KyrgyzstanWork residence permit

W1/W2 work visa in Kyrgyzstan

A work visa of the Kyrgyz Republic is needed by a foreign national who plans to work under an employment contract or to carry on individual entrepreneurial activity in the country officially. One type of visa is issued to those who need a work permit, the other to those for whom the law on external labour migration does not provide for such a permit.

Visa term

Up to 1 year under the contract, renewable while employment continues

Threshold

Compliance with Kyrgyz labour law and the minimum wage (estimated)

Processing time

Estimated 15–30 days

Work

Work for a particular employer; a change of employer requires a new permit

Source: mfa.gov.kg — Instruction on the procedure for issuing visas: work visas W1 and W2

Who can obtain it

The work visa is split into two types depending on whether the foreign national needs a work permit.

W1 visa — with a work permit

Issued to a foreign national in order to obtain a permit for employment or individual entrepreneurial activity in the Kyrgyz Republic
For entry to obtain the work permit a visa is issued for up to 60 days without the right to work
Once the work permit has been obtained, a long-term visa is issued for the term of the permit, but for no more than 1 year

W2 visa — without a work permit

Issued to a foreign national for whom the law on external labour migration provides for work without a work permit
The long-term visa is issued on the basis of a certificate from the authorised migration body or an accreditation document — for journalists and correspondents, for example
The initial visa is issued for up to 60 days, the long-term visa for no more than 1 year

What it costs

Single-entry visa for 1 month	60 USD
Multiple-entry visa for 1 month	+70 USD
Single-entry visa for 3 months	+70 USD
Multiple-entry visa for 3 months	+90 USD

Documents to gather

To obtain a W1 or W2 work visa the following are filed:

A copy of a valid identity document
A written request from the employer or from a state body of the Kyrgyz Republic with copies of the constituent documents and of the certificate of registration with the justice authorities
A certificate from the tax authority confirming that the employer has no arrears of taxes and insurance contributions
A personal request from the applicant — if the visa is being obtained for individual entrepreneurial activity (type W1 only)
A work permit — to obtain a long-term visa of type W1
A certificate from the authorised migration body or an accreditation document for a journalist or correspondent — to obtain a long-term visa of type W2

How the process runs

The procedure for obtaining the visa and moving from the entry visa to the long-term work visa.

1
File the application for an entry work visa
up to 7 working days
The applicant or the inviting party files the application and the documents through the Electronic Visa portal or at a foreign mission of the Kyrgyz Republic. The processing time is no more than 7 working days, and 5 working days for an electronic visa.
2
Enter Kyrgyzstan on a visa without the right to work
up to 60 days
At this stage the visa gives the right to enter and to stay in the country for no longer than 60 days, but it does not give the right to work or to carry on individual entrepreneurial activity.
3
Obtain the work permit (for type W1) or the supporting certificate (for type W2)
For type W1 a work permit from the authorised state body in the field of migration is required. For type W2 a certificate from that body or an accreditation document is required, for journalists and correspondents for example.
4
Obtain the long-term work visa
no more than 1 year
The Ministry of Foreign Affairs body or a foreign mission of the Kyrgyz Republic issues the long-term visa for the term of the work permit (for W1) or for the term stated in the certificate from the authorised body (for W2), but for no more than 1 year.

Who you can bring with you

The terms for family members of an applicant who is in Kyrgyzstan on a work visa.

A spouse, minor children and dependent parents

They receive a family visa (type F) for up to 1 year; that visa does not give the right to work

Trips, renewal and the grace period

Residence in Kyrgyzstan and registration of the address

The application to extend a long-term work visa has to be filed no later than 10 days before the current visa expires, with the same set of documents as for the first application.

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.

	W1/W2 work visa	Digital nomad status	Category I investor visa
Visa term	Up to 1 year under the contract, renewable while employment continues	Estimated 1 year, renewable	Usually 1–3 years, renewable while the investment is maintained
Grounds	Employment contract	IT specialists	Investment in the economy
Money	Compliance with Kyrgyz labour law and the minimum wage (estimated)	Proof of income for self-support is likely; the exact threshold is not publicly fixed	Minimum investment thresholds, estimated at tens to hundreds of thousands of USD
Work	Work for a particular employer; a change of employer requires a new permit	Remote work for clients abroad; local work requires a separate permit	Managing your own business without a separate permit
Residence	Residence in Kyrgyzstan and registration of the address	Actual presence for most of the term is likely	A minimum number of days a year and maintaining the investment

What comes next: permanent residence and citizenship

Route to permanent residence

After about 5 years of residence permanent residence is possible (estimated)

Route to citizenship

The period counts towards the qualifying residence for naturalisation (estimated)

Frequently asked questions about W1/W2 work visa

Who can obtain a W1 or W2 work visa?

A visa of type W1 is for a foreign national who is obtaining a permit for employment or individual entrepreneurial activity in the Kyrgyz Republic. A visa of type W2 is for a foreign national for whom the law on external labour migration provides for work without such a permit, for example for journalists and correspondents holding an accreditation document.

How much does the entry work visa cost?

The consular fee for an entry visa of types W1 and W2 at the Embassy of Kyrgyzstan in the USA and Canada is 60 US dollars for a single-entry visa for 1 month, 70 dollars for a multiple-entry visa for 1 month or a single-entry visa for 3 months, and 90 dollars for a multiple-entry visa for 3 months.

How long does it take to obtain the visa?

The visa is issued within no more than 7 working days of the documents being filed, and within 5 working days for an electronic visa.

Can the family come on a work visa?

Yes. Family members of an applicant who is in Kyrgyzstan on a visa of type W1 or W2 — a spouse, minor children and dependent parents — are issued a family visa (type F) for up to 1 year. It does not give the right to work.

How is the work visa extended?

The application for a long-term visa is filed no later than 10 days before the current visa expires, with the full set of documents provided for the type of visa concerned.

How does the W1 visa differ from the W2 visa?

The W1 visa requires a work permit from the authorised migration body. The W2 visa is issued without such a permit — on the basis of a certificate from that body or an accreditation document, for categories of foreign nationals for whom the law on external labour migration establishes a different procedure for working.

Other ways to move to Kyrgyzstan

Every route in one list — migration programmes: Kyrgyzstan.

The terms and the amounts are checked against official sources — the link sits under each section.Last checked on: 8 August 2026.