Memo to the tourist

To date, Kazakhstan canceled all covid restrictions for tourists.

• PCR tests are not needed.
• A vaccination certificate is not required.
• Quarantine  No.

As of December 2022, citizens of 78 countries can enter Kazakhstan without a visa.

Visa-free entry with the right to stay in the country for up to 30 days is provided to citizens of the following countries:

Azerbaijan, Argentina, Brazil, South Korea, United Arab Emirates, Serbia, Turkey, Uzbekistan and Ecuador.

The list of countries with visa-free entry to Kazakhstan up to 30 days also includes the following countries: The Commonwealth of Australia, the Republic of Austria, the Grand Duchy of Luxembourg, Hungary, the Vatican City State, the State of Israel, the State of Qatar, the State of Kuwait, the Hellenic Republic, Ireland, Iceland, the Italian Republic , Canada, Principality of Liechtenstein, Principality of Monaco, Kingdom of Bahrain, Kingdom of Belgium, Kingdom of Denmark, Kingdom of Spain, Kingdom of the Netherlands, Kingdom of Norway, Kingdom of Thailand, Kingdom of Sweden, Republic of Latvia, Republic of Lithuania, Malaysia, United Mexican States, New Zealand, Portuguese Republic , Republic of Bulgaria, Republic of Indonesia, Republic of Cyprus, Republic of Colombia, Republic of Malta, Republic of Poland, Republic of Singapore, Republic of Slovenia, Republic of the Philippines, Republic of Croatia, Republic of Chile, Romania, Saudi Arabia, Slovak Republic, United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland, United States of America, Socialist Republic of Vietnam, Sultanate of Oman, Federal Republic of Germany, Republic of Finland, French Republic, Czech Republic, Swiss Confederation, Republic of Estonia, Iran, People's Republic of China, Malaysia and Japan. Citizens of the countries listed above can enter the territory of the Republic of Kazakhstan, having all types of valid passports with you, with the right to stay in the country for up to 30 days.

Visa-free entry with the right to stay in the country up to 90 days is provided to citizens of the following countries:

Armenia, Belarus, Georgia, Kyrgyzstan, Moldova, Mongolia, Russia, Tajikistan, Ukraine.

How to get a Kazakhstan visa?

For those foreign citizens who require a visa to Kazakhstan, today there are several options for obtaining it: through the representative offices of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of the Republic of Kazakhstan, or electronically, etc e-visa.

Option one

Visas are issued by the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of the Republic of Kazakhstan (hereinafter - the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of the Republic of Kazakhstan), foreign institutions and consular offices of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of the Republic of Kazakhstan, and in the absence of such - by specially authorized representatives of the Republic of Kazakhstan.

At the request of the host organizations, foreigners can be issued multiple entry visas.

Option two. Renewal of e-Visa issuance.
On June 13, 2022, the Ministry of Internal Affairs, together with the National Security Committee, resumed the service for issuing electronic visas of the Republic of Kazakhstan (e-visa) through the visa and migration portal vmp.gov.kz.

Citizens of 109 countries can apply for one of the following categories of Single Entry e-Visas:

• business B1, B2, B3
• tourist B12
• for the treatment of C12
  
  

E-visa is issued on the basis of an invitation from the Kazakh side (individual or legal entity). The invitation is valid only for the recipient of the visa, does not apply to accompanying persons and is not subject to renewal.
To obtain an e-visa, a foreigner must:

• register on the portal vmp.gov.kz 
• пgo to the "Electronic visa" section and enter the invitation number from the Kazakh side, fill in the necessary passport data and pay the consular fee (60 US dollars for a single tourist visa, 80 US dollars for a visa for a business trip and treatment
• print e-visa and present it when passing through passport control at one of the international airports in Kazakhstan

Foreigners passing through the territory of Kazakhstan in transit to a country with which their state of citizenship has an agreement on visa-free entry are required to have a transit visa of Kazakhstan.

