Kazakhstan planning to expand list of visa-free countries

    The Kazakh government will expand its list of countries whose citizens will enjoy visa-free entry into Kazakhstan, Novosti-Kazakhstan reports, citing Rapil Zhoshybayev, first deputy foreign minister.
    Speaking at a meeting of the Foreign Investors Council on June 12, Kazakhstan President Nursultan Nazarbayev announced unilateral introduction of a visa-free entry to Kazakhstan for citizens of 10 countries that have shown the highest investment activity in Kazakhstan. The list includes the US, the Netherlands, Great Britain, France, Germany, Italy, Malaysia, UAE, South Korea, and Japan. From July 15, 2014 until July 15, 2015 the citizens of these countries will be allowed to stay in Kazakhstan without a visa for 15 calendar days.
    "Following this pilot project, we plan to expand the list of countries with visa-free entry to Kazakhstan," Zhoshybayev told a briefing yesterday.
    He said the revenue from issuing visas is insignificant (a little more than $4 million a year) and will be greatly exceeded by revenue from visitors’ spending on travel, hotel accommodation, transport, and food in Kazakhstan.
    He also said an online visa application service might be introduced in Kazakhstan within the next year and a half.
    "One would be able to submit an online visa application from any country, and get a Kazakhstan entry visa on the border while entering the country," he said.