KazakhstanVisa

C3 work visa in Kazakhstan

A visa for those travelling to Kazakhstan to work under an employment contract and for their families. The basis is an employer's invitation and a permit to engage foreign labour, or documents showing that no permit is needed. The visa is tied to the employer and the employment contract: change employer and you obtain a new invitation and a new visa. Permanent residence and citizenship are applied for separately.

Visa term

Single-entry — up to 90 days; multiple-entry — up to 3 years

Work

Gives the right to work

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

Who is given a C3 visa

The C3 visa covers two cases: ordinary employment under a contract and work for AIFC residents or for the Astana Hub innovation cluster, for which the law makes exceptions as to the work permit and the term of the visa.

An employee with an employment contract

The employer has already obtained or extended the permit to engage foreign labour at the local executive body
There is an invitation approved by the Ministry of Internal Affairs stating the purpose of the trip — employment
The person works under an employment contract for a particular employer: on changing employer a new invitation and a new visa are needed

An AIFC or Astana Hub employee, a kandas or a crew member

Works for a participant or a body of the AIFC or for the Astana Hub Innovation Cluster — in that case the visa may be valid for longer than for ordinary employees
Is a kandas, a member of the crew of a sea, river or air vessel or a university lecturer with special status — no permit to engage labour is required
May bring a spouse and children — they receive the same C3 visa as family members

When the programme will not suit

I want to find work on my own, without an invitation from a particular employer, in a profession that is in demand

The C4 visa — for finding employment independently in priority sectors of the economy

I am coming to start my own business or to invest, not to work under an employment contract

The C5 visa — for business immigrants

I am coming for seasonal work for a particular season (agriculture, tourism)

The C6 visa — for seasonal foreign workers

I am an ethnic Kazakh and want to move to Kazakhstan permanently, not under an employment contract

The C1 visa — for ethnic Kazakhs moving for permanent residence

What it costs

Invitation (approval, per person invited)0.5 MCI. Paid by the inviting party (the employer or another host).	2 163 KZT
C3 visa, single-entry — issue or extension in Kazakhstan7 MCI. The state duty when the visa is issued by the migration police of the Ministry of Internal Affairs.	30 275 KZT
C3 visa, multiple-entry — issue or extension in Kazakhstan30 MCI instead of 7 MCI for a single-entry visa.	129 750 KZT
Permit for the employer to engage foreign labour (minimum rate for one employee)From 137 to 513 MCI depending on the sector, the category of employee (1st to 4th) and the term of the permit (1–3 years) — according to the table of rates in the Government decree. Paid by the employer, not by the foreign national; not needed where no permit is required by law.	+592 525 KZT
Total government feesThe sum of the mandatory rows in the table. “Permit for the employer to engage foreign labour (minimum rate for one employee)” adds 592 525 KZT; the “C3 visa, multiple-entry — issue or extension in Kazakhstan” branch replaces the “C3 visa, single-entry — issue or extension in Kazakhstan” line — 131 913 KZT. Charges with no official price list are in the list below.	32,438–624 963 KZT

Paid separately

Consular fee when the visa is obtained abroad — Charged by the foreign mission in US dollars at a separate tariff, different from the duty payable when the visa is obtained inside Kazakhstan
Permanent residence permit — 4 MCI (17,300 tenge in 2026) — a separate service, not part of obtaining the C3 visa
Medical insurance, legalisation and notarised translation of documents — Paid for separately from the state fees and duties

Documents to gather

The set is filed at a foreign mission of Kazakhstan abroad or at the migration police of the Ministry of Internal Affairs inside the country, depending on where the visa is being obtained.

A visa application form with a 3.5 × 4.5 cm photograph (colour or black and white)
A valid foreign passport or another document giving the right to cross the border
The number and date of the invitation registered with the Ministry of Internal Affairs or the Ministry of Foreign Affairs (for certain categories of visa — an application by the visa recipient themselves)
The original payment document for the consular fee or the state duty
The permit for the employer to engage foreign labour or documents showing that it is not required

How the process runs

The process runs in two streams: first the employer and the inviting party prepare the permit and the invitation, then the foreign national files the documents for the visa itself.

