Kazakhstan visa and entry requirements

Decision flow

Work out your regime before you book, not at the airport.

1. Check for visa-free access. Confirm whether your country has a unilateral visa-waiver (most EU countries, the USA, Canada, Australia) or a bilateral agreement. If so, entry is visa-free for 30 days - or 14 or 90 days depending on nationality.
2. Register in QazETA. Every visa-free traveler downloads the QazETA app before departure and applies for an Electronic Travel Authorization, at least 72 hours before departure. Recommended during the 2025–2026 pilot phase, strictly mandatory afterwards.
3. Get a Letter of Invitation, if you need an e-visa. No visa-waiver (Taiwan, for example) but on the list of 109 e-visa countries: you first need a Letter of Invitation (LOI) with a visa-support number from an approved Kazakh organization or travel agency.
4. Apply for the e-visa. With the LOI number, apply on the visa and migration portal (www.vmp.gov.kz), complete the form, pay the consular fee (USD 60 for a B12 tourist visa as of August 2026) and print the approved e-visa for border control. E-visa entry is allowed only at the international airports of Almaty (ALA) and Astana (NQZ).
5. Otherwise, a standard consular visa. Apply in person at a Kazakh diplomatic mission 1–2 months before the trip.

Entry formalities common to everyone

Paper migration cards are gone - fully abolished, nothing to fill in on the plane. What replaces them is digital and has deadlines.

• QazETA registration - due no later than 72 hours before departure for every visa-free traveler. It carries the health declaration (valid medical insurance, countries visited in the last 30 days) and the customs declaration.
• Arrival notification (eQonaq) - your host must register you with the migration authorities within 3 business days of entry, digitally via eQonaq.kz or vmp.gov.kz. The hotel, landlord or inviting person files it; you visit no office. Change accommodation or region and the new host files again, within the same 3 business days.
• Stays over 30 days - since 1 July 2026, anyone entering visa-free and staying more than 30 calendar days must register with the interior authorities within 30 days of crossing the border. You can do it yourself in the Migration Police Information System (IS MP), with confirmation from the property owner.

Customs limits:

• Cash - up to the equivalent of USD 10,000 per person duty-free; more must be declared in writing. Exporting cash above the equivalent of USD 10,000 is prohibited outright.
• Alcohol - adults over 18 may bring 3 liters duty-free, 3 to 5 liters attracts duty, above 5 liters is banned.
• Tobacco - 200 cigarettes, 50 cigars or 250 grams of tobacco per adult.
• Personal items - food up to 10 kg per person, and at most 2 mobile phones, 2 tablets and 1 laptop.

What matters in practice

• Register in QazETA early, because the app fails. Reports from the r/PassportPorn community describe frequent errors scanning passport chips and in facial biometric verification, and the account locks after three failed attempts. Leave time to contact technical support.
• Chase your host for the eQonaq confirmation. Private hosts, Airbnb ones especially, ignore the 3-business-day deadline. The fine on them is 10 to 20 MCI - the 2026 MCI is 4,325 KZT, so roughly 43,250–86,500 KZT - but the problem lands on you.
• Ask for the QR-coded confirmation from the eQonaq portal at check-in. Travelers on r/Kazakhstan report that border guards do not ask for proof of registration on entry, but a missing eQonaq record causes serious complications and fines when you leave.