1. Legal Basis
On 10 October 2026, the Government of the Republic of Kazakhstan adopted Resolution No. 890, “On Amendments to Resolution No. 148 of the Government of the Republic of Kazakhstan dated 21 January 2012 ‘On Approval of the Rules for the Entry and Stay of Immigrants in the Republic of Kazakhstan and Their Departure from the Republic of Kazakhstan, and the Rules for Exercising Migration Control and Registering Foreign Nationals and Stateless Persons Who Illegally Cross the State Border of the Republic of Kazakhstan, Illegally Stay in the Territory of the Republic of Kazakhstan, or Are Prohibited from Entering the Territory of the Republic of Kazakhstan’” (hereinafter referred to as the “Resolution”).
The Resolution establishes the procedure for obtaining electronic authorization to enter the Republic of Kazakhstan.
The full text of the Resolution is available at: https://adilet.zan.kz/rus/docs/P2600000890
2. Phases of Implementation of the Electronic Entry Authorization
In accordance with Paragraph 6 of the Resolution, the electronic entry authorization system for foreign nationals entering the Republic of Kazakhstan under a visa-free regime, including citizens of the Republic of Belarus, will be introduced in phases as follows:
From 1 November 2026: Aktau International Airport and the following road border crossing points: Urlyutobe (Pavlodar Region), Aukhatti (Zhambyl Region), Atameken (Turkistan Region), and Nurly Zhol (Zhetisu Region).
From 1 January 2027: Astana and Almaty International Airports.
From 1 March 2027: All other border crossing points along the State Border of the Republic of Kazakhstan.
From 1 July 2027: Electronic entry authorization will become mandatory in the cases specified in the Resolution.
Important: From 1 November 2026 to 30 June 2027, obtaining electronic entry authorization will be recommended but not mandatory. During this period, foreign nationals will be informed about the application procedure and the requirement to obtain authorization once the transitional period has ended.
As of 1 July 2027, electronic entry authorization will become mandatory for foreign nationals covered by the relevant procedure, except for persons exempted from obtaining it under the Resolution.
Possession of electronic entry authorization does not preclude refusal of entry on other grounds provided for by the legislation of the Republic of Kazakhstan, including Article 48 of the Law of the Republic of Kazakhstan “On Migration of the Population.”
3. Procedure for Obtaining Electronic Entry Authorization
Applications for electronic entry authorization must be submitted through the QazETA mobile application, available for download from the App Store and Google Play, no later than 72 hours before the intended date of entry.
Electronic entry authorization is issued free of charge.
The electronic authorization is valid for 180 calendar days. The introduction of the ETA system does not change the established periods of stay for foreign nationals in the territory of the Republic of Kazakhstan.
4. Categories of Persons Exempt from Obtaining Electronic Entry Authorization
The following categories of persons are exempt from obtaining electronic entry authorization:
Heads of foreign states, heads of governments, heads of international organizations, and members of their families.
Members of the parliaments and governments of foreign states, members of international organizations, and members of their families.
Honorary consuls of the Republic of Kazakhstan and members of their families.
Holders of diplomatic and service passports, as well as passports issued by international organizations to persons enjoying status equivalent to that of diplomatic agents, who are travelling to the Republic of Kazakhstan to work at diplomatic missions or equivalent missions of foreign states, international organizations and/or their representations, as well as employees of consular posts of foreign states accredited in the Republic of Kazakhstan.
Holders of accreditation cards issued by the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of the Republic of Kazakhstan.
Diplomatic couriers transporting diplomatic mail, provided they hold a courier list.
Foreign nationals arriving in the Republic of Kazakhstan at the invitation of the Administration of the President of the Republic of Kazakhstan, the Kurultai of the Republic of Kazakhstan, the Supreme Court of the Republic of Kazakhstan, the Office of the Government of the Republic of Kazakhstan, law enforcement and special state bodies, the Ministry of Defence of the Republic of Kazakhstan, or the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of the Republic of Kazakhstan.
Persons under the age of 16.
Persons aged 65 and above.
Transit passengers remaining in the transit zone of international airports without crossing the State Border of the Republic of Kazakhstan.
Foreign nationals and stateless persons holding a valid visa issued by the Republic of Kazakhstan.
Foreign nationals holding a temporary residence permit in the Republic of Kazakhstan.
Foreign nationals holding a residence permit in the Republic of Kazakhstan.
Persons recognized as refugees in accordance with the legislation of the Republic of Kazakhstan.
Persons seeking asylum.
Aircraft crew members, provided their names are included in the general declaration (flight assignment).
Sea-going and river vessel crew members, provided their names are included in the crew list or an extract thereof.
Members of train, refrigerated train, and locomotive crews, as specified in the crew composition lists approved for each journey.
Employees of the intergovernmental courier service, provided they hold official identification and travel authorization documents issued by the competent authorities of the states parties to the relevant international treaties.
Law enforcement officers escorting suspects, accused persons, and convicted persons, provided they hold official identification and travel authorization documents, unless otherwise stipulated by international treaties ratified by the Republic of Kazakhstan.
Members of official state and governmental delegations of foreign states and persons accompanying them.
Employees servicing cross-border facilities located in the territory of the Republic of Kazakhstan, provided they hold the official identification documents or nominal lists required under the Resolution and certified by authorized persons.
Passengers on aircraft that have made a forced or emergency landing at international airports in the Republic of Kazakhstan.
Passengers on sea-going vessels that have made a forced or emergency call at international ports of the Republic of Kazakhstan.
Persons crossing the State Border of the Republic of Kazakhstan in connection with search-and-rescue operations, where provided for by international agreements ratified by the Republic of Kazakhstan.
Persons arriving to participate in humanitarian missions or emergency response operations at the invitation of state bodies of the Republic of Kazakhstan.
Employees of medical organizations arriving in the Republic of Kazakhstan as members of medical assistance teams to provide emergency medical care.
Drivers of freight vehicles engaged in international cargo transportation where the permissible gross vehicle weight, including the trailer, exceeds 6 tonnes or the permissible payload, including the trailer, exceeds 3.5 tonnes; drivers of buses with more than 12 passenger seats, excluding the driver’s seat, engaged in international passenger transportation; and persons transiting through the territory of the Republic of Kazakhstan in the aforementioned categories.
Persons accompanying the remains of deceased persons for burial, including those travelling in transit.
5. Additional Information
Up-to-date information on the QazETA digital platform, the application submission procedure, and the issuance of electronic entry authorization is published on the official information resources of the state bodies of the Republic of Kazakhstan.
Obtaining electronic entry authorization does not exempt foreign nationals from complying with other requirements of the legislation of the Republic of Kazakhstan applicable to entry and stay.
A technical support service for the QazETA digital platform is available. Technical enquiries may be submitted by email to: [email protected]
Official website: https://qazeta.kz/ru/eta
