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KazakhstanAsylum / refugee status

Asylum in Kazakhstan

Refugee status in Kazakhstan is granted to foreign nationals and stateless persons who fear persecution in their home country on grounds of race, nationality, religion, citizenship, political opinion or membership of a particular social group. The application is examined by the local executive body responsible for employment matters, and a person recognised as a refugee is issued a certificate that confirms their identity and their right to be in the country lawfully.

Visa term
The status lasts 1 year and is renewed annually
Threshold
There are no minimum amounts; targeted social assistance is possible
Processing time
A decision usually within 3 months, in complex cases up to 1 year
Work
The right to take up employment, to education and to social services

Source: adilet.zan.kz — RK Law “On Refugees”, Articles 14 and 17

Who can obtain it

The ground for asylum

  • A foreign national outside the country of their nationality who, owing to a well-founded fear of persecution, is unable or unwilling to avail themselves of the protection of their state
  • A stateless person outside the country of their permanent residence who is unable or unwilling to return there owing to the same fears
  • The grounds of persecution under the law: race, nationality, religion, citizenship, membership of a particular social group, political opinion
  • The fears are supported by documents from the authorities, the courts, the police, the prosecution service or the security bodies of the country of origin, and also by media publications

Where and when the application is filed

  • With the local executive body of the capital, of a region or of a city of republican significance responsible for employment matters — at the place of stay
  • Within five calendar days of the day of arrival in Kazakhstan or of the day the person learned of the circumstances that could make them a victim of persecution
  • When crossing the state border — at a migration control point, and where there is none, on the same day at a unit of the Border Service of the National Security Committee
  • Where the border has been crossed unlawfully out of necessity — the person must apply to the local executive body within twenty-four hours

Family members

  • An application is accepted from every family member who has reached the age of eighteen
  • Details of children under eighteen are entered in the application of one of the parents or of the legal representative
  • A minor who has arrived without parents or legal representatives receives an asylum seeker's certificate in their own right
  • A spouse and minor children who arrive later file an application for the purpose of family reunification

What it costs

Examination of the application and issue of the refugee certificate: the refugee certificate is excluded from the objects subject to the state duty0 KZT
Travel document for leaving Kazakhstan — state duty of 8 MCI (the monthly calculation index in 2026 is 4,325 tenge)+34,600 KZT

Documents to gather

The application is filled in in Kazakh or Russian on the approved form. If the applicant cannot fill it in themselves, the form is filled in by an interpreter from their words, and the applicant confirms in writing that they are satisfied with the quality of the interpretation. Interpreting services are free of charge for an asylum seeker.

  • An application for the grant of refugee status on the form in annex 1 to the Rules for the registration and examination of applications
  • Documents certifying or confirming the applicant's identity; the originals are presented at the interview and copies are taken from them
  • Documents and materials supporting the merits of the application — where available, in the original
  • Documents on the birth of children, where details of minors are entered in the application of a parent or a legal representative
  • Evidence of family relationships and a free-form declaration of consent to receive the family members — where the application is made for the purpose of family reunification
  • Consent to the collection and processing of the personal data of the applicant and of the family members — included in the application form
  • A certificate of completion of the compulsory medical examination confirming the absence of the diseases on the list approved by the Ministry of Health
  • A written explanation of the absence of identity documents where there are none: the details are recorded from the applicant's words and an interview is held within one working day

How the process runs

The procedure is conducted by the local executive body responsible for employment matters. The general time for a decision on the application is three months from the day it is registered, and where an additional check is needed the final decision is deferred for a period of no more than one year, of which the applicant is notified.

  1. 1

    Filing and registration of the application

    on the day of application

    The application is accepted and entered in the register of asylum seekers on the day it is received. The head of the body appoints the responsible officer the same day, and the officer explains the applicant's rights and obligations to them.

  2. 2

    The asylum seeker's certificate

    on the day of registration, valid for three months

    Adults are issued a certificate for a term of three months and are registered until a decision is taken on the application. The certificate confirms the lawfulness of the stay in Kazakhstan. If the examination is extended, a new certificate is issued in place of the expired one.

