Basic Information about Visas for Kazakhstan

It is really hard to find the latest information about the new visa processes that was implemented this month. The Government claims that they have just  "upgraded" their visa processes, however from my own personal experience over the years and especially having gone through the process now recently again I am convinced that it has just become more and more difficult.

The information that I got about tourist visas are inconsistent and therefore, I don’t want to claim that I have any knowledge of this process!

As a spouse of an expat it seems impossible to get an acceptable visa that will allow you to live in Kazakhstan for an extended period of time without leaving the country ever month/ few months. At the moment I have a visa that only allows me 30 days per visit in Kazakhstan.

For a Business visa you will require a Letter of Invitation by your company, apparently now the LOI takes about 14 days to issue.

Business Visas are only issued by Embassies outside the country, which means traveling and staying for at leased 5 days if not more.

You will need the following:

-Filled out visa application from

- A copy of your LOI, which is also submitted by your company to the specific Consular Services (Please note: where there are more than one Consular Service in a country - make sure that you and your inviting company are dealing with the same office)

- Valid passport

- 1 Passport photo attached to the application form

- And your payment

Processing of Kazakh visas take about 5 working days.

Also check with the specific Consular Services which days they are available... as some only assists Kazakh citizens on specific days. And when planning to get your visa in another country also remember that certain days are weekends and not working days; like in the Middle East - a Friday is the main rest day and Sunday is the start of a new working week.

Also note that the Embassy in Kyrgyzstan is temporarily closed from the 15^th of July until further notice, so it would not be possible to renew visas from Kyrgyzstan. In the past many foreigners used to just travel from Almaty over the boarder, to get a new visa and return. The drive should only take a few hours but the roads are notoriously hazardous and the drivers drive like crazy, so this is not recommended!

Please share with us your experience with getting a KZ visas!

Funny video - Man drives bath tub in the streets of Almaty

Smile

Costliest cities for expatriates

The latest Mercer data is in for the cost of living for expatriates.

Although I always feel that Almaty is expensive for the quality and the service that you get, it sure does not compare to these cities.

The top 10 Costliest cities for expats according to Mercer is

1. Luanda, Angola
2. Moscow, Russia
3. Tokyo, Japan
4. N'Djamena, Chad
5. Singapore, Singapore
6. Hong Kong, Hong Kong
7. Geneva, Switzerland
8. Zurich, Switzerland
9. Bern, Switzerland
9. Sydney, Australia

The survey covered 214 cities and measured over 200 items including housing, transport, food, clothing, household goods and entertainment.

To read more about the subject please go to the Mercer website

or check out their info graph
http://mthink.mercer.com/expat-cost-of-living-varies-widely-around-the-world/

Small, Medium and Large Organisations in Kazakhstan- the data

According to the 2010 data from Statistics- Kazakhstan, there are over 282 500 registered small business in Kazakhstan, and only 13 150 medium and 2 370 large enterprises. 

More significantly, small businesses makes up about 20% of the current GDP of the country and the projected growth is that they will increase to about 40% by 2020. 

The majority of the small businesses in Kazakhstan are located in Almaty and the surrounding region since Almaty is the large financial and industrial centre of the Republic.  

The largest portion of small businesses are individual entrepreneurs, farmers, and small family enterprises. Buying-out small business and franchising opportunities are still very limited in the country, although it can be suggested that franchising will become more important over the next few years as per the global trend. 

Summer heat

It is quite surprising how hot it is these days in Almaty. This is usually weather that we expect for late August not June & July, so please keep cool this summer. 

And if you will be searching for accommodation soon, remember to check if the apartment / house comes with air-conditioning... Because you will need it during the summer!  

5 Reasons why summer in Almaty is great

Here are some of the reasons why I think summer in Almaty is great

1. Summer fruits are really cheap 

2. The sun sets about at 9pm

3. It is really nice and warm between 27-36 degrees Celsius  

4. The cafes and restaurants all spill out on to the sidewalks turning the city into a real "cafe society" 

5. The heat is a great excuse to try the various ice creams sold at your local shop (magazine)

4th of July celebrations

For independence day celebrations in Almaty checkout what the following groups have on offer for this special day.

Amcham Almaty

The American Corner Almaty

The American Embassy Kazakhstan