C5 business immigrant visa for Kazakhstan: requirements, the akimat invitation, validity and obligations after entry

The C5 visa category is for business immigrants — foreigners entering Kazakhstan to carry out entrepreneurial activity: to found a company or join an existing one. It is neither an investor visa nor a B1 business visa: C5 has its own applicant requirements, its own invitation procedure and, above all, strict obligations after entry.

Who is a business immigrant

The law defines a business immigrant as an immigrant who arrived to conduct entrepreneurial activity under Kazakhstan legislation. The key consequence is in Article 40 of the Migration Law: foreigners without a business immigrant visa or RVP are prohibited from founding legal entities and participating in the charter capital of commercial organisations. The exception is residence permit holders.

So for a founder from a visa country C5 is the mandatory first step before LLP registration. A B1 business visa, a tourist trip or a partner's invitation do not solve this.

Requirements: Article 39

To obtain the visa or RVP a business immigrant must:

1. be of legal age;
2. present a medical certificate confirming the absence of diseases that prevent work;
3. hold medical insurance covering primary care and emergency in-patient care;
4. present confirmation of the presence or absence of a criminal record and of a court ban on business activity — issued by the competent authority of the country of citizenship or permanent residence.

The same documents are listed in the visa rules as the basis for issuing C5 at a consulate. Foreign certificates are accepted with translation and, as a rule, apostille or legalisation — check the requirements of the consulate in advance.

The akimat invitation

Unlike business and work visas, the inviting party for C5 is not a company but the local executive body — the akimat of a region, Almaty, Astana or Shymkent and their districts. The visa is issued on the basis of its written request.

To obtain the letter the applicant substantiates the business purpose: a description of the planned activity, details of the company being registered or joined, proof of financial standing. The rules set no formal deadline for the request; in our Almaty practice preparing and obtaining the letter takes 7 to 15 working days.

Then the general visa timelines apply: invitation review at the migration service — up to 3 working days electronically (5 on paper), KNB clearance — up to 3 working days, extendable to 30 calendar days, visa issue — up to 5 working days.

Validity and extension

Two peculiarities of C5: the extension request is not tied to the original inviting party, and C5 is among the few categories for which a single-entry visa may be replaced with a multiple-entry one on extension. Extension documents are filed no earlier than 30 and no later than 5 working days before expiry.

A C5 visa may be replaced with an investor visa (A5) or another category when a ground arises — for example, when the company obtains investor status.

Obligations after entry: Article 40

The mandatory condition of stay is real entrepreneurial activity. Within two months of entry the business immigrant must:

• register a commercial organisation in Kazakhstan or join an existing commercial organisation as a participant (shareholder);
• deposit in a Kazakhstan second-tier bank an amount not less than the minimum established by law for forming the charter capital when registering a legal entity.

If these duties are not met, the internal affairs bodies, at the akimat's request, decide to shorten the stay — the business immigrant is given time to leave voluntarily. Regaining the status afterwards is harder than obtaining it the first time.

Equipment for the business may be imported on general customs terms. The business immigrant may move freely and choose a place of residence, but must live at the address declared when the visa or RVP was issued; the host notifies the police of arrival within three working days.

The business immigrant's family

A business immigrant is an inviting party under Article 27 and may request entry of family members for reunification: a spouse married for at least one year, minor children, dependent disabled parents. They receive an RVP for the term of the business immigrant's own status.

Common mistakes

• Applying for B1 "to be faster". The company will not be registered on a business visa — time and consular fees are lost.
• An expired criminal record certificate. Consulates accept documents of limited age — usually up to 3–6 months.
• A slow registration. Two months pass quickly: IIN, digital signature, bank account and LLP registration should be planned before entry.
• Formal participation. The status implies real activity; on extension the akimat assesses whether the business operates.

What comes next

After obtaining the status, the practical next step is registering an LLP: legal address, the founder's IIN and digital signature, a bank account. And after several years of real activity you may consider permanent residence.

Visa Navigator prepares the justification for the akimat, assembles the consular package and supports the first two months after entry — from the IIN to company registration and capital deposit. Visa decisions are taken by the MFA and consulates, invitation decisions by the akimat; our responsibility is a correct package and deadline control.

This material is for information only and does not constitute legal advice. Rules and practice change — verify the current requirements as of the date you apply.