Kazakhstan is introducing an entry fee. Why is this necessary, and who will be affected?

Foreigners will be required to obtain a paid electronic entry permit to enter Kazakhstan. Oninvest has figured out how this will work.

Yes, foreign nationals will be required to obtain a paid electronic entry permit to enter the country. This is stipulated in the new version of the Law “On Population Migration,” which takes effect on August 25 (Article 1, Subparagraph 10-3).

Since the beginning of this year, Kazakhstan has been rolling out QazETA, a digital portal for foreigners. As far as the electronic entry authorization (ETA) is concerned, it is already operating in test mode: submitted documents are stored in the system and form a “digital profile” for the incoming traveler. For now, this service is free of charge. In January, Kazakhstani embassies in various countries postedinformation on how the system works: Foreign nationals from visa-exempt countries planning a trip to Kazakhstan must apply for an ETA via a mobile app no later than 72 hours in advance and will receive it for a period of 180 days. It should be noted, however, that the final decision on whether to grant entry is still made by a border control officer. Diplomats and members of official delegations are exempt from the requirement to obtain an ETA.

Many media outlets cited information that appeared last week on legalacts.egov.kz, the government portal for public discussion of regulatory acts. The Ministry of Internal Affairs posteda draft of amendments to the “Rules for the Entry and Stay of Immigrants in the Republic of Kazakhstan,” which states that foreign citizens and stateless persons will be issued electronic entry permits. This will ensure transparency, efficiency, and comprehensive tracking of migration flows. It should be noted that the draft regulation itself is not attached to the summary, which has sparked outrage among users in comments posted directly on the portal. “Where is the draft regulation itself? Or is only its title being discussed?”

The Ministry of Internal Affairs’ fact sheet states that a phased implementation schedule is planned: from August through December 2026, which “ensures the smooth adaptation of logistics capabilities and border infrastructure to all types of border crossing points.”

“Most likely, there will be a transition period during which travelers entering the country will be notified at the border of the requirement to have an ETA. Also, to avoid a collapse at the border, some kind of promotional campaign for this new measure will likely be necessary,” says Alexander Chichkov, head of the firm “Chichkov & Partners.” He believes that nothing will change on August 25, since many legal acts have not yet been amended, and the law essentially only introduces new terminology at this point. He considers November a more likely timeline.

The entry permit is a new measure for citizens of countries that have a visa-free regime with Kazakhstan. There are more than 80 such countries, including Russia, Belarus, Kyrgyzstan, Armenia, Azerbaijan, Turkey, the UAE, and others. “This will, of course, not affect holders of residence permits and temporary residence permits in Kazakhstan,” Alexander Chichkov is certain.

Although an entry permit will require a fee and may be denied, it is not technically a visa, he continues. “An entry permit and a visa are concepts of different legal nature; they should not be confused. Only a visa requires grounds and supporting documents.”

The amount to be charged to visitors to the country is still unknown and must be determined by a separate government decision. Payment will be made through the QazETA system. The Ministry of Internal Affairs and the Ministry of Tourism and Sports did not respond to Oninvest’s inquiries.

The law does not specify a particular organization or designate its operator, but it states that the platform will be operated by a company in which the government will hold more than 50% of the shares. Half of the revenue will be allocated to the system’s development, and the other half to the development of domestic and inbound tourism.

The Ministry of Internal Affairs’ fact sheet states that “differentiating the fees for processing electronic permits will make it possible to generate revenue to ensure uninterrupted technical maintenance, modernize the digital infrastructure, and protect personal data.”

Fee-based electronic pre-entry authorization systems are already in place in many countries. In the United States, the Electronic System for Travel Authorization (ESTA) has been in operation since 2010 for citizens of the 42 countries participating in the Visa Waiver Program. Since 2017, the fee has been up to $21. In the United Kingdom, the Electronic Travel Authorization (ETA) for visa-exempt travelers is being phased in starting in October 2023. The fee is 20 pounds sterling ($27 at the exchange rate as of August 5, 2026).

A similar system— ETIAS —is scheduled to launch in Europe later this year for citizens of 59 visa-exempt countries. The fee will be 20 euros ($23 at the exchange rate as of August 5, 2026).

The Canadian eTA, the British ETA, the New Zealand NZeTA, the Israeli ETA-IL, the Korean K-ETA, and the Australian ETA are also fee-based. There are free options as well, but they are rare.

Take Argentina, for example: Between 2016 and 2018, it systematically abolished previously imposed “reciprocal” fees for citizens of the United States, Australia, and Canada—countries to which Argentines, as before, still need a visa to travel. The Argentine government justified this move precisely by citing the goals of “stimulating trade and tourism and creating new mechanisms for development in the field of migration policy.”

Russia is currently conducting a pilot program for electronic entry for foreigners via the RuID system. The pilot program began a year ago, and its launch wasrecently postponeduntil the end of 2027. The website of the Russian Embassy in Kazakhstan provides a clear guide on how it works: You must download the app, fill out your travel details, take a photo, submit your application no later than 72 hours before entry, “wait for a positive response,” pass through border control, visit a bank within 10 days, and confirm your biometric data. Officials have not stated whether there will be a fee for the entry permit.

The official position is that this is intended to regulate migration flows and to finance the development of tourism. According to the Ministry of Tourism and Sports, from 2023 to 2025, the number of foreign visitors to Kazakhstan rose from 9.2 million to 15.7 million. Revenue from tourism has also increased over the past two years—from $2.6 billion to $2.9 billion.

“Any additional fees could reduce the number of visitors,” says Ivan Fedyakov, founder of the research firm InfoLine. “For example, the UAE also relies heavily on tourist arrivals, and, of course, many services for foreigners there are provided digitally as well. However, no fees are charged directly to foreigners.”

Magbat Spanov, a professor at KazNU, does not expect the new measure to generate significant revenue and believes it is primarily a matter of security. “Once a digital database of visitors is created, we will be able to share information about undesirable individuals,” he notes.

This article was AI-translated and verified by a human editor