Visa-free entry and transit at Almaty Airport

Kazakhstan has loosened its entry rules sharply since 2023, and the terms differ by nationality more than most travellers expect. The matrix below sums up what applies to whom, straight from the government decrees; the official links at the bottom are where to confirm your own case before you fly.

Rules checked August 2026 against Government Decree No. 148 (paragraph 17, as amended 25.08.2025) and the 2023 Kazakhstan–China agreement; the B13 transit-visa entry checked September 2026 against joint MFA/MIA Order No. V1600014531, item 21 — visa policy changes fast; confirm before travelling.

Nationality	Regime	Stay	Conditions
EU, UK, US, Japan, Korea, UAE and 50 more	Visa-free entry	30 days per entry, 90 within 180	Germany, Spain, Italy, Poland, Czechia, Greece, Portugal, France, Japan, Korea, UK, US, UAE among them
Turkey	Visa-free entry	90 days within each 180	A regime of its own — longer than the 30-day list
EAEU citizens	Visa-free entry	90 days	Russia, Belarus, Armenia, Kyrgyzstan
China	Visa-free entry	30 days per entry, 90 within 180	Ordinary passports, under the 2023 mutual agreement
India and Iran	Visa-free entry	14 days per entry, 42 within 180	A longer trip needs a visa obtained before you travel
No visa-free entry, leaving the transit zone	B13 transit visa — apply before you fly	Up to 5 days transit; visa valid 90 days (single entry) or 180 days (multiple)	Not issued on arrival — get it from a Kazakhstan embassy or consulate first. Needed for an overnight stop, a hotel stay or a road transit; covers travel by car too
Any nationality (transit)	Airside transit, no visa	Up to 24 hours	Stay airside (do not pass border control) and hold a confirmed onward international ticket

Before you rely on this table

Visa rules are the fastest-changing facts on this site. The table was re-checked against the decrees in August 2026 — before booking a non-refundable ticket, confirm your case on the official resources below.
Two numbers, not one: the visa-free days are counted per entry AND capped cumulatively across each 180-day period. Leaving and re-entering does not reset the second number, which is what catches people out on repeat trips.
Airside transit means staying inside the international zone. If you need to collect and re-check luggage, change terminals through the public area or leave for a hotel, you are entering Kazakhstan and the normal entry rules apply.
That is exactly what the B13 row above is for: a nationality without visa-free entry, on a layover long enough to need a hotel or a terminal change through the public area, needs that visa arranged before departure — it is not something you can get at the airport.

Official sources

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