Kazakhstan and the EU are collaborating to simplify travel for Kazakh citizens. Deputy Foreign Minister Alibek Bakayev and EU Ambassador Kestutis Jankauskas aim to streamline the European visa process by reducing fees, extending validity, and expediting processing. In 2017, Kazakhstan implemented visa-free access for all EU citizens, reinstated in 2022 after a pandemic pause. Talks in October 2023 explored EU interest in a visa-free regime, but the current focus is on reducing processing times.
The 2020 enhanced partnership agreement facilitates these discussions, emphasizing mutual commitment to enhancing people-to-people connections. Kazakhstan already has visa-free agreements with nearly 20 countries and unilaterally offers entry to citizens of 54 countries since 2014, allowing stays of up to 30 days per entry. Additionally, citizens of China, India, and Iran enjoy a 14-day visa-free regime since 2014.
Kazakhstan-EU Visa Streamlining, Visa Process Simplification, Kazakh-EU Visa Collaboration, Visa Procedure Optimization, EU-Kazakhstan Visa Partnership