Visa and migration issues

C-9 Student visa

The C9 visa is issued for a period of one year with the possibility of multiple entries and must be renewed every year.

Required documents:

• International passport
• All persons arriving in Kazakhstan must carry an international passport, the validity of which must not expire earlier than 3 months from the date of expiration of the visa and must contain at least 2 blank pages intended for obtaining a visa and stamps.
• Agreement between MNU and partner university;
• Invitation letter from the university (indicating the visa support number);
• A copy of the order for admission to the university

To receive an invitation letter (with a number), you must provide:

1. Copy of the passport;
2. The decision of the Higher School to pay a state fee equal to 0.5 of the minimum calculated indicator.
3. A copy of the order for admission to the university
4. Fill out the table in 2 copies (this information must be saved in a flash drive) indicating the place of residence in the country of origin and other required information and attach a bank statement with a living seal of the university about payment of visa fees.
5. Submit these documents to the Migration Agency in Astana and within 5 working days the MA will issue an invitation number

• No C9 visa required (visa-free entry):
• Foreign students who are citizens of the following countries can enter the Republic of Kazakhstan without a visa: Russian Federation, Kyrgyz Republic, Republic of Armenia, Republic of Tajikistan, Republic of Uzbekistan, Republic of Belarus
• After receiving the invitation letter, the student submits all documentation to the Kazakhstan embassy/consulate abroad where he/she plans to obtain a visa. It is the applicant’s personal responsibility to check the list of required documents (application, photocopy, payment, etc.) on the embassy/consulate website. In addition, you will need to pay a consular fee for issuing a visa.
• Typically the following documents are required:
• Invitation letter with number;
• Passport with an expiration date not earlier than 6 months of the requested visa, and have at least 2 blank pages for visa processing;
• Completed visa application form (available on the embassy/consulate website);
• Photo 3.5 x 4.5;
• Consular fee for visa (consular office at airports only accepts cash (USD/KZT).
• Visa processing time: 5 working days

C-3 Work visa

Your passport must be registered with the Migration Police upon each arrival in Kazakhstan, even if the validity dates of your visa cover the entire period of your stay in Kazakhstan.
In case of any changes in the residential addresses of foreign employees in Nur-Sultan, you must immediately notify the manager of the international office about these changes.
New rules from January 9, 2020
When crossing the border, migration cards are not issued; everything is recorded electronically.
Registration rules for those citizens who came to work on the basis of an employment contract remain the same, with the exception of the need to notify the migration police upon arrival within 3 working days.
At the moment, notification of the arrival of foreign citizens must be issued to all foreigners without exception, including citizens of the countries of the Customs Union.
Registration documents will not be accepted without proper notification of arrival.
Citizens of the Russian Federation, Armenia, Mongolia, Belarus, Georgia, Moldova, Ukraine, the Kyrgyz Republic can stay up to 90 days within 180 days.
Registration processing time: 1-3 business days

How to apply for an invitation letter:

All visitors to Kazakhstan must have passports that must not expire earlier than 3 months from the visa expiration date and must contain at least 2 blank pages dedicated to visa and stamps.
Kazakh citizens living abroad require passports that are valid for at least 6 months after the date of entry.
If you are replacing an expired passport, please provide the school’s HR Manager with the newly issued passport along with the old expired passport for registration with the Migration Police. Please remember that it is in your best interest to provide us with the necessary documents as soon as possible to avoid registration problems.
The international office will send documents to the migration police as soon as an employment contract is signed with MNU. Once the invitation letter is ready, a copy will be sent to you by email.

STEP 1

To receive a visa invitation, you must provide the following documents to the international office:
A copy of the employment contract (provided by the school’s HR manager);
Copy of passport (first page);
Visa invitation processing time: 5-7 working days.

STEP 2

After receiving the invitation letter, the applicant submits all documentation to the Kazakhstan embassy/consulate abroad, where he/she plans to obtain the visa in person. The applicant must personally check the list of required documents posted on the official website of the Kazakhstan Embassy/Consulate.

The following documents are usually required:

A copy of the visa invitation;
Passport (valid for at least 6 months longer than the validity period of the requested visa and must have at least 2 blank pages for visa printing);
Copy of passport (first page)
Completed visa application form (available on the official website of the Embassy of the Consulate of Kazakhstan or available for download);
Photo one (1) (3.5 cm x 4.5 cm);
Visa fees.

Visa processing time: 5 working days.