KazakhstanVisa

A5/A6 investor visa in Kazakhstan

A visa for foreign nationals who carry on or organise investment activity in Kazakhstan: the executives of the companies concerned and private foreign investors. The invitation is approved by the Ministry of Internal Affairs and the National Security Committee, and the visa is issued by the police bodies inside the country or by foreign missions of Kazakhstan. The visa confirms the status of an investor or a project executive and gives no right to work under an employment contract. Permanent residence and citizenship are applied for separately.

Threshold

A6 — for investors from 300,000 US dollars

Work

Employment in Kazakhstan is carried on under visas of categories C3–C6.

Source: eGov.kz — classification of visas for staying in the Republic of Kazakhstan

Who is given such a visa

Categories A5 and A6 are designed for different investors: one for those managing a project from inside the country, the other for foreign businesspeople with a large investment.

A5 — the head or manager of an investment project

The head, deputy head or head of a structural unit of a legal entity carrying on investment activity in Kazakhstan
Invests under the AIFC investment tax residency programme
Is already in Kazakhstan on a visa of category B3, B9, B10, C3, C4, C5 or C10 and wishes to change the category to A5

A6 — a foreign businessperson with a large investment

Has invested more than 300,000 US dollars in the economy of Kazakhstan
The first visa is issued only by a foreign mission of Kazakhstan abroad; a change to A6 inside the country is possible only from an existing B3, B9, B10, C3, C4 or C5 visa through the Ministry of Internal Affairs
Wants a multiple-entry visa for a long term without a compulsory interview

When the programme will not suit

I want to take up employment with a Kazakhstani company

The category C3 visa — for employment; it is issued on the employer's application together with a permit to engage foreign labour

I do not have 300,000 dollars and I am not running an investment project

Consider the C4 visa for finding employment independently in a profession in demand or the C5 visa for business immigrants

I am already in Kazakhstan on a tourist (B12) or business (B1) visa and simply want to change the category to A5

A change of category to A5 is allowed only from the B3, B9, B10, C3, C4, C5 and C10 visas — from other categories you first have to leave and re-enter on an investor's invitation

What it costs

Duty for the approval of the invitation (per person invited)0.5 MCI at the MCI rate for 2026 (4,325 tenge). Foreign investors are exempt from this duty (article 670 of the Tax Code)	2 163 KZT
Duty for a visa with the right of single entry (up to 90 days)7 MCI at the MCI rate for 2026 — the tariff for a single-entry visa of category A5. Foreign investors are exempt from this duty too (article 670 of the Tax Code)	30 275 KZT
Duty for a visa with the right of multiple entry30 MCI — the tariff for a multiple-entry A5 visa (up to 5 years) instead of a single-entry one. As with the single-entry visa, this duty is not charged to foreign investors (article 670 of the Tax Code)	129 750 KZT
Total government feesThe sum of the mandatory rows in the table. the “Duty for a visa with the right of multiple entry” branch replaces the “Duty for a visa with the right of single entry (up to 90 days)” line — 131 913 KZT. Charges with no official price list are in the list below.	32 438 KZT

Paid separately

The investment itself (from 300,000 US dollars for the A6 visa) — this is the threshold for access to the visa, not a state fee
Consular fee of a foreign mission abroad — the A6 visa is issued only by foreign missions of Kazakhstan abroad; the consular fee rates there are set by a separate order of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs and differ by country — the Tax Code governs only the duty for services in the territory of Kazakhstan
Intermediaries' services, translation and legalisation of documents — these are not state fees

Documents to gather

The basic set is the same for A5 and A6; only the ground and the place of filing differ.

A visa application form with a colour or black-and-white photograph measuring 3.5×4.5 cm
A valid foreign passport or another document giving the right to cross the border of Kazakhstan
An application from the authorised investment body of the Republic of Kazakhstan or from the AIFC Administration confirming the applicant's investor status
The number and date of the invitation registered with the Ministry of Internal Affairs or the Ministry of Foreign Affairs (given by the inviting party), or an application from the inviting party
The original payment document for the state duty (not required where payment is made through the e-government payment gateway)

How the process runs

The procedure consists of the approval of the invitation and the subsequent issue of the visa itself.

