Entry/Exit Requirements

Visas:

• U.S. citizens can visit Kazakhstan without a visa for up to fifteen days for all purposes of travel except employment and missionary work. 
• Kazakhstan issues five-year multiple-entry visas to qualified applicants traveling for business, tourism, or for diplomatic, official, and media purposes.
• Violating the authorized period of stay in Kazakhstan or engaging in activities inconsistent with your visa category may result in fines, imprisonment, and/or delays upon exit.
• Please see the Kazakhstan Embassy’s visa page for the most current visa information.

Permanent Residents: If you wish to apply for a Permanent Residency Permit in Kazakhstan, you must provide the Kazakhstani Migration Police with a background check performed by law enforcement in the United States.

• This background check must be authenticated (i.e., affixed with an apostille) by the state authorities in which the investigation was conducted. For information on official authentication, please see the Department of State website.
• It is recommended that you obtain the background check before your travel to Kazakhstan, as it may be difficult to have fingerprints taken in Kazakhstan.  The U.S. Mission in Kazakhstan does not fingerprint U.S. citizens.
• For more information about U.S. background checks, please refer to the Federal Bureau of Investigation’s website.

Closed Areas: Travel to certain areas bordering China and cities in close proximity to military installations require prior permission from the Kazakhstani government. The town of Baykonur and surrounding areas in Kyzylorda Oblast, and the town of Gvardeysk near Almaty are also closed to foreigners.

Most of the popular tourist areas in Kazakhstan – Medeu, Shymbulak, Big Almaty Lake, Charyn Canyon, Alakol Lake, Monakhov Gorge, and other locations within 25 kilometers of a border – now fall in so called “closed” zones. While visitors to popular tourist sites within these zones are not required to obtain special permission from immigration authorities, visitors to these sites should bring personal identification in the event they are requested to present it to local authorities. Those wishing to visit other areas within these zones should check with local authorities to ensure that no prior permission is required.        

Registration:

• When entering Kazakhstan, you will be asked to complete a white registration card and present it to the border officers, who will stamp and return it to you with your passport.  You must retain this card during your stay and present it when departing Kazakhstan. If the card has two stamps, you are registered with the Migration Police for up to 90 days. If the card contains only one stamp, you must register with the Migration Police within five calendar days. Certain hotels throughout Kazakhstan are also able to register foreign guests.
• While Kazakhstani authorities may register a traveler for up to three months, this does not mean that the traveler can be physically present in Kazakhstan for three months.  The duration of stay is dictated by the specific visa category.
• If you stay longer than three months, you must extend your registration period with the nearest Migration Police office in Kazakhstan.
• Foreigners must inform the Migration Police of changes of address.
• Penalties for violating registration rules, including failing to produce a white registration card with proof of registration on departure, may include delayed and/or denial of boarding, fines, imprisonment, and deportation.

Adoptions: All children adopted in Kazakhstan after May 2003 must obtain exit stamps from both the Ministry of the Interior and the Ministry of Foreign Affairs before departing the country.

HIV/AIDS: Some HIV/AIDS entry restrictions exist for visitors to and foreign residents of Kazakhstan.

• Visitors applying for a work or residency permit, which is required for U.S. citizens who wish to spend more than six months in Kazakhstan, must submit negative HIV test results with their application to the Migration Police in the city where they intend to work or reside. The results must be less than three months old.
• The city HIV clinic in the place of registration can conduct the test or may certify test results performed abroad.
• If the original test results are in a language other than Russian or Kazakh, they must be accompanied by an official, notarized translation.

Information about dual nationality or the prevention of international child abduction can be found on our website. For further information about customs regulations, please read our Customs Information page.