COVID-19 in Kazakhstan, Travel restrictions

Kazakhstan Coronavirus - Restrictions

Updated on December 26, 2021.

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The COVID-19 pandemic in Kazakhstan is part of the worldwide pandemic of coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) caused by severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2). The virus was confirmed to have reached Kazakhstan on 13 March 2020. It involved two Kazakh citizens in Almaty who were recently returned from Germany. That same day, two more cases were confirmed with one female arriving from Italy in Nur-Sultan and the other from Germany in Almaty as well.

On 15 March, President of Kazakhstan Kassym-Jomart Tokayev declared a state of emergency from 16 March to 11 May 2020. Many holidays such as Nowruz and the Victory Day military parade were cancelled.

On 19 March, a quarantine was placed on the cities of Nur-Sultan and Almaty, where the most cases were occurring. On 30 March, Atyrau and 5 cities in Karaganda Region were under a lockdown.

Kazakhstan has closed its borders in response to the COVID−19 pandemic. Limited direct commercial flights have resumed with some countries. However, borders remain closed to most foreigners.

Below we have all the available information about Kazakhstan reopening for tourism, including which nations are permitted to go, all entry requirements, travel restrictions, coronavirus situation, and everything else you need to know.

Entry rules to Kazakhstan:

Passengers arriving to Kazakhstan from foreign countries should have a negative PCR test certificate (no more than 3 days should pass from the day the result is issued till the moment of crossing the border of the Republic of Kazakhstan).

Kazakhstan citizens will not be allowed on board at the departure airport without a negative PCR test result.
Foreign citizens including those with a residence permit in the Republic of Kazakhstan

Without a negative PCR test, passengers will not be allowed on board at the departure airport.
From 5 June 2021, the PCR test result is not required for persons, who have received a full course of vaccination against COVID-19 in the Republic of Kazakhstan, upon providing documentary evidence.

Please note:

• PCR test certificate must be in English, Russian or Kazakh languages.
• PCR test certificates obtained at any certified laboratories will be accepted, both in paper and digital versions.
• PCR test certificate is also required from international transit passengers connecting in Kazakhstan.
• Children under 5 years old do not need to take the test.

All passengers arriving to Kazakhstan from foreign countries are required to familiarize themselves with the governmental sanitary and quarantine rules.

Please note that some countries may have PCR testing requirements even for transit. Therefore, travelers should check PCR testing requirements for all the stops along their transit route into or out of Kazakhstan.

Visa-free travel for many foreign nationals suspended

Kazakhstan has temporarily suspended visa-free entry due to COVID-19 for citizens of 54 states, until 31 December 2021:

Australia, Austria, Bahrain, Belgium, Bulgaria, Canada, Chile, Colombia, Croatia, Cyprus, Czech Republic, Denmark, Estonia, Finland, France, Germany, Greece, Hungary, Iceland, Indonesia, Ireland, Israel, Italy, Japan, Kuwait, Latvia, Liechtenstein, Lithuania, Luxembourg, Malaysia, Malta, Mexico, Monaco, Netherlands, New Zealand, Norway, Oman, Philippines, Poland, Portugal, Qatar, Romania, Saudi Arabia, Singapore, Slovakia, Slovenia, Spain, Sweden, Switzerland, Thailand, United Kingdom, USA, Vatican, Vietnam.

The 72-hour visa-free regime has also been suspended for Chinese and Indian nationals who transit through the international airports of Nur-Sultan, Almaty, Shymkent, Aktau, Karaganda and Taraz until 31 December 2021.

Dutch citizens seeking entry or reentry to Kazakhstan prior to December 31, 2021 will require a valid visa at the Consular Section of the Embassy of Kazakhstan in the Hague.

You must get a valid visa before you travel. You must also get permission to enter the country through the inviting party issued by the Interdepartmental Committee.

All Kazakh visas will be issued in accordance with the current rules of issuing visas of the Republic of Kazakhstan.

You must be registered at the local Migration Police office within 3 working days from arrival. You'll need to confirm with your receiving party that they will register you.

If you overstay your visa or breach your visa conditions, authorities may fine or deport you.

Entry and exit conditions can change at short notice. Contact the nearest embassy or consulate of Kazakhstan for details about visas, currency, customs and quarantine rules.

Update on travel restrictions to Kazakhstan

In accordance with the decisions of the Interdepartmental Commission for the Prevention of Coronavirus, recommendations of the Kazakh Healthcare Ministry and the level of the epidemiological threat according to the World Health Organization map, Kazakhstan resumed international flights to Turkey, South Korea, the UAE, Belarus, Germany, the Netherlands, Egypt, Ukraine, Russia, Kyrgyzstan, Tajikistan, Uzbekistan, Georgia, Sri Lanka, Montenegro, Poland, Armenia.

Attention! Only the citizens of the countries with which Kazakhstan resumed direct air communication can enter the territory of Kazakhstan during the period of the quarantine restrictions, in addition to those who have permission granted by the Inter-Governmental Commission of the Republic of Kazakhstan (in the latter case, the foreign citizen must provide an excerpt of the protocol of the Inter-Governmental Commission of the Republic of Kazakhstan, which s/he can request from the inviting organization).

Omicron-related travel restrictions:

Foreign nationals from Botswana, South Africa, Lesotho, Namibia, Zimbabwe, Mozambique, Madagascar, Eswatini, Tanzania, Malawi, and Hong Kong will not be able to visit Kazakhstan, while those arriving from Israel, the Czech Republic, the Netherlands, Belgium, United Kingdom, Italy, Germany, Australia, and Canada, would have to present a PCR test result and would be quarantined for 7 days regardless of the test result.

Air travel to Egypt, which has also confirmed the new variant, will be suspended due to high passenger traffic between the countries.

Attention! Сitizens of the countries with which Kazakhstan resumed direct air communication (including Dutch citizens) can enter the territory of Kazakhstan via third countries (appropriate visa required before 31 December 2021).

Attention! As of 2 February 2021 the following categories of foreigners are allowed to enter the territory of the Republic of Kazakhstan not more than once in 30 days:

• foreigners (stateless persons) holders of residence permits (or the status of an oralman) in the Republic of Kazakhstan and their family members (spouse, their children);
• foreigners (stateless persons) who are family members of citizens of the Republic of Kazakhstan - subject to confirmation of family ties (spouse, their parents and children) and their minor children.

Disclaimer: Kazakhstan’s reopening news is ever-changing and being updated constantly. We do our best to keep this article up to date with all the latest information, but the decision to travel is ultimately your responsibility. Contact your consulate and/or local authorities to confirm your nationality’s entry and/or any changes to travel requirements before traveling.