Kazakhstan Visa-Free Entry: 30-Day Rule and Registration

How long can I stay in Kazakhstan without a visa?

The answer depends on the country that issued your passport and on the type of passport. The Kazakh government's visa regime table on eGov, last updated 22 May 2026 and based on Ministry of Foreign Affairs data, lists each country with separate entries for diplomatic, service and ordinary passports.

For ordinary passports, most visitors fall into one of four groups. The table below shows a sample of what the eGov list gave on the day we checked.

Some neighbouring countries have their own arrangements, and the table marks a few, such as Russia, Armenia and Azerbaijan, with a "90 days within 180 days" rule. If your country is not in the sample above, look it up by name on the eGov page rather than assuming.

How does the 90-days-in-180 rule work?

The 30-day limit applies to each entry. On top of that there is a rolling cap: the UK government's entry page says you must not stay more than 90 days without a visa in any 180-day period, and Canada's advisory and Kazakh Invest state the same combination of 30 days per stay and 90 days in 180.

In practice that rule only bites if you use Almaty as a base and keep leaving and coming back, for example on side trips to Bishkek or Tashkent. Count backwards 180 days from each planned entry date and add up every day you spent in Kazakhstan in that window.

Official sources count "days", and neither the eGov table nor the foreign-ministry pages we read explain whether arrival and departure days both count. Treat both as full days when you plan, which keeps you on the safe side.

Who registers you, and do you need to do anything?

Kazakhstan requires foreign visitors' arrival to be notified to the migration service, but the job sits with the person or business housing you. Kazakh Invest's registration guide says hosts must notify the migration service within 3 working days of your arrival, online through the visa and migration portal, on paper at a migration office, or through the eQonaq system that hotels use. Smartraveller and the UK page describe the same duty for accommodation providers.

Missing the notification is an administrative offence for the host under the Code on Administrative Offences, according to Kazakh Invest. That is why a hotel asks for your passport at check-in.

This decision table combines the legal duty, your type of accommodation and the step you should take.

Passport validity and the migration card

The official pages we read do not agree on passport validity. The UK says your passport must be valid for at least 30 days from arrival with one blank page. The US State Department asks for 3 months' validity beyond departure, and Ireland's Department of Foreign Affairs recommends 6 months. Airlines can refuse boarding under their own rules, so the longest of these, 6 months, is the safest target.

Smartraveller and the Irish advice both say you may be given a migration card on entry that you must keep with your passport and hand back when you leave. Other pages we checked, including the UK entry section, do not mention it. If an officer gives you one, keep it with your passport until you exit.

If something goes wrong

Overstaying is treated seriously. Canada lists possible penalties including a warning, fine, deportation, prison and an entry ban, and the Irish advice mentions an entry ban of up to 5 years.

If you plan to hire a car during your stay, the rules for fines and paperwork are covered in our guide to renting a car and traffic fines in Kazakhstan.