A work permit entitles you to conclude an employment contract. Obtaining a work visa entitles you to enter the country. A work visa is issued for the period of validity of the work permit or other supporting documents. The visa can be obtained at the Kazakh embassy in the country of citizenship or in the country of permanent residence upon submission of supporting documents. Also, a visa can be issued in Kazakhstan for citizens of 48 developed countries who have entered under the visa-free regime. There is an option to change the visa from business to work visa without leaving the country. Not every business visa can be changed to a work visa. Work permit is not required in case the inviting party, i.e. the Company is 100% foreign participation. For more detailed information please contact our consultants.
For the visa application procedure at the Embassy of Kazakhstan abroad it is necessary to issue a letter of invitation from the employer. The process takes 10 working days from the date of registration of the letter of invitation. In some cases, at the discretion of the NSC, the approval process may take up to 30 calendar days. This may be due to the nationality of the foreign specialist or his/her past activities. Migration will notify the employer of the extended approval stage and will deliver a written notice. After the invitation letter is agreed, the authorised body issues a visa support number. The foreign specialist with the visa support number and the rest of the package of documents applies to the embassy for visa pasting.
A work visa is usually issued for a period of 1 year. One month before the expiry of the document it is necessary to initiate the visa extension procedure. Otherwise, the foreign specialist will need to leave Kazakhstan and obtain a visa at the embassy of the country of permanent residence. To extend the visa Migration requires the original passport and for the period of consideration of the application (10-15 working days) the foreigner is without the original document. Accordingly, there is no possibility to travel to other regions.