First Deputy Minister of Internal Affairs Bauyrzhan Alenov reported at a Government session that favorable conditions and simplified procedures have been created for the entry and stay of foreign nationals in Kazakhstan.

According to him, a visa-free regime is in place for citizens of 87 countries, and electronic visas are available for citizens of 107 countries. A total of 9,797 e-visas have been issued to date, generating 270 million tenge in state fees.

Since 2020, foreigners from visa-free countries who are temporarily staying in Kazakhstan are no longer required to register at their place of residence, whereas previously they had to register within five days. The obligation to notify the authorities of a foreigner’s arrival lies with the receiving party, including hotels and individuals, who do so via the “E-Qonaq” information system. According to Bauyrzhan Alenov, more than 900,000 such notifications were submitted this year, and nearly 14,800 receiving parties were fined for failing to comply.

The Deputy Minister also noted that police conduct outreach with foreign nationals. At international airports and border checkpoints, police distribute cards with a QR code linking to the dedicated portal (safetravel.kz), which provides essential information and services for a comfortable and safe stay in the country. These cards include a SIM card with 1 GB of free internet.

It was reported that more than 7.5 million people entered Kazakhstan in the first half of 2025, while 7.2 million exited — 600,000 more than in the same period last year. Of these, 90% entered from CIS countries: Uzbekistan, Kyrgyzstan, Russia, Tajikistan, and Belarus.

A total of 212,000 foreigners are permanent residents in Kazakhstan, mostly in Almaty city, Almaty region, Astana, and Karaganda region. The Deputy Minister emphasized that this number has increased by 42% over the past three years.

Currently, 430,000 foreigners hold temporary registration — 19% more than in the first six months of 2024. Of these, 360,000 arrived for employment purposes, 17,100 for family reunification, 8,000 for study, and 44,900 for other reasons such as private visits and tourism.

To improve efficiency, the Ministry of Internal Affairs is focusing on the following areas:

First, digital monitoring tools are being introduced. With the help of artificial intelligence, a project to monitor the presence of foreign nationals — tracking their numbers, purposes, legality, and duration of stay — will be completed by the end of the year.

Second, the legal framework is being improved. Amendments aimed at strengthening migration control have been developed. On July 17, a new law was signed introducing a registration requirement for foreigners planning to stay in the country for more than 30 days, as well as granting the Ministry of Internal Affairs the authority to deny invitations to individuals from "migration risk" countries. In addition, administrative liability for violations of the foreigner registration procedure is being considered for inclusion in the Code of Administrative Offenses.

Third, internal migration processes are being monitored. Issues related to documentation and residential registration are being tracked. So-called "rubber apartments" — where people are falsely registered but do not actually reside — are being identified and significantly reduced. Property owners are being held accountable under Article 493 of the Code of Administrative Offenses for fictitious registration.

Fourth, the security level of the national passport is being enhanced. Citizens of Kazakhstan can currently visit 43 countries without a visa. The passport meets all international standards and contains the necessary security features. Additional security measures are being considered, including microtext of the holder’s surname and first name displayed on the photograph.

#Government session #Migration #Tourism

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