Kazakhstan ETA: mandatory from 2027, how to apply

Zero tenge instead of the 10 dollars floated in the summer, and a hard deadline of 1 July 2027: Kazakhstan has approved the rules for its electronic travel authorization. Who needs it, how to apply, and when a residence permit makes more sense.

Over the summer, Kazakhstan looked set to charge visa-free visitors for entry: about 10 dollars online, twice that at the border, starting as early as 1 November 2026. On 10 October 2026 the government settled the question with Resolution No. 890. The outcome is surprisingly gentle: the authorization is free, at zero tenge, and travellers will be turned away without it only from 1 July 2027. There is no entry fee. There is a new compulsory step, and it pays to get used to it early.

Below: what exactly was decided, who it applies to, which passport to travel on, and when it is simpler to get a Kazakhstan residence permit and forget about authorizations altogether.

What Kazakhstan's government decided

Resolution No. 890 of 10 October 2026 amends the rules on entry, stay and exit of foreigners that have applied since 2012. It takes effect ten calendar days after official publication. Three points matter most.

• The price is zero tenge. The migration law allows a fee, but the government set it at zero. The 10 and 20 dollar figures reported in the summer came from a draft and did not make it into the final document.
• The deadline is 1 July 2027. Until then, a missing authorization is not in itself grounds for refusing entry. Border guards will explain how to apply, but will let you through.
• A staged rollout. The system switches on gradually, starting with one airport and four road crossings.

The authorization is called an ETA (Electronic Travel Authorization). It is not a visa: no interview, no consulate, just an online form. Kazakhstan learns in advance who is coming and has time to check them against its databases. The United States, the United Kingdom and Canada run similar systems; the European Union still has not launched its own.

When and where the checks start

Border guards check authorizations through their Berkut database, so you do not need a printout, and there is no way to talk your way around the system either.

Who needs an ETA and who does not

The authorization applies to nationals of countries that enter Kazakhstan without a visa, including members of the EAEU (Eurasian Economic Union: Russia, Belarus, Armenia, Kyrgyzstan) and other visa-exempt states. Visa-free status itself does not change.

The rules exempt 29 categories, provided they hold supporting documents. The largest groups are:

• children under 16;
• people aged 65 and over;
• holders of a valid Kazakhstan visa;
• holders of a Kazakhstan temporary residence permit or residence permit;
• transit passengers who stay in the international zone of the airport;
• drivers of international trucks and coaches, and aircraft, ship and train crews;
• diplomats and members of official delegations.

One detail matters for people who have lived in Kazakhstan for a while without a status. An IIN (individual identification number, the local tax ID), a bank account or even a registered sole proprietorship does not exempt you. Those are tax and banking documents, not a migration status. At the border you are an ordinary visitor. Only a visa or a residence permit gets you off the hook.

How to apply for a Kazakhstan ETA

Applications go through the QazETA digital platform: a mobile app and the qazeta.kz website. With your passport to hand, the form takes about ten minutes.

• Deadline. At least 72 hours before entry. Bought a ticket on Friday for Monday? Apply straight away.
• Document. A passport valid for at least six months; Russian citizens may also use their internal passport.
• What to provide. Passport details, an email address and the purpose of the trip.
• Who decides. The internal affairs authorities issue the ETA in agreement with the national security services.
• Validity. 180 calendar days, multiple entries.

The rule people will trip over: you must present at the border the same document the ETA was issued for. Applied with one passport and travelled on another? Formally, you have no authorization.

The rules also state plainly that an ETA does not guarantee entry. The border service has the final word, and the authorization can be cancelled, for instance after an administrative expulsion or an overstay.

Does the length of stay change?

No. Stay limits remain as before: 90 days in every 180 for EAEU and Turkish nationals, and 30 days per visit, within 90 days in 180, for most other visa-exempt countries. The ETA and the stay limit are two separate counters. The ETA lasts 180 days and allows any number of entries, but it does not add a single day of stay.

That is where the line between travel and living runs. If you spend half the year in Kazakhstan, run a business there or have children in a local school, a form will not do: you need a status. Our guide to moving to Kazakhstan covers the whole process.

When a residence permit beats an ETA

The ETA is free, but it does not solve the frequent visitor's main problem, the stay limit. A residence permit solves both at once: no ETA and no cap on your stay. It is worth considering if:

• you spend more than six months a year in Kazakhstan and leave only to reset the clock;
• you have a Kazakh company, a sole proprietorship or a local job;
• your children attend a local school or kindergarten;
• you plan to buy property, take a mortgage or eventually obtain permanent residence.

Grounds include employment, business, study and marriage to a Kazakh citizen. See our guides to the Kazakhstan residence permit and permanent residence in Kazakhstan. If you are self-employed, a sole proprietorship in Kazakhstan is a common first step, and before you settle in, check how Kazakhstan tax residency works.

If Kazakhstan is not your only option

Kazakhstan is neither the first nor the last country to add paperwork to visa-free travel. If you need a base for living rather than short trips, compare it with the neighbours:

• Kyrgyzstan - similar living costs and softer rules. See Kazakhstan vs Kyrgyzstan, and for those born in the USSR there is a route to Kyrgyz citizenship.
• Armenia - a straightforward residence permit and tax regimes for sole proprietors.
• Serbia - a residence permit in Europe.
• Georgia - a year visa-free and a programme for remote workers.

All statuses are compared in our residence permits by country section. And if you would rather not depend on border decisions at all, consider a second passport, for example from Paraguay.

Our Kazakhstan services

Kazakhstan feels like a country you can simply turn up in. That holds exactly as long as you are a tourist. Once it is about living, working and family, statuses, taxes and bank accounts come into play. That is where we help.

Plus the formalities where people get stuck most: the IIN, registration at your address, driving licence exchange, documents for children. If you are choosing a city, see our guides to Almaty and Astana, and every programme is listed on the Kazakhstan overview.

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