Kazakhstan and U.S. unify consular fees for visas

    By Baubek Konyrov
    Kazakhstan and the U.S. have unified their consular fees for issue of visas, Tengrinews.kz reports, citing the Official Spokesperson for the Foreign Ministry, Zhanbolat Ussenov.
    “As per the order published on July 3, the changes solely apply to U.S. citizens in line with the agreements between the governments of the two countries on the unification of consular fees for issuing visas,” Ussenov said at the briefing.
    He noted the consular fees for certain categories of visas for citizens of Kazakhstan and the United States varied from $160 to $240.
    “The private visa formerly cost $240 and a business visa cost $190. The consular fee has unified and the minimum mutually agreed fee for visas of all categories has been set to $160,” Ussenov said.
    The consular fees for issue of Kazakhstan visas are specified in the Kazakhstan Tax Code, he reminded. The duties are set within the limits approved by Kazakhstan government and vary depending on the country’s economic development, incomes and the people’s purchasing capacity. The duties are published on the official website of the Foreign Ministry of Kazakhstan.
    “Referring to the order of Kazakhstan Foreign Minister Yerlan Idrissov, some of the media reported that Kazakhstan was raising the cost of its visas. The Foreign Ministry notes that such interpretation of the said order is incorrect,” the Ministry’s official representative said, www.tengrinews.kz reports.