra Leone, South Africa, Sri Lanka, Suriname, Tanzania, Thailand, Togo, Tonga, Trinidad and Tobago, Tunisia, Turkmenistan, Tuvalu, Uganda, Uruguay, Vanuatu, Vatican, Venezuela, Vietnam, Zambia, Zimbabwe.

If you are a citizen of one of the following countries you will also be able to obtain a Kazakh business visa online:

Bermuda, Burundi, Cambodia, Cuba, Greenland, Haiti, Honduras, Indonesia, Kuwait, Laos, Macao, Macedonia, Montenegro, Morocco, Nicaragua, Oman, Qatar, Serbia, South Africa, The Bahamas, Vatican, Vietnam, Virgin Islands.

Your Kazakh eVisa should only take a few minutes to complete online. This process is designed to be much quicker than the conventional visa application process which requires you to physically go to an embassy or consulate.

After completing a Kazakh eVisa application this will need to be approved, once approved, the eVisa will be sent to you by email. Once you have received your eVisa you will be able to enter Kazakhstan by presenting this along with your passport at the Kazakhstan border.

Please note: You can only present this at border control of Astana and Almaty international airports.

If you are visiting Kazakhstan for multiple reasons, it is possible to find other visas that suit your needs more closely. For example, countries may have an auto-tourist (if planning to drive a vehicle), business-tourist (a more flexible visa combining bits of both business and tourist visa options) or work visa (visa required to work in the country) that cater to individual circumstances. In this instance, we recommend contacting us directly as it is often possible for us to acquire more specific visa types on request.

No, you can only have one active Kazakh visa in your passport at any one time.

If you have an active visa (that is a visa that is not expired, used or cancelled) for Kazakhstan in your passport (or in a second passport) at the time we apply at the consulate for a new one, then the current active visa will be cancelled when the new visa is issued. Therefore, you will need to submit both passports to the Consulate in cases where the existing visa is in a different passport from the new one being applied for.

If you have any questions about this process then please feel free to contact us and we will be happy to help.

To check on the progress of your Kazakh visa application with us, please click here and then enter in your application reference number. If you have lost this, then please contact us.

We would always recommend using the exact travel dates (if known) when applying for your Kazakh tourist visa. If you are unsure about your exact travelling dates we would suggest you add a few days before and after your expected dates of travel to allow for any changes in your plans.

In case you have provided us wrong details or forgotten about something, please contact us immediately and we will see what we can do. Depending on which stage we are at with your application, we may be able to make an alteration without charge, make it with an additional charge or not to change it at all.

We have a dedicated page on our website that can help you understand what the different labels and sections mean on your Kazakhstan visa. Please see our How to read a Kazakhstan visa page to find out more.

If you need a visa, then your child will usually need one as well. However, no consular fee will need to be paid for children under 16 years of age at the time of travel.

Everyone under the age of 18 has to provide additional documents with the application:

• A copy of both parents’ passport information.
• A completed parental consent letter signed by both parents – if only one parent is travelling, then this letter serves as confirmation that there is agreement between both parents.
• A copy of their birth certificate – the longer version containing both parents’ names is preferable.

These documents do not need to be notarised, signed or assessed by a solicitor and you should not send originals unless we ask you to do so.

If the child cannot sign the application form themselves, then the parent or guardian should sign on their behalf and note their relationship under the signature, e.g. by writing ‘mother’.

In the event that you are the sole parent or guardian of the child and you are not able to provide a copy of the second parent’s passport or signature then you will need to provide:

1. A copy of your divorce certificate, the death certificate of the parent(s), or the child's birth certificate noting ‘father unknown’ alongside this. Moreover, you need to specify on the parental consent letter as to why the second parent or guardian is unable to give consent.

2. If you have been awarded sole guardianship or custody of the child, or parental responsibility by a court of law, then please enclose a copy of this as well.

In the event that your child is travelling with a guardian who is not their parent, please provide a copy of the guardian’s passport information in addition to the documents mentioned above, and indicate in the parental consent letter that the child will be under the constant supervision of the guardian rather than the parent(s).

The Kazakh Consulate requires that passport photographs meet the following specifications:

• The photo should be taken against a plain white background so that features are distinguishable.
• The photo quality must be clear with focus on the face.
• The photo must be printed on regular photo paper.

If your photo does not meet these requirements, your application may be rejected.

No, we are not able to provide Kazakh work permits for foreign nationals, these can only be obtained from the company that you are going to work for in Kazakhstan.

We are also unable to issue visa invitations with the purpose of "education" or "study", again this is only legal if issued by the school, college or university that you will be attending.

If you qualify for visa-free status in Kazakhstan you no longer need to register your Kazakh visa. Although, nationals of non visa-free countries will be required to register if staying in the country more than 5 business days. An unregistered visa can cause problems and delays with even the most common tasks that require a passport as identification and even cause you to be denied exit from Kazakhstan.

Visa registration procedures and requirements can differ in each city and region of Kazakhstan. Therefore, if you are unsure we recommend contacting the Kazakh Consulate or contacting us directly.

Unfortunately it is not possible to extend or change your Kazakh tourist visa once issued.

In that unfortunate case, you need a new exit visa.

First of all, you must contact a local police precinct and make a request for an official document confirming that your visa was lost. To make the processing easier we recommend you to state that your documents were lost, not stolen.

Then, you need to get a new passport from the British Embassy in Kazakhstan.

We always recommend having travel insurance that suits your travelling requirements, and this is no exception in Kazakhstan.

If required you can order suitable Kazakh travel insurance from our partner by clicking here.

Kazakhstan official public holidays include:

• 1st - 2nd January — New Year's Holiday.
• 7th January — Orthodox Christmas Day.
• 8th March — International Women's Day.
• 21st - 25th March — Nauryz (Persian New Year celebrations).
• 1st May — Kazakhstan People Solidarity Holiday (Unity Day).
• 7th May — Defender's Day (Defender of the Fatherland Day).
• 9th - 10th May — Victory Day Holiday.
• 8th July — Capital City Day.
• 11th August — Kurban Ait (Feast of the Sacrifice).
• 30th August — Constitution Day.
• 2nd December — First President's Day.
• 16th - 17th December — Independence Day Holiday.

Please note: Most, if not all official offices, including the consulates in the UK will be closed on these days — and often, there is a "go-slow" just before and just after.

We start processing your application immediately upon receipt of your order, therefore we can only refund the consulate tariff and postage cost if you cancel your order before we submit your visa application to the Kazakh Consulate.

In the event that we have already submitted your application to the Kazakh Consulate when you cancel your order, or in the unlikely event that your visa application is refused, we are unfortunately unable to provide a refund.

We accept most major payment providers including Visa and Mastercard. You can also pay using cheque, postal order or bank transfer. Click here for information on how to pay for your travel and visa services.