  3. 3

    Fingerprint registration

    three calendar days after the certificate is received

    Fingerprinting is compulsory: refusing it or failing to undergo it is a ground in itself for refusing refugee status.

  4. 4

    Questionnaire and checks

    the questionnaire within three days, the checks within five days of registration

    An electronic file is opened on the applicant in the Qandas digital system and a registration card is drawn up; the applicant is then checked against the records of the internal affairs bodies and the information exchange system of the law enforcement and special bodies.

  5. 5

    Interview and medical examination

    the medical examination within ten working days of the interview

    The interview is held in a private room, with an interpreter where necessary; interviews with minors are held in the presence of legal representatives. Where the fears relate to sexual violence, torture or a gender factor, the interview is conducted by an officer of the same sex as the applicant. The answers are recorded in a questionnaire sheet, which the applicant signs page by page. A referral for the compulsory medical examination is then issued.

  6. 6

    Request to the national security bodies

    a reply within thirty calendar days

    The request is sent within one day of the end of the interview. Once the reply has been received, the responsible officer checks the materials of the file and the accuracy of the information within ten calendar days, and where necessary makes enquiries of other state bodies.

  7. 7

    The commission meeting

    the materials are submitted within three calendar days

    The materials are passed to the commission for carrying out the procedure for granting, extending, ending and withdrawing refugee status. On the results of its examination the head of the body takes the decision on the application within one calendar day.

  8. 8

    The decision and the refugee certificate

    notification within five working days

    The applicant is issued a refugee certificate or a reasoned refusal. The certificate is valid throughout Kazakhstan; when it is issued the asylum seeker's certificate is taken away, and the national passport remains in the safekeeping of the local executive body for the period for which the person is recognised as a refugee. In the event of a refusal, a copy of the decision stating the reasons and the appeal procedure is handed over or sent within five working days.

Who you can bring with you

Recognition as a refugee is carried out separately in respect of each adult family member, but the law expressly names assistance with the reunification of separated families as one of the principles of state policy on refugee matters.

An adult family member
Files their own application. If they have no individual grounds for fearing persecution, they are also recognised as a refugee, with their consent, for the sake of family reunification
Children under eighteen who arrived with the applicant
Details of them are entered in the application and the certificate of the parent or the legal representative; they receive their own refugee certificate on reaching the age of eighteen on the basis of a written application
A spouse who arrives later
They submit evidence of the family relationship and a declaration by the person in Kazakhstan of consent to receive the family members; interviews with them are held separately
A child born to a refugee in Kazakhstan
The parent files an application for the child to be recognised as a refugee, attaching the birth certificate
A minor without parents or legal representatives
Receives an asylum seeker's certificate and then a refugee certificate; they are given the same protection as children left without parental care
The family on divorce or on the death of the refugee
The refugee status of the family members is retained for the term of the decision granting status to the refugee themselves

Trips, renewal and the grace period

You must live at the registered address and renew the status in good time

Refugee status is granted for a term of one year. If the earlier circumstances that gave rise to the asylum persist in the country of origin, the term is extended for one year and for each subsequent year — on an application by the refugee filed a month before the current term expires. On extension the authorities check that the refugee certificate, the residence permit (where held) and the travel document are in place, and confirm the marital status, the composition of the family and the address of stay. If the refugee does not attend for the extension, the status ends on the tenth day after the term expires, except where the failure to attend was for a valid reason supported by documents. If the extension is refused, the local executive body notifies the applicant within five working days and declares the refugee certificate invalid. The status also ends if the person has acquired another citizenship, has voluntarily availed themselves of the protection of the country of their nationality, has returned to the country of origin or has left Kazakhstan for permanent residence elsewhere.

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.

