KazakhstanVisa

C9 study visa in Kazakhstan

The study visa of Kazakhstan is a status for foreign nationals enrolling at Kazakhstani colleges, universities, master's or doctoral programmes or already studying there full time. The invitation is approved by the territorial police body on the application of the educational institution, and the visa is issued by foreign missions of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs or by units of the Ministry of Internal Affairs inside the country. You may not work on it — there are separate work visas for that. The student's family receives a visa for the same term, also without the right to work.

Visa term

Single-entry — up to 90 days; multiple-entry — up to 1 year

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 a C9 study visa

The rules set out two routes to the visa: for ordinary foreign applicants and for ethnic Kazakhs, who have a simplified entry procedure.

Foreign applicants

They travel to enrol at an organisation of secondary, technical and vocational, post-secondary, higher or postgraduate education in Kazakhstan
They obtain the visa through a foreign mission of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs at their place of residence — on the application of the educational institution, approved with the Ministry of Internal Affairs
First they receive a single-entry visa for entry; after enrolment the educational institution files an application for extension and the Ministry of Internal Affairs changes the visa to a multiple-entry one for a term of up to 1 year

Ethnic Kazakhs

They may enter Kazakhstan under the visa-free regime and enrol at an educational institution once there
The educational institution files the application for the visa once the applicant has confirmed their nationality with documents
They receive a multiple-entry visa for a term of up to 1 year straight away, without applying to a consulate abroad

When the programme will not suit

I want to combine study with permanent work under an employment contract

A category C3 visa is needed — for employment, with a permit to engage foreign labour

I am planning to move to Kazakhstan with my family for permanent residence rather than to enrol for study

The C2 visa will suit — for family reunification, and for ethnic Kazakhs the C1 visa

I have already obtained my degree and want to stay in Kazakhstan without studying or working

A permanent residence permit has to be obtained separately — the C9 study visa is extended only for the period of study and the holidays

What it costs

State duty for the approval of the invitation (per applicant)0.5 of the monthly calculation index (MCI); usually paid by the inviting educational institution. The MCI for 2026 is 4,325 KZT	2 163 KZT
State duty for the visa — single-entry7 MCI; the visa is issued for entry and exit for a term of up to 90 calendar days	30 275 KZT
State duty for the visa — multiple-entry30 MCI; the visa is issued for a term of up to 1 year	129 750 KZT
State duty for the visa for each family memberA spouse and children receive a separate visa of the same category and pay the duty separately	+30 275 KZT
Total government feesThe sum of the mandatory rows in the table. “State duty for the visa for each family member” adds 30 275 KZT; the “State duty for the visa — multiple-entry” branch replaces the “State duty for the visa — single-entry” line — 131 913 KZT. Charges with no official price list are in the list below.	32,438–62 713 KZT

Paid separately

Consular fee of a foreign mission of Kazakhstan abroad — A separate tariff of the embassy or consulate, not part of the state duty under the Tax Code
Notarised translation of the consent of the legal representatives — Needed only for minor applicants; translated into Kazakh or Russian
Legalisation or apostille of foreign documents — Required for documents issued abroad, unless an international treaty provides otherwise

Documents to gather

The set is gathered in two steps: the invitation is arranged by the Kazakhstani educational institution, and the documents for the visa itself are filed by the applicant.

A visa application form with a colour or black-and-white 3.5×4.5 cm photograph
A valid foreign passport or another identity document
The number and date of the invitation approved by the Ministry of Internal Affairs or the Ministry of Foreign Affairs
The original payment document for the state duty
An application from the Kazakhstani educational institution (for a multiple-entry visa for ethnic Kazakhs — together with the documents on nationality)
Notarised consent of the legal representatives with a translation into Kazakh or Russian — only for minor applicants

How the process runs

Several stages at two ministries — Internal Affairs and Foreign Affairs — separate the educational institution's application from the visa in the passport.

