Kazakh LOI, but not through an agency - possible?

[edthenomad]

Salaam, y'all. So, anyone here have experience getting a Letter of Invitation to Kazakhstan but not from a travel agency? Just curious about:

1. Is it possible to get a non-agency LOI?
2. If so, what exactly do we need in order to make a LOI?

The details:
- So, we've got a friend from a country that, unfortunately, requires a LOI to visit Kazakhstan. (China - PRC, not Hong Kong) This LOI is for him.
- Besides that, our friend doesn't want to take any of the "stock tour" or lodging offerings that agencies offer. (And neither do we, his travel buddies).

[steven]

In Almaty Immigration Office, they require a family relation (being married to a Kazakh). But I have heard that someone in Astana got his girlfriend to invite him. So I recommend finding someone in Astana or perhaps another town, every OVIR has its own rules it seems, who would want to deal with the police for you for a smaller fee than the agency.

Chances are smaller though that OVIR will approve since your friend is Chinese. Very sinophobic country.

[Crazydre]

With many tour agencies you can simply buy the LOI. This Website tends to deal with agencies that are flexible in this regard, so try filling out this form

With no contacts in the Country, a travel agency is normally the only way to go about. Many hotels (don't know how many % in Kazakhstan, but in the cities in Russia and Uzbekistan it's common) are associated with one, so it's worth checking with various ones if your visit is confined to a select few Locations. Or, like I said, try the form on this site