Asylum in KazakhstanKandas statusEAEU visa-free entry
Visa termThe status lasts 1 year and is renewed annuallyThe status is the basis for accelerated permanent residence and citizenshipUp to 90 days without a visa; for nationals of Russia — up to 90 days within 180 days
GroundsConfirmed persecutionEthnic KazakhsIntergovernmental agreements on visa-free travel
MoneyThere are no minimum amounts; targeted social assistance is possibleThere are no investment requirements, but you usually have to show sufficient fundsThe temporary residence permit is issued free of charge
ResidenceYou must live at the registered address and renew the status in good timeUsually residence in a particular region under the quotaNationals of Russia live without a visa for 90 days in every 180

What comes next: permanent residence and citizenship

Route to permanent residence

The right to apply for a residence permit or permanent residence on continued residence

Route to citizenship

After permanent residence — citizenship on the general grounds

Frequently asked questions about Asylum in Kazakhstan

Where and within what time is an application for refugee status filed
The application is filed in person or through an authorised representative with the local executive body of the capital, of a region or of a city of republican significance at the place of stay — within five calendar days of the day of arrival in Kazakhstan or of the day the person learned of the circumstances of the persecution. When crossing the state border, the written application is filed with a structural unit of the territorial unit of the Border Service of the National Security Committee, and where the border has been crossed unlawfully out of necessity the person must apply to the local executive body within twenty-four hours.
How long is the application examined and for how long is the status granted
The decision is taken within three months of the day the application is registered, provided fingerprint registration has been completed. Where an additional check is needed, the final decision is deferred for a period of no more than one year. Refugee status is granted for one year, the refugee certificate is issued within five working days of the day the decision is taken, and the status is renewed annually on an application filed a month before the term expires.
How much does the procedure cost and do you have to pay for the refugee certificate
The state duty is charged for the issue of identity documents, with the exception of the refugee certificate, so there is nothing to pay for the certificate itself. The state duty is provided for the issue of the travel document — eight monthly calculation indices. From 1 January 2026 the monthly calculation index is 4,325 tenge, that is 34,600 tenge for the travel document.
Can you work while the application is being examined
Asylum seekers have the right to freedom of labour or entrepreneurial activity in accordance with the legislation of Kazakhstan, and also to medical care, free interpreting services, information on the procedure for granting status and to judicial protection. The same rights to work and entrepreneurship are retained after recognition as a refugee; a refugee additionally acquires the right to a refugee certificate and a travel document.
What should you do if refugee status is refused
A copy of the decision stating the reasons for the refusal and explaining the appeal procedure is handed over or sent within five working days. A decision refusing to grant or to extend status, or withdrawing it, is appealed in the manner established by the laws of Kazakhstan. While the appeal is being examined the local executive body extends the validity of the asylum seeker's certificate. If the appeal is dismissed, the certificate is surrendered and the person must leave the country together with their family members within one month of the date of the decision.
How does a refugee travel outside Kazakhstan
For travel outside Kazakhstan a refugee is issued a travel document. The state service 'Issue of a travel document' is provided by the territorial police bodies through the State Corporation; the time for providing it is seventeen working days and the application is made on paper. The state duty is paid in cash or by non-cash means through second-tier banks. A refugee must inform the local executive body of an intention to travel outside the country.
Who will be refused refugee status
The grounds for refusal are listed in the law: the absence of well-founded fears of persecution; the giving of knowingly false information or the presentation of forged documents; holding the citizenship of a third state whose protection can be availed of; arrival directly from the territory of a safe third country; substantial grounds for believing that the person is involved in terrorist, extremist or banned religious organisations; the commission of a crime against peace, a war crime, a crime against humanity or a serious crime of a non-political nature outside Kazakhstan; refusal of fingerprint registration.
What happens to the passport and what should you do if the certificate is lost
When the refugee certificate is issued, the national passport and other identity documents remain in the safekeeping of the local executive body for the period for which the person is recognised as a refugee, and the asylum seeker's certificate issued earlier is taken away and added to the personal file. If the refugee certificate is lost, the holder files an application and a duplicate bearing the stamp 'Duplicate' is issued no later than ten working days from the day the application is filed.
Can a refugee obtain citizenship of Kazakhstan
The law on refugees establishes no separate simplified procedure: refugees acquire citizenship of Kazakhstan in accordance with the legislation of Kazakhstan on citizenship. Refugee status ends if the person has acquired citizenship of Kazakhstan or of another state and avails themselves of its protection.

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: 16 August 2026.