Tengri Travel discusses the countries that citizens of Kazakhstan can visit not only without a visa but even without a foreign passport.
As of early 2025, citizens of Kazakhstan can enter 41 countries visa-free, as well as two special administrative regions – Macau and Hong Kong, which are part of China. However, it's important to remember that a visa-free regime does not always mean that a passport is unnecessary for travel. For example, since April 1, 2022, an electronic entry permit system (K-ETA) has been in effect for entry into Korea, which must be obtained in advance. When entering Namibia, a visa is automatically issued upon arrival.
Additionally, there are countries where citizens of Kazakhstan can enter using only their identity card.
Where Kazakhstanis Can Travel Without a Passport
Russia – is one of the countries that allows citizens of Kazakhstan unrestricted entry from all states with which Russia has regular passenger air connections, both via air and through land border crossings.
For entry, adults can present either a national passport or an identity card of the Republic of Kazakhstan. For children under 16 – a birth certificate or national passport is required.
Citizens of Kazakhstan temporarily staying in Russia for no more than 30 calendar days are exempt from the registration requirement. If a citizen of Kazakhstan stays in Russia for more than 30 calendar days (up to 90 calendar days), they must register (report their place of residence) with the territorial bodies of the Ministry of Internal Affairs of the Russian Federation.
Kyrgyzstan allows citizens of Kazakhstan to enter and reside, but the maximum stay in the country must not exceed 90 days within every 180 days. For adults, an identity card is sufficient for crossing the border. For children under 16, a foreign passport is required for border crossing.
Turkmenistan, according to the existing agreement between the government of the Republic of Kazakhstan and the government of Turkmenistan "on mutual travel of citizens," allows citizens of Kazakhstan residing permanently in the Atyrau and Mangistau regions to enter, exit, and temporarily stay in the Balkan velayat of Turkmenistan without a visa for a period not exceeding 5 days, provided they hold both a passport and an identity card confirming their residency in the specified regions.
Thus, only two countries offer Kazakhstanis the opportunity to enter and reside on their territory without a passport.
Moreover, according to information from representatives of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs and the President of Uzbekistan, negotiations are underway to allow citizens of both countries to cross borders using identity cards. As of September 1, 2023, similar agreements are in effect between Uzbekistan and Kyrgyzstan.
Official Information
According to official data from the Border Service of the National Security Committee, Kazakhstanis can only enter Russia and Kyrgyzstan using their identity cards. Similar agreements with Uzbekistan have not come into force.
Let us remind you that previously we wrote about where Kazakhstanis can travel without a visa in 2025.
We also discussed what to do when the validity of a foreign passport expires or when there are empty pages, but valid visas remain in the document.
