Due to the fact that changes to the RoK territory entering/leaving procedure can be made in a short time, arriving foreign citizens are recommended to check the current situation before traveling.
Ministry of Foreign Affairs of the Republic of Kazakhstan
Frontier Service of the National Security Committee of the Republic of Kazakhstan
Passport and visa information in this section applies to regular passport holders. For holders of diplomatic, official, special, and service passports, special rules may apply.
A visa entitles the visa recipient to stay legally in the territory of the Republic of Kazakhstan for a time and under the conditions stated in the visa.
Visas can be single-entry and multiple-entry:
Single-entry visas entitle the visa recipient to a single entry into the Republic of Kazakhstan, travel through its territory, stay there and leave the Republic of Kazakhstan for a time, for the purposes and on the conditions stated in the visa.
Multiple entry visas entitle the visa recipient to multiple entries into the Republic of Kazakhstan, travel through its territory, stay there and leave the Republic of Kazakhstan for a time, for the purposes and on the conditions stated in the visa.
Attention! Corrections are not allowed on the visa. Corrected visas are invalid.
PASSPORT
All persons arriving in Kazakhstan must have a foreign passport. The passport validity must not expire earlier than 3 months from the date of the visa expiry. The passport must contain at least 2 blank pages intended for obtaining a visa and stamps.
If you have replaced an expired passport, please provide the responsible employee/manager of the School/Office/Department with the new passport (along with the old passport, if there is a valid visa in the old passport) for registration with the Migration Service. Please note that it is in your best interest to provide us with the necessary documents as soon as possible in order to avoid problems with registration.
At the same time, in case of a change in the residence address in Astana of foreign personnel, you are requested to immediately inform the staff of the Office of International Students and Scholars Services (hereinafter – OISSS).
The arrival of newly hired foreign employees, members of their families, as well as guests (relatives, friends, business partners, etc.) planning to stay on the territory of the housing stock of Nazarbayev University should be immediately reported to the Office of International Students and Scholars Services, indicating the current address of stay in Astana.
Republic of Kazakhstan State Border Crossing Procedure
REPUBLIC OF KAZAKHSTAN ARRIVAL NOTICE
According to Clause 9 of the Government Decree of the Republic of Kazakhstan dated 21 January 2012 No. 148: Host persons shall inform internal affairs bodies about foreign citizens staying with them within three working days from the date of their arrival.
According to Clause 10.1 of Article 1 of the Law on Migration: the host party is a legal entity registered in the Republic of Kazakhstan, applying for inviting foreign citizens to the Republic of Kazakhstan for temporary residence and (or) providing a place for their residence.
Host persons are obliged to INFORM (NOTIFY) the Migration Service Department, Police Department under the Ministry of Internal Affairs of the Republic of Kazakhstan in Astana about foreign citizens staying with them within 3 (three) business days from the day they cross the border of the Republic of Kazakhstan. This does not depend on the Republic of Kazakhstan's Entering and Staying Procedure, nor the purpose of a foreign citizen's visit.
The notification shall be submitted by the host party to the Migration Service through the visa and migration portal of the Republic of Kazakhstan (Egov/Eqonaq).
It is important to remember: Late submission of the notification entails administrative liability of the host party in accordance with Article 518 of the Code of Administrative Offenses, up to the prohibition of issuing visa invitations for 1 year.
Internal affairs bodies of the Republic of Kazakhstan issue a temporary residence permit (hereinafter – TRP) to foreigners or stateless persons temporarily staying in the Republic of Kazakhstan. TRP is given for a period of up to one year, depending on the category of the permit received, with subsequent extension in accordance with the Rules of entry and stay of immigrants in the Republic of Kazakhstan, as well as their departure from the Republic of Kazakhstan, approved by Government Decree of the Republic of Kazakhstan dated 21 January 2012 No. 148.
Who needs a TRP?
How is the TRP formalized?
To obtain the TRP, the host party must apply to the public service center (TSON).
The application must be accompanied by the original of the foreigner’s passport and a document confirming the purpose of stay.
For example, in the case of employment, a copy of the employment contract must be attached for citizens of the EAEU countries.
When accompanied by a marriage partner and/or children over 16, they must also obtain the TRP. Their passports, marriage certificates for the marriage partner, and birth certificates for the children must be attached.
The list of documents for the TRP application (for employees):
The list of documents for the TRP application (for dependents):
The processing time for the TRP application is 5-7 business days.
When should the TRP be issued?
The inviting party must obtain it for a foreigner during the visa-free period.