1
The educational institution files the application for an invitation
no later than 5 working days before entry
The Kazakhstani education organisation applies to a territorial police body of the Ministry of Internal Affairs in person or through the State Corporation. The application is filed no earlier than 90 calendar days and no later than 5 working days before the intended date of the applicant's entry.
2
The Ministry of Internal Affairs approves the invitation
3 working days electronically / 5 working days on paper
The time for examining the application is no more than 3 working days where it is filed electronically through the visa and migration portal and no more than 5 working days where it is filed on paper.
3
The applicant files the documents for the visa
At a foreign mission of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs at the place of actual residence (or at the Ministry of Internal Affairs if the applicant is already in Kazakhstan), the visa application form with a photograph, the foreign passport, the number and date of the approved invitation and the payment document for the state duty are filed.
4
The applicant is issued the visa
The foreign mission or the Ministry of Internal Affairs issues a single-entry visa for a term of up to 90 calendar days for entry and enrolment. After enrolment the educational institution files an application to extend the visa, and the Ministry of Internal Affairs replaces it with a multiple-entry visa for a term of up to 1 year for the whole period of study.

Who you can bring with you

A spouse and children travel with the applicant on the same visa, but without the right to take up employment.

A spouse and children (dependants)

They receive a separate category C9 visa, which is valid for the same term as the student's visa and is extended together with it. A family member may not work on this visa — a separate work visa is needed for 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 application to extend a C9 visa is filed by the educational institution (or by the authorised education body) — unlike most other categories, this is not the inviting party but the education organisation itself. On such an application the visa is extended for a term of up to 1 year, and separately for the period of the summer holidays, by up to 90 calendar days. It is specifically for category C9 that a change in the number of entries from single to multiple is also allowed as part of such an extension — for most other categories such a change is not permitted. The documents for the extension are filed no earlier than 30 working days and no later than 5 working days before the current visa expires.

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.

	C9 study visa	Kandas status	EAEU visa-free entry
Visa term	Single-entry — up to 90 days; multiple-entry — up to 1 year	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	Enrolment at educational organisations of the Republic of Kazakhstan	Ethnic Kazakhs	Intergovernmental agreements on visa-free travel
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 C9 study visa

Can you work on a C9 study visa?

No. The C9 visa is tied to student status and gives no right to work. For lawful work a foreign national needs a visa of category C3 (employment), C4 (finding employment independently in a profession in demand), C5 (business immigrants) or C6 (seasonal workers) — each with its own invitation and, as a rule, a permit to engage foreign labour.

How long does it take for the invitation to enter to be approved?

No more than 3 working days if the educational institution files the application electronically through the visa and migration portal, and no more than 5 working days if it is filed on paper. The application itself is filed no earlier than 90 calendar days and no later than 5 working days before the intended date of the applicant's entry.

Can a C9 visa be extended without leaving Kazakhstan?

Yes. The application for extension is filed by the educational institution (rather than by the inviting party, as for most visas), and on that application the visa is extended for a term of up to 1 year; as part of the same extension a single-entry visa may be changed to a multiple-entry one. Separately, the visa is extended for the period of the summer holidays, by up to 90 calendar days. The documents for the extension are filed no earlier than 30 working days and no later than 5 working days before the current visa expires.

Does studying in Kazakhstan give a right to citizenship?

Not automatically. A candidate for citizenship must have lived in Kazakhstan permanently and lawfully for at least five years — or have been married to a citizen of Kazakhstan for at least three years. Time on a study visa does not in itself count as permanent residence: that requires a separate status, obtained separately from the visa.

Can a C9 visa be changed to another category while staying in Kazakhstan?

Yes. Without leaving the country the C9 visa may be changed to category C2 (family reunification), C3 (employment) or C4 (finding employment independently in a profession in demand). The reverse move — from the C11 visa for minors to the C9 study visa — is also permitted.

How much does the C9 visa cost?

The state duty for issuing a single-entry visa is 7 monthly calculation indices and for a multiple-entry visa 30. In addition the inviting educational institution pays 0.5 of a monthly calculation index for the approval of the invitation for each applicant. With the MCI at 4,325 KZT (2026) that is 30,275, 129,750 and 2,163 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.