KazakhstanRepatriation

Kandas status in Kazakhstan

Kandas is a status for ethnic Kazakhs and their families who are returning to their historical homeland and have not previously held citizenship of Kazakhstan. The status is granted by the local executive body through the commission for the reception of kandas. Kandas status opens a short route to citizenship and access to healthcare, social protection and schools on the same footing as citizens. The application is filed through the migration services portal or at citizen service centres.

Visa term

The status is the basis for accelerated permanent residence and citizenship

Threshold

There are no investment requirements, but you usually have to show sufficient funds

Processing time

A decision on the status and the allocation within several months

Work

The right to take up employment without quotas or permits

Source: oq.gov.kz — granting of kandas status, residence permit and relocation of ethnic Kazakhs

Who kandas status suits

The rules set out five grounds for granting the status: one gives access to the regional quota and to state support, the other four do not.

Relocation under the regional quota with state support

You confirm Kazakh nationality and agree to move to the region the government has designated for resettlement
You take the KAZTEST language test and the criteria-based assessment of immigration potential on the migration.enbek.kz portal
After the commission's decision you receive a kandas certificate and the right to a one-off payment, compensation for housing rent and a certificate towards the purchase of housing

Relocation on family, work or study grounds (outside the quota)

You are reuniting with close relatives who are citizens of Kazakhstan, arriving at an employer's invitation or enrolling at a Kazakh university
You go through the same application procedure via migration.enbek.kz, a foreign mission of Kazakhstan or a citizen service centre
You receive kandas status and access to simplified citizenship, but not the one-off and monthly payments — those are due only to participants in the regional quota

When the programme will not suit

I have no Kazakh roots, but I am a national of Russia, Belarus or Kyrgyzstan and want to live in Kazakhstan for a while

A temporary residence permit in Kazakhstan — it is used regardless of ethnic origin

I am not an ethnic Kazakh, but I want to move for employment

A category C3 work visa together with the permit for engaging foreign labour, which the employer obtains

I need residence status without being tied to a particular region of resettlement

A permanent residence permit and a foreign national's residence card on the general grounds — it requires no proof of Kazakh nationality, but it also gives no regional subsidies

I want to put money into Kazakhstan and obtain residence by investment

An investor visa of categories A5 and A6 — a separate procedure for investors and executives with no ethnic requirement

Documents to gather

The set of documents for kandas status is filed separately from the set for the permanent residence permit and the residence card — those are obtained later, after the move.

An application for the grant of kandas status on the established form
A free-form curriculum vitae
Copies of the identity documents of the applicant and of the family members, with a notarised translation into Kazakh and Russian
A document confirming Kazakh nationality, where it is not stated in the identity card
A notification of completion of the criteria-based assessment of immigration potential (for applicants from 2026)
A certificate of completion of the KAZTEST language test (for applicants from 2026)

How the process runs

The service 'Granting kandas status' is provided on a single-application basis within 30 working days of filing; here is what that period consists of.

1
Obtaining an IIN (if you do not have one yet)
3 working days
The individual identification number is a 12-digit code generated by the information system. It is obtained at a citizen service centre on the basis of an identity document with a notarised translation into Kazakh and Russian.
2
The KAZTEST and the questionnaire for the criteria-based assessment
3 working days for the test result
From 30 January 2026 the applicant takes the online KAZTEST of Kazakh language knowledge (60 questions in 1 hour 10 minutes: listening and reading) and fills in a questionnaire on the migration.enbek.kz portal. The system counts the points against the immigration potential criteria; the pass mark is at least 600. Where points are short in one or two sections, a retake is allowed no more than twice within 30 calendar days.
3
Filing the application for the grant of kandas status
The application is filed through the migration.enbek.kz portal, the EnbekMigration mobile app, a foreign mission of Kazakhstan, a citizen service centre or the egov.kz web portal, with the documents from the established list attached.
4
Check for compromising information
up to 20 working days
The territorial units of the internal affairs and national security bodies check the applicant and the family members for offences in the territory of Kazakhstan and for links to terrorist or extremist organisations.
5
Examination by the commission for the reception of kandas
3 working days
A commission of maslikhat deputies and representatives of state bodies issues a recommendation to grant the status or to refuse it. The meeting is recorded in minutes and the examination is video-recorded.
6
The decision to grant the status and the move to the region of resettlement
1 working day
The local executive body takes the decision within one working day of the commission's recommendation. The decision takes effect on the day the applicant arrives in the region of resettlement named; if the applicant does not arrive within the set period, the application is cancelled.
7
Issue of the kandas certificate
3 working days after arrival
After arriving in the region of resettlement the applicant signs an individual adaptation and integration plan (and, where resettling under the regional quota, also a social contract), after which they receive the kandas certificate.