What is the TRP validity period?
TRP is issued for up to one calendar year.
What are the consequences of the TRP's untimely registration?
The inviting country and the foreigner shall be brought to administrative responsibility for late registration of TRP under Articles 517 and 518 of the Code of Administrative Offenses.
Visa-free entry to the Republic of Kazakhstan for citizens who require TRP registration:
CITIZENSHIP RoK ENTRY PERIOD OF STAY
AZERBAIJAN visa-free up to 30 days
ARMENIA visa-free up to 90 days
UZBEKISTAN visa-free up to 30 days
KYRGYZSTAN visa-free up to 90 days
BELARUS visa-free up to 90 days or a visa period
RUSSIA visa-free up to 90 days
TAJIKISTAN visa-free up to 90 days
Nazarbayev University invites a foreigner in advance for further entry into the country. The documents for the LOI must be submitted to the OISSS office ONE month before the planned trip to Kazakhstan. Processing time is approximately 2 weeks (same as a visa). After receiving the LOI, a foreigner applies for a KZ visa abroad at the embassy. The LOI can be issued 90 calendar days in advance (of the submission date) and expires in 90 calendar days.
Citizens of all countries, except Russia, Uzbekistan, Azerbaijan, Tajikistan, and Kyrgyzstan, need an LOI to get a visa at the Kazakh embassy abroad.
Visa types: C3- for work, C9 for study, B1 participation in the conference.
Processing time: 10 business days
Step 1
The Unit of International Students and Scholars Services will submit documents to the Migration Service Office of the Police Department under the Ministry of Internal Affairs of the Republic of Kazakhstan, Astana, as soon as the employee/student signs an employment contract/offer. When the invitation with the visa support number is ready, its scanned copy will be sent to you by email.
The following documents must be provided (to ISSS unit) to apply for the LOI:
For employee/student:
For accompanying spouse/children:
* If you are a citizen of a country that is not a member of the Hague Convention on Abolition of Requirement for Foreign Documents Legalization, you will need to submit a copy (translated into Russian/Kazakh and notarized) of the legalized version of your marriage/birth certificates.
Please follow the link to find your country in the list of member countries of the Hague Convention.
Invitation letter processing time: 10 business days.
Step 2
After receiving the LOI, the applicant shall submit all the necessary documentation to the Embassy/Consulate of the Republic of Kazakhstan abroad, where the applicant plans to receive a visa in person. The applicant is obliged to double-check the list of required documents posted on the official website of the Embassy/Consulate of the Republic of Kazakhstan.
The list of documents:
Visa processing time: 5-7 business days
After the extension of the employment contract with Nazarbayev University, your visa is subject to extension.
Please read the following instructions carefully:
Attention! For extension of your visa in the Republic of Kazakhstan before its expiration, the following documents shall be submitted to the Office of International Students and Scholars Services, at least 30 (thirty) business days, but no later than 14 (fourteen) business days before the expiration of the current visa.
For an employee/student:
For accompanying spouse/children:
* If you are a citizen of a country that is not a member of the Hague Convention on Abolition of Requirement for Foreign Documents Legalization, you will need to formalize the consular legalization of the required documents. Please follow the link to find your country in the list of member countries of the Hague Convention.
Visa processing time: 10 business days
When deciding to reduce the period of temporary stay of the visa recipient in the Republic of Kazakhstan.
Documents to be submitted to the Unit of International Students and Scholars Services in order to apply for a B16 exit visa (visa cancellation):
Processing time: 10 business days
If the foreigner has already left the country, documents to be submitted to the Unit of International Students and Scholars Services in order to cancel the long-term visa:
Attention! Failure to comply with the conditions of stay in the territory of the Republic of Kazakhstan is a serious offense, and you may face such sanctions as:
There will be additional fees for the lawyer and translator.
AMOUNT OF STATE DUTY for 2025 for issuing Kazakhstan visas and paying administrative fines
Kazakhstan visas
| Procedure | State duty | Amount in KZT |
| Registration of a letter of invitation for a visa | 0.5 MCI | 1,966 |
| Issuance/extension of a multiple entry visa on the territory of the Republic of Kazakhstan | 30 MCI | 117,960 |
| Exit visa processing (visa cancellation) | 0.5 MCI | 1,966 |
| Extension of the period of stay under the visa-free regime for citizens of 57 countries (issuance of a single-entry visa) | 7 MCI | 27,524 |
Note:
* Consular fees for inserting a visa in foreign missions of the Republic of Kazakhstan remained unchanged.
