Visa-free entry to Kazakhstan: who can come without a visa, for how long, and how the 30/90/180-day rule is counted

Visa-free does not mean "as long as I like" — it means two limits counted at the same time. Here are the rules under Government Decree No. 148 in the August 2025 edition.

Who enters visa-free and for how long

30 days per entry, 90 days per half-year. Citizens of the countries in paragraph 17 of the Rules: Australia, the USA, Canada, the United Kingdom, all EU member states, Switzerland, Norway, Iceland, Japan, the Republic of Korea, Singapore, Malaysia, Thailand, the Philippines, Vietnam, Indonesia, Israel, the UAE, Saudi Arabia, Qatar, Kuwait, Bahrain, Oman, Mexico, Chile, Colombia, New Zealand and others — more than 50 states in total. Stay — up to 30 calendar days from crossing the border, no more than 90 days in any 180-day period.

90 days per half-year. Citizens of Türkiye — up to 90 calendar days in any 180 (amendment of 25 August 2025). Citizens of EAEU states (Armenia, Belarus, Kyrgyzstan, Russia) — 90 days from entry, 90 in 180 in total.

14 days. Citizens of India and Iran — up to 14 calendar days per entry, 42 days in 180 in total. Longer trips require a visa obtained before entry.

Under international treaties. For citizens of CIS and other states with bilateral agreements, the periods in those treaties apply.

Some categories are outside the 90/180 limit altogether: aircraft and ship crews, drivers of international freight transport, members of official delegations and — most importantly — immigrants holding an RVP.

How the days are counted

Paragraph 6 of the Rules describes the method used by border guards and police:

• at entry, 180 calendar days are counted back from the actual entry date and the days spent in the country within that window are summed; if the limit is used up — entry is refused under Article 48 of the Law;
• at an inspection inside the country, the 180-day window runs back from the inspection date;
• at exit — back from the actual exit date.

The practical conclusion: a "reset" by hopping to a neighbouring country does not work. If you spent 30 days, left and returned a week later, you have a fresh 30 days per entry, but only 60 days remain in the 180-day window.

How to stay longer

1. RVP. The host arranges a temporary residence permit on a ground — work, study, family reunification, business, treatment. With an RVP the 30/90 rule does not apply. See the RVP article.
2. A business visa inside the country. Citizens of paragraph 17 countries whose business trip exceeds 30 days may obtain a single-entry business visa of up to 30 days from the internal affairs bodies.
3. A visa in advance. For long-term work, business or study, obtain the right visa category at a consulate before entry — C3, C5 and others.

Duties on visa-free entry

• Arrival notification. The host (hotel, employer, flat owner, relative) informs the police within 3 working days — see here.
• Registration for stays over 30 days. Immigrants entering for more than 30 days register with the internal affairs bodies no later than the 30th day (Article 6 of the Law) — in practice, the RVP.
• Living at the declared address and reporting a change within 5 working days.

Penalties for overstaying

Expulsion carries a five-year entry ban. In 2026 one MCI equals 4,325 tenge.

Electronic travel authorisation from 2026

The Law of 24 June 2026 No. 326-VIII added an electronic travel authorisation (ETA) to the Migration Law for citizens of countries determined by the Government — it is obtained online via the QazETA platform before the trip and complements rather than cancels the visa-free regime. Details are in the dedicated article.

Visa Navigator calculates your permitted stay from your travel history, arranges an RVP or visa in advance and keeps you clear of fines and entry bans. See the RVP service page.

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.