Who you can bring with you

The applicant receives kandas status together with immediate relatives of Kazakh nationality; widows of kandas and their common children keep access to the services separately.

A spouse and children of Kazakh nationality

They are named in the same application as the main applicant and confirm the relationship and the nationality with copies of documents with a notarised translation; they receive the status at the same time as the applicant.

Widows of kandas and their common children

They keep the right to state services and to active employment support measures on the same footing as kandas, even after the death of the kandas themselves.

Trips, renewal and the grace period

Usually residence in a particular region under the quota

Kandas status is extended once and by no more than six months — this deferral is for those who have already obtained a permanent residence permit and are preparing to file the documents for citizenship under the simplified procedure. The local executive body takes the decision on the extension within two working days of the application with the documents being filed. Separately, under the pilot project running until 31 December 2026, the status is granted straight away for five years with no right of extension where the person moves to the region of resettlement.

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.

	Kandas status	EAEU visa-free entry	C3 work visa
Visa term	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	Single-entry — up to 90 days; multiple-entry — up to 3 years
Grounds	Ethnic Kazakhs	Intergovernmental agreements on visa-free travel	Employment in the Republic of Kazakhstan
Money	There are no investment requirements, but you usually have to show sufficient funds	The temporary residence permit is issued free of charge	The fee for the permit to engage foreign labour is paid by the employer
Residence	Usually residence in a particular region under the quota	Nationals of Russia live without a visa for 90 days in every 180	There is no minimum length of stay

What comes next: permanent residence and citizenship

Route to permanent residence

A simplified and accelerated route to permanent residence under a special quota

Route to citizenship

Simplified and shorter acquisition of citizenship

Frequently asked questions about Kandas status

How many kandas will be admitted under the regional quota in 2026?

The regional quota for 2026 is 2,281 people for kandas and, separately, 5,997 people for resettlers. The quota was set by an order of the acting Minister of Labour and Social Protection of the Population; it takes effect 10 calendar days after official publication.

What has changed in the rules for kandas from 2026?

From 30 January 2026 a joint pilot project of the Ministry of Labour and Social Protection, the Ministry of Internal Affairs and the Ministry of Artificial Intelligence and Digital Development is in force — it runs until 31 December 2026. Applicants for kandas status take the online KAZTEST (60 questions, 1 hour 10 minutes: listening and reading) and fill in a questionnaire for the calculation of immigration potential points; the pass mark is at least 600. And those who, under the pilot, undertake to move to the region of resettlement are granted the status straight away for five years with no right of extension.

How much does it cost to obtain kandas status?

Granting or extending kandas status is a free state service for individuals. Only participation in the KAZTEST is paid for separately, through electronic payment systems.

What support does kandas status give and does it lead to citizenship?

A kandas included in the regional quota is entitled to a one-off payment of 70 MCI for each family member (in 2025 that is 275,240 tenge with the MCI at 3,932 tenge), compensation for housing rent and utilities of between 15 and 30 MCI a month for up to 12 months per family, and an economic mobility certificate towards the purchase of housing of 50% of its cost, but no more than 1,160 MCI. Kandas status does not itself confer citizenship: it gives the right to admission to citizenship under the simplified procedure, and the application is examined separately — within up to three months of filing.

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: 8 August 2026.