Violation of the Migration Laws of RoK leads to administrative fees and a year-long ban on inviting foreign workforce for the Inviting Party (Nazarbayev University).
A foreign citizen arriving in the Republic of Kazakhstan to resolve important business issues needs to acquire an IIN. It is required to receive government services, pay taxes, and other payments, and register actions. IIN is also required to get a job or open a bank account.
Individual identification number (IIN) – a unique 12-digit number assigned to an individual once and for life.
When will a foreign citizen need an IIN?
From 1 January 2021, the Ministry of Internal Affairs of the Republic of Kazakhstan approved changes to the rules for public service provision “Formation of an individual identification number to foreigners temporarily staying in the Republic of Kazakhstan”.
We would like to note that earlier documents for registration of an individual identification number (IIN) for a foreign worker had to be submitted to the tax committee at the place of his residence.
In accordance with the new procedure, an application for the IIN registration can be submitted to the NJSC State Corporation “Government for Citizens” (in other words, Public Service Center or TSON). The ISSS unit accompanies foreigners to TSON for IIN application.
What a foreign citizen needs to obtain an IIN:
Processing time for foreigners' IIN certificates is 1-2 business days.
In order for an official document of foreign origin to be valid in the Republic of Kazakhstan, it must be apostilled or legalized in advance in the country of issue.
For example: for obtaining a work permit in Kazakhstan, the employer must submit documents (diplomas, certificates, certificates of marriage, birth of children) of a foreign employee and his dependents with an apostille or consular legalization mark.
On the basis of the Hague Convention, to which Kazakhstan has joined, documents issued by state institutions of one of the countries participating in the Convention are valid in another participating country without consular legalization, provided that they are apostilled.
An apostille certifies the authenticity of the signature, the role in which the person who signed the document performed, and, if appropriate, the authenticity of the seal or stamp that affixes such a document.
Apostille in Kazakhstan is a quadrangular stamp of at least 9×9 cm in the Kazakh language, containing the obligatory heading “Apostille” and a link to the 1961 Hague Convention in French (Convention de La Haye du 5 octobre 1961).
Apostille is placed on the following documents:
Attention! A passport, driver’s license, or other laminated documents are not apostilled.
Institutions entitled to affix an apostille in the Republic of Kazakhstan:
Requirements for documents:
An apostille is placed exclusively on the original or a notarized copy if the original cannot be apostilled (for example, a passport, driver’s license). The documents must be in good condition with a well-visible seal and signature. Documents should not have any extraneous inscriptions or marks.
List of required documents:
Limitations of legalization requirements:
According to Art. 13 of the Convention on Legal Assistance and Legal Relations in Civil, Family, and Criminal Matters (also called the Minsk Convention), in force on the territory of the signatory countries, documents of the participating countries do not require legalization.
The country parties to the Convention include Armenia, Azerbaijan, Belarus, Georgia, Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan, Moldova, Russia, Tajikistan, Turkmenistan and Uzbekistan.
Kazakhstan has been a member state of the Minsk Convention since 1994. For these states, the legalization of documents issued in Kazakhstan by affixing an apostille is not required.
For using documents issued in Kazakhstan, on the territory of the above countries, it is necessary to make their notarized translation.
Unit of International Students and Scholars Services remains committed to supporting our international student and academic community during this health emergency. The office is still fully operational – but remotely – in support of the international community. We, as always, are ready to answer your questions and help solve your problems. Please use the contact information below:
Unit of International Students and Scholars Services
Office operation schedule:
Monday – Friday: 8.30 am – 5.30 pm
Address: 53, Kabanbai batyr ave., Astana.
Email: oiss@nu.edu.kz
The Unit of International Students and Scholars Services is closed on weekends, state and national holidays of the Republic of Kazakhstan.
If you have questions about visas and migration, or questions, suggestions related to activities and competence of the Office, do not hesitate to send your questions by e-mail.
While it may take us some time to respond to you, we promise that we will do our best to answer your question as quickly as possible.
State and national holidays of the Republic of Kazakhstan:
January 1, 2 – National holiday New Year
January 7 – Christmas holiday
March 8 – Public holiday International Women’s Day
March 21, 22, 23 – National holiday Nauryz meiramy
May 1 – National holiday Day of the unity of the people of Kazakhstan
May 7 – Defender of the Fatherland Day
May 9 – National holiday Victory Day
July 6 – Public holiday Capital Day
August 30 – National holiday Constitution Day
October 25 – Republic day
December 16-17 – National holiday Independence Day