Obtaining a Work Permit for a Turkish Citizen in Astana

A Kazakhstani company specializing in road construction contacted us to obtain a work permit for a foreign citizen in Kazakhstan, specifically in Astana. The foreign specialist is a Turkish citizen who previously held a residence permit in Kazakhstan, but it was revoked due to failure to meet one of the conditions.

Obtaining a work permit in