1
Filing the application for an invitation
no later than 5 working days before entry
The inviting party files an application and a form-table completed in duplicate with a territorial police body of the Ministry of Internal Affairs or through the Government for Citizens State Corporation. For an investor visa an application from the authorised investment body of the Republic of Kazakhstan or from the AIFC Administration is attached as well. The documents may be filed no earlier than 90 calendar days before the intended date of entry.
2
Approval of the invitation
3 working days electronically, 5 on paper
The territorial police body sends the documents for approval to the National Security Committee. At the written request of the Committee this period may be extended to 30 calendar days.
3
Filing the documents for the visa
Where the documents are then filed depends on the applicant's situation: at a foreign mission of Kazakhstan abroad — for a first A6 visa or for an A5 visa if the applicant is not yet in Kazakhstan; at a territorial police body of the Ministry of Internal Affairs — if the applicant is already in Kazakhstan and is changing a current B3, B9, B10, C3, C4 or C5 visa (C10 is also acceptable for a change to A5) to category A5 or A6; or through the eGov portal — for a single-entry electronic A5 visa.
4
Issue of the visa
no more than 5 working days, or 1 working day through the portal
Once the reply from the National Security Committee has been received, the authorised officer issues the visa sticker or the electronic visa, or refuses it, within 1 working day. The overall time for providing the service from the filing of the full set of documents is no more than 5 working days, and 1 working day where the application is made through the egov.kz portal.

Who you can bring with you

Spouses, children and dependants move on the same visa as the main investor.

The spouse, children and dependants of the main applicant

The visa is issued or extended for the same term as the main applicant's category A5 or A6 visa. The investment status of the family members does not have to be confirmed separately — it is determined by the main applicant

All family members on an A5 or A6 visa

They may not work under an employment contract or carry on religious or missionary activity in Kazakhstan — this visa gives no right to take up employment

Trips, renewal and the grace period

There is no minimum length of stay. Anyone staying longer than 30 days obtains a temporary residence permit.

The A5 visa is extended by the territorial police bodies of the Ministry of Internal Affairs on the basis of an application by the inviting party and written confirmation from the authorised investment body or an application from the AIFC Administration — for a term of up to 3 years, and for AIFC investment residents and their family members up to 5 years. The A6 visa is issued from the outset as a multiple-entry visa for a term of up to 10 years — that is usually enough for the whole period of the investment activity; category A6 is not among the visas that the Ministry of Foreign Affairs and the territorial police bodies extend in the territory of Kazakhstan, since the first visa of this category is issued only by foreign missions of Kazakhstan abroad.

How it differs from the routes next to it

The comparison is built from the official terms of the routes themselves — the source links sit on their own pages.

	A5/A6 investor visa	Kandas status	EAEU visa-free entry
Visa term	A5 — single-entry 90 days, multiple-entry up to 5 years; A6 — multiple-entry up to 10 years	The status is the basis for accelerated permanent residence and citizenship	Up to 90 days without a visa; for nationals of Russia — up to 90 days within 180 days
Grounds	Investment activity in the Republic of Kazakhstan	Ethnic Kazakhs	Intergovernmental agreements on visa-free travel
Money	A6 — for investors from 300,000 US dollars	There are no investment requirements, but you usually have to show sufficient funds	The temporary residence permit is issued free of charge
Residence	There is no minimum length of stay	Usually residence in a particular region under the quota	Nationals of Russia live without a visa for 90 days in every 180

What comes next: permanent residence and citizenship

Route to permanent residence

Permanent residence is a separate permit. The applicant confirms funds in an account of at least 1,320 MCI; ethnic Kazakhs, former citizens of Kazakhstan and nationals of Russia, Belarus and Kyrgyzstan are exempt from this. The residence card is issued for 10 years, the service is provided within 17 calendar days, or 7 working days on an expedited basis.

Route to citizenship

Citizenship is applied for after 5 years of permanent residence or 3 years of marriage to a citizen of Kazakhstan. For those who have come from the former Soviet republics and have a close relative who is a Kazakhstani, the residence period is not counted. The decision is taken by the President.

Frequently asked questions about A5/A6 investor visa

Is an interview required to obtain an A5 or A6 visa?

No. The rules expressly exclude categories A5 and A6 from the list of visas for which the authorised officer must hold an interview with the applicant.

Can you take up employment with a Kazakhstani company on an A5 or A6 visa?

No, these visas are issued for investment or executive activity, not for an employment contract. Employment requires a separate category C3 visa, issued on the employer's application together with a permit to engage foreign labour.

After how many years of residence in Kazakhstan can you apply for citizenship?

No earlier than after five years of continuous lawful residence in Kazakhstan. The visa does not in itself prove that residence — you have to be physically in the country on lawful grounds for the whole of that period.

Does an A5 or A6 visa give the right to permanent residence in Kazakhstan?

No. A visa is only permission to enter, leave and stay for its term. A permanent residence permit is a separate document, issued by the internal affairs bodies under a separate procedure.

How much does the A5 visa itself cost in tenge when applying in the territory of Kazakhstan?

The state duty is 7 MCI for a visa with the right of single entry and 30 MCI for a visa with the right of multiple entry. With the MCI rate for 2026 at 4,325 tenge that is 30,275 and 129,750 tenge respectively.

Other ways to move to Kazakhstan

Every route in one list — migration programmes: Kazakhstan.

The terms and the amounts are checked against official sources — the link sits under each section.Last checked on: 7 August 2026.