Family reunification and marriage-based residence in Kazakhstan in 2026

Who can join a spouse or relative, why the marriage must be at least a year old, how long the permission lasts and how to move from it to permanent residence and citizenship.

In Kazakhstan what is usually called a marriage-based residence permit is legally temporary residence permission for family reunification. The residence permit card here already means permanent residence, and the family reaches it as a second step. The rules are set by the Law on Migration of the Population: it defines who may sponsor relatives, who counts as a family member and how long the permission lasts.

The key condition for spouses is the length of the marriage: at least a year, and the marriage must be recognised by Kazakh law. Below: how the rules differ for a citizen's family and a foreigner's family, which documents are needed, what applies to children and parents, how marriages are checked and what citizens of certain countries should know.

Marriage to a citizen of Kazakhstan and marriage to a foreign resident

The sponsor can be a Kazakh citizen, a kandas or former compatriot with temporary residence permission, a foreigner with permanent residence, or a business immigrant who has lived in the country continuously for at least a year. The sponsor petitions for the family members' entry. Students, seasonal workers and foreigners admitted on humanitarian grounds cannot bring family on this basis.

Almost everything depends on the sponsor's status: the length of the permission, the circle of relatives and the right to work. The table compares the two cases.

If the marriage is under a year old, the family reunification ground does not work: the spouse has to live in the country under another status, such as work, study or business, and return to the family ground later. A fiancé or fiancée gets no separate status: the marriage is registered first, then the year has to pass.

Documents and legalising the marriage

The file consists of the sponsor's documents and the family member's documents. The application is filed with the migration police, a public service centre or via the e-government portal; citizens of visa-required countries first obtain a family reunification visa on the sponsor's petition.

• the family member's passport with a notarised translation into Kazakh or Russian;
• a marriage certificate, and for children a birth certificate, with a translation and, where required, an apostille or consular legalisation;
• a document on the sponsor's status: a citizen's identity card or a residence permit;
• proof of housing: a lease or title deed, and temporary registration;
• proof of the sponsor's income;
• health insurance and a police clearance certificate if your status requires it.

A marriage concluded abroad is recognised if it is valid in the country of registration and does not contradict Kazakh law: Kazakhstan does not recognise polygamous or same-sex marriages. Documents from CIS countries are accepted without an apostille but with a notarised translation.

Children and the other parent's consent

Children under 18, including adopted children, can come for family reunification if they are unmarried and dependent on or under the guardianship of the sponsor. Adult children can be invited only if they cannot support themselves for health reasons.

If a child moves with one parent, prepare the other parent's notarised consent to the child leaving and living in Kazakhstan, or a document that replaces it: a court decision on the child's place of residence, a death certificate or a certificate that the father was recorded on the mother's word. When the child turns 18, the family ground ends: the permission is extended for no more than six months, during which the child needs a status of their own, for example through study or work.

Residence for parents

Parents can be invited only if they are unable to work and are dependent on the sponsor. This usually means pension age or a confirmed disability, plus documents showing that you support them. Working parents cannot be brought on this ground.

A Kazakh citizen can also invite other relatives they are obliged to support. If the parents do not meet the conditions, other routes remain: temporary residence through work or business, or permanent residence under the general points-based rules.

How sham marriages are checked

The main filter is the law itself: the marriage must be at least a year old, so arriving and getting status right after the wedding is not possible. The migration service may check whether you live together at the registered address and ask for further documents about your life together.

If the marriage is found to be a sham or the application contained false information, the permission is refused and one already issued is cancelled. That also closes the way to permanent residence, so bring real traces of a shared life to the check: a common address, joint expenses, children, trips.

Timelines and fees

The application is reviewed within 30 days. The state fee for temporary residence permission is nominal; the main costs are notarised translations, apostilles, health insurance and housing. An extension is filed before the permission expires: a missed deadline means leaving and filing again.

From temporary residence the family moves to permanent residence: for spouses and close relatives of citizens the ground is a confirmed marriage or kinship, while others go through a points assessment with a Kazakh language test and money in the bank.

All other grounds for moving are collected on the page how to get a Kazakhstan residence permit.

Common reasons for refusal

• the marriage is under a year old or is not recognised by Kazakh law;
• the sponsor's status does not qualify: a student, a seasonal worker or a business immigrant with less than a year in the country;
• the parents are able to work or are not dependent on the sponsor;
• housing or income is not proven, or the applicant does not live at the registered address;
• certificates without a translation or apostille, or with mismatched names;
• false information in the form, a criminal record or past breaches of migration rules.

A refusal can be appealed, but it is faster to fix the file and apply again. That is why we check documents before filing.

Restrictions for certain nationalities

Family reunification rules are the same for all foreigners; the differences concern entry, documents and work.

Russian citizens enter visa-free and may stay up to 90 days in any 180, which is enough to apply locally. Marriage and birth certificates issued in Russia, Belarus, Armenia, Kyrgyzstan and other CIS countries are accepted without an apostille. Citizens of Eurasian Economic Union countries work under an employment contract without a work permit, so a spouse from Russia or Belarus often finds it easier to get status through work while the marriage is still under a year old.

Citizens of visa-required countries first need a family reunification visa, issued on the sponsor's petition. Those planning citizenship should remember that Kazakhstan does not recognise dual citizenship: you have to give up your previous one to get the passport.

This topic in other countries

Marriage-based residence and family reunification in other countries:

• Family reunification and marriage-based residence in Germany in 2026
• Family reunification and marriage-based residence in Georgia in 2026
• Family reunification and marriage-based residence in Serbia in 2026

Residence, taxes and life in this country:

• how to get a Kazakhstan residence permit
• moving to Kazakhstan
• Kazakhstan tax residency
• taxes in Kazakhstan
• Almaty guide
• Astana guide

You can compare countries and grounds in the section residence permits: all countries and routes.

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