Passing through the territory of the Republic of Kazakhstan in transit on motor vehicles, including those carrying out international road transport of goods, follow only roads open for international road traffic.

Do I need to register with the migration police after my stay?

30 days without registration. From 2020 according to the Law signed on December 30, 2019, obligatory registration of foreigners abolished, arriving in Kazakhstan up to 30 days. However, the receiver remains an obligation notify the immigration office on the arrival of a foreign guest within three working days from the date of entry into the country. However, in order to improve the tourist climate in the country, an information system was created to collect and record the tourist flow and migration control - "eQonaq".

Now notification of the arrival of a foreign tourist can be sent through the portal eqonaq.kz

Пребывание иностранного гражданина в Казахстане более 30 суток

When a foreign citizen stays on the territory of Kazakhstan for more than 30 days, the receiving party (hotels, hostels, rental apartments, medical institutions and other legal and natural persons) is obliged to issue a temporary residence permit (registration) to the guest.

Please note that registration of foreigners and notification of the arrival of foreigners in Kazakhstan are two separate responsibilities that are now assigned to the host country.

Transport infrastructure

There are several services for online booking and purchase of air and railway tickets. Also, you can always find the necessary information on the own websites of airlines and companies involved in railway transportation. By the way, most of the railway transportation is carried out by the national company «Kazakhstan Temir Zholy».

Also in Kazakhstan, public transport is well developed, designed to transport the population according to a certain schedule and route. Shuttle buses run in all cities, and some cities have active tram fleets. There is a subway in Almaty. You can also use the taxi call service, or rent a car for self-driving. Bicycle rentals in major cities.

Money, exchange rate

The official currency in Kazakhstan is the tenge. Pay for purchases and all kinds of services & nbsp; allowed only in national currency - tenge. Kazakhstan is one of the most developed countries in the world in the field of fintech. This means that if you have an international card, then you may not need cash, since payment by card is accepted almost everywhere. Apple Pay, Samsung Pay, Google Pay, Garmin Pay contactless payment services from mobile and smart devices are very popular.

However, if you are planning to travel outside the cities, it is still better to have some cash. You need to take care of this in advance. It is recommended to exchange currency in banks and official exchange offices, and in the latter the exchange rate is usually more profitable. In large cities, exchange offices, where you can find out the exchange rate in Kazakhstan, work around the clock. There are also a large number of ATMs.

Weather in Kazakhstan

The remoteness from the oceans and the large territory of the country affect its climatic conditions, so the nature of Kazakhstan is striking in its contrasts. The climate of Kazakhstan (except for the south) is sharply continental with an average temperature between -4ºC and -19ºC in January and between +19…+26ºC in July. Temperatures can drop to -45ºC in winter and rise to +30ºC in summer. All four seasons are pronounced on the territory of the country - with frosty winter, blooming spring, hot summer and golden autumn.

Information that may be useful to you when traveling in Kazakhstan:

Hotline telephone numbers

112 – Department of Emergency Situations

101 – Fire fighting service

102 – Police service

103 – Emergency

Taxi – Uber, Yandex Taxi, InDriver

Car rental – Anytime

Delivery services – Glovo, Wolt, Yandex food, Chocofood

City map - 2gis, Google Maps, Yandex map

A few basic Kazakh phrases you need to know

Salemetsiz be! - Hello!

Sau bolynyz! - Goodbye!

Bagasy kansha? - What is the price?

Menin esimim ...  - My name is ...

Rakhmet - Thank you

Official language

The state language is Kazakh. Russian and English are the languages of interethnic communication. The vocabulary of the Kazakh language is 2.5 million words and is one of the richest in the world.

Religion

Kazakhstan is a secular state, most of the population which Islam professes. Currently, 18 confessions are registered in the country: they include Islam, Protestantism, Orthodoxy, Catholicism, Judaism, Buddhism and Bahaism.