Kazakhstan Visa Requirements

This amazing scene (and many more like it) is in the Altyn Emel National Park, a short distance east of Almaty.

The good news is that, these days, citizens of 73 countries can visit Kazakhstan without needing to obtain any type of visa at all prior to their travel.

Hopefully you’re from one of those countries.  If you’re not, it is still relatively easy to get a visa, and we’re there to help you, and will make it easy and simple.  Assuming nothing alarming in your application, it will almost certainly be quickly approved and a visa issued for you.

Citizens of eight countries can visit for up to 90 days visa free.  These countries are

  • Armenia
  • Belarus
  • Georgia
  • Kyrgyzstan
  • Moldova
  • Mongolia
  • Russia
  • Ukraine

Citizens of another 36 countries, plus citizens of all 28 EU nations, can visit for up to 30 days visa free.

These countries are

  • Argentina
  • Australia
  • Azerbaijan
  • Bahrain
  • Brazil
  • Canada
  • Chile
  • Colombia
  • Ecuador
  • European Union
  • Iceland
  • Indonesia
  • Israel
  • Japan
  • Korea
  • Kuwait
  • Lichtenstein
  • Malaysia
  • Mexico
  • Monaco
  • New Zealand
  • Norway
  • Oman
  • Philippines
  • Qatar
  • Saudi Arabia
  • Serbia
  • Singapore
  • Switzerland
  • Tajikistan
  • Thailand
  • Turkey
  • UAE
  • United States
  • Uzbekistan
  • Vatican City
  • Vietnam

There is one more visa-free “country”, the citizens of which can stay for up to 14 days without a visa.  This is

  • Hong Kong

Citizens of most other countries do need to get a visa prior to arrival, but this is nowadays a straightforward process if you are seeking a simple, single-entry, tourist visa, and arriving at either Nur-Sultan or Almaty airports.

One important element of this however is that you need a Letter of Invitation as part of your visa application.  Good news.  We can provide one of these for you.  They typically take about a week to obtain from the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, and must be applied for at least 15 days prior to your travel to Kazakhstan (and not more than 90 days prior).  Full details on our Kazakhstan Visa Letter of Invitation Application page.

In such cases, you will need at least two blank pages in your passport, and your passport should not expire until at least three or six months (two different sources suggesting two different requirements, so perhaps you should play it safe and make sure you’ve six months remaining) after the expiry of the Kazakhstan visa you are seeking.

These other countries are

  • Algeria
  • Andorra
  • Angola
  • Antigua and Barbuda
  • Aruba
  • Bahamas
  • Bahrain
  • Bangladesh
  • Barbados
  • Belize
  • Benin
  • Bolivia
  • Botswana
  • Brunei Darussalam
  • Burkina Faso – Upper Volta
  • Burundi
  • Butane
  • Cambodia
  • Cameroon
  • Central African Republic
  • Chad
  • China
  • Comoros
  • Congo Republic
  • Costa Rica
  • Cote d Ivoire – Ivory Coast
  • Cuba
  • Djibouti
  • Dominica
  • Dominican Republic
  • Eritrea
  • Ethiopia
  • Faroe Islands
  • Fiji
  • Gabon
  • Gambia
  • Ghana
  • Grenada
  • Guatemala
  • Guinea
  • Guinea Bissau
  • Guyana
  • Haiti
  • Honduras
  • India
  • Jamaica
  • Kenya
  • Kiribati
  • Laos
  • Lebanon
  • Lesotho
  • Liberia
  • Macau
  • Macedonia
  • Madagascar
  • Malawi
  • Maldives Republic
  • Mali
  • Marshall Islands
  • Mauritania
  • Mauritius
  • Micronesia
  • Montenegro
  • Morocco
  • Mozambique
  • Myanmar
  • Namibia
  • Nauru
  • Nepal
  • Nicaragua
  • Niger
  • Nigeria
  • North Korea
  • Oman
  • Palau
  • Panama
  • Papua New Guinea
  • Paraguay
  • Peru
  • Rwanda
  • Saint Kitts and Nevis
  • Saint Lucia
  • Saint Vincent and the Grenadines
  • Salvador
  • Samoa
  • San Marino
  • Sao Tome and Principe
  • Senegal
  • Seychelles
  • Sierra Leone
  • South Africa
  • Sri Lanka
  • Suriname
  • Swaziland
  • Tanzania
  • Togo
  • Tonga
  • Trinidad and Tobago
  • Tunis
  • Turkmenistan
  • Tuvalu
  • Uganda
  • Uruguay
  • Vanuatu
  • Venezuela
  • Zambia
  • Zimbabwe

So, what if you’ve not seen your country in any of the lists, above?

Don’t worry, you can still come to Kazakhstan, too!  You just need to get a traditional visa, the “old fashioned way”, from the Kazakhstan Embassy or Consulate in your country.

And, one more possibility.  What if there’s no Kazakh Embassy/Consulate in your country?  Still not a problem.  The chances are there’s a nearby country where the Kazakhstan Embassy is responsible for your country too, and if that’s not the case, there are ways to pre-arrange a visa to be waiting for you when you arrive into Kazakhstan.

Quick Summary

Kazakhstan no longer requires visas from the citizens of most western and CIS countries. If you do need a visa, the chances are you can get an electronic e-visa. For e-visas and regular visas, you'll need a letter of invitation. We can send you one of these for a nominal fee, assuming you're booking some travel with us. Complete the linked form and send it to us. We'll quickly get back to you.

Registering Your Visa

There’s one more thing you might need to do, after arriving in Kazakhstan.  This is registering your visa.

If you’ve visited other former Soviet countries, you might be familiar with this process already.  Yes, it is a nuisance, and yes, it is being phased out, but also yes, if you need to register, it is important that you do.  Failure to do so can make you liable for fines or even imprisonment, either if you are randomly stopped and asked to show your documents while in-country, or when leaving the country.  There’s something slightly ironic about not being allowed to leave a country due to your visa to enter/stay in the country being incorrect, but such is life.

Quote Request

Simply fill out whichever parts of this form are relevant to your request and send it to us. We'll get back to you with a response, typically within one business day.

Almaty City Tour

Almaty is simultaneously ancient and modern, and always an interesting city.

Our tour of the city will show you 19th century architecture, monuments, and magnificent street art, large distinctive modern buildings, and smaller historic structures.

The tour is a great opportunity to understand the history of the city and to see the magnificent landscapes of the Trans-Ili Alatau mountain range immediately outside the city!

During this tour you will reach a height of 10,000 ft (3200 m) above sea level, where you can take unforgettable photos over the city and beyond.

The guided tour is available in a selection of languages and typically starts between 9-10am when you are collected from your hotel, and you’re returned back at the end of the tour, usually between 5-6pm.  The tour is a mix of walking and being driven.

Among highlights are traveling a short distance out of town to the Medeo ice skating rink and Shymbulak ski resort (both fascinating all year round), and within the city, visiting Republic Square, the Panfilovsky Park of 28 Heroes, and the Green Bazaar.

Tour Details

All day (8 hours)

Activity Level

Easy/moderate

Tour Price

$70-120 per person