Kazakhstan new visa free rule 2015

[Julia]

Can I ask for an update on visa registration requirements after arriving in Kazakhstan.

In particular, if I come in with no visa (ie as a US passport holder) do I need to do any sort of registering? If so, at a hotel, or at OVIR, or ?

I think there's something about "must register within five days" or "three working days" and I've also seen something about "not needed for stays less than 15 days" but all these assertions are of dubious validity and may or may not still be accurate and current.

So it would be tremendously helpful to get a definitive statement on this, thank you! (Might be useful to update the KZ Visa page as well?)

Don.

Hi
Since 2016 no changes in registration rules and laws.

US passport holders get registered at the border crossing points. On arrival at passport control you'll get a migration card on a piece of paper and 2 stamps. That means you're registered for 30 days (as long as your visa free period).
Don't need to go to OVIR.

[victoriareali]

hello, im from argentina, so i have a 30 days free visa. Today, after spending 20 days in almaty, i was checking my passport and i realized i have just one stamp on my migration card
would that be an issue? whats should i do? im reading very diverse things about this

[Julia]

hello, im from argentina, so i have a 30 days free visa. Today, after spending 20 days in almaty, i was checking my passport and i realized i have just one stamp on my migration card
would that be an issue? whats should i do? im reading very diverse things about this

Hi.
From what I know citizens of Argentina need to register withing 5 days by going to the registration office or on-line (need a local for on-line).
If you miss to register withing 5 days you have to pay fine and still register while you're in Kazakhstan.
Travellers who tried to leave KZ without registration were not allowed to proceed through the border, were held at the police for some time, missed their flights and had to pay fine and buy new tickets.
But. The local migration officers not always know the rules or they seem to get instructions that are not described in the migration law.
The rules are different for different nationalities and migration officers sometimes get confused. That's why I guess you read different reviews.

One stamp on migration card usually means that you weren't registered at the border and need to register as I wrote above.
Although here is written that 1 stamp is not a problem for visa-free travellers https://caravanistan.com/visa/kazakhsta ... tion-ovir/

I think it depends on the nationality. I read migration law and Argentina is not in the list of countries that get registered at the border. But as I said it seems like migration officers may have additional instructions besides the law.

Steven, do you maybe know where to find additional agreements and instructions officially?

[steven]

Hi Julia,

I answered his question here already. viewtopic.php?f=13&t=1710&p=33867#p33867

Could you give us the link to the law that says which visa-free travelers are free from registration and which are not? Then I have to update, if there is a difference.

[Julia]

Steven,
Here's what I found in the law database.

The Rules of Migration Control https://online.zakon.kz/m/Document/?doc ... sub_id=400

Article 4 of the Rules says that citizens of the countries listed in the article 17 of the Rules of entering, staying, exiting from KZ are registered at the border check points.

The Rules of entering, staying, exiting from KZ https://online.zakon.kz/m/Document/?doc ... ub_id=1700

Article 17 - you can see the exact list of 58 countries.
I see Colombia and Chile from South America. But don't see Argentina and Brazil (although those are visa-free too).

From these documents I guess that migration officers at the border crossing don't have to register other visa-free countries that are not mentioned in the article 17 of the rules.

[steven]

Thank you Julia! I did not know that.

[henrytn]

Latest additions to Kazakhstan's visa-free countries (12 added from September 2019 onwards, total visa-free nations now 57)

Bahrain, Vatican, Vietnam, Thailand, Indonesia, Philippines, Qatar, Colombia, Kuwait, Liechtenstein, Oman, Saudi Arabia

https://www.inform.kz/en/kazakhstan-set ... s_a3570776

[steven]

Actually, total now comes to 73 visa-free nations in my calculation.

[victoriareali]

Hey thanks for the info
In the end i did needed to register, i had no idea and the argentine consul didnt seem to know either
I went to court, i need to get my own translator, then pay a 100usd fine (it depends on the days you stay) and going back and forth through different migration offices. It took me a week .
Few countries have this visa free but need to register

[steven]

That's terrible. I adjusted it on our page. Sorry I could not be of more help beforehand. It's so difficult some times to make sense of.