1
The employer obtains the permit to engage foreign labour
up to 19 working days
The local executive body takes the decision to issue or extend the permit within 8 working days and notifies the employer; a further period of up to 10 working days is given for paying the fee. This step is not needed where no permit is required for the profession or the category of foreign national by law or by an international treaty.
2
The inviting party arranges and has the invitation approved
3 working days electronically, 5 on paper
The application is filed with the migration police of the Ministry of Internal Affairs at the place of registration of the employer no later than 5 working days before the date of the foreign national's entry. The documents are checked by the National Security Committee — usually within up to 3 working days, and in some cases up to 30 calendar days.
3
The foreign national files the documents for the visa
At a foreign mission of Kazakhstan abroad or at the migration police of the Ministry of Internal Affairs inside the country, the visa application form with a 3.5×4.5 cm photograph, the passport, the invitation number and the payment document for the fee are filed.
4
The C3 visa is issued
1 working day after approval, no more than 5 working days from the filing of the documents
Once the reply from the National Security Committee has been received, the authorised officer issues the visa or refuses it within 1 working day. Where the application is made through the visa and migration portal, the electronic visa is generated within 1 working day.

Who you can bring with you

The C3 visa is designed for the family from the outset, not just for the employee.

A spouse and children

They receive a visa of the same category C3, with the same number of entries and for the same term of validity as the employee — as separate recipients of the same invitation from the inviting party. No separate permit to engage labour is needed for them, since they are not themselves taking up employment.

Relatives of employees of the AIFC, Astana Hub and the Fund

The migration police change the visa to a C3 for a family member without regard to the primary visas issued earlier — that is, a relative may obtain a C3 work visa directly if they themselves take up employment with a participant of the AIFC or of the Innovation Cluster.

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 C3 visa is extended on the basis of a new application by the inviting party that arranged the invitation earlier and of the permit to engage labour, where one is required by law. It is extended for the term of the permit, but for no more than 3 years, and for employees of the AIFC, Astana Hub and the Fund for no more than 5 years. If the foreign national moves to work in another region of Kazakhstan, the inviting party presents the secondment order or a new employment contract, and the extension is arranged at the new place of temporary residence.

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.

	C3 work visa	Kandas status	EAEU visa-free entry
Visa term	Single-entry — up to 90 days; multiple-entry — up to 3 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	Employment in the Republic of Kazakhstan	Ethnic Kazakhs	Intergovernmental agreements on visa-free travel
Money	The fee for the permit to engage foreign labour is paid by the employer	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 C3 work visa

Can a C3 visa be obtained without an invitation from an employer?

No. The C3 visa is issued on the basis of an invitation or an application by the inviting party and of the permit to engage foreign labour — or of documents showing that no such permit is required by law or by an international treaty.

How much does the C3 visa cost if it is obtained inside Kazakhstan?

The state duty is 7 MCI for a single-entry visa and 30 MCI for a multiple-entry visa. With the 2026 MCI at 4,325 tenge that is 30,275 and 129,750 tenge respectively; 0.5 MCI (about 2,163 tenge) is charged separately for the approval of the invitation for each person invited.

What should be done if a foreign national on a C3 visa changes the region of work in Kazakhstan?

The migration police cancel, restore, extend or shorten the C3 visa at the foreign national's new place of temporary residence, and the inviting party presents the secondment order or a new employment contract.

Does the C3 visa give the right to permanent residence in Kazakhstan?

No — the permanent residence permit is obtained separately, and the state duty for it is different: 4 MCI (17,300 tenge in 2026). The C3 visa itself does not confer that status.

After how many years of residence on work visas can you apply for citizenship of Kazakhstan?

The law requires at least five years of permanent lawful residence in the country or three years of marriage to a citizen of Kazakhstan — that is a condition for admission to citizenship, not an automatic right.

How long does the visa itself take once the invitation has been approved?

No more than 5 working days from the filing of the full set of documents with the service provider. Where the application is made through the visa and migration portal, the electronic visa is generated within 1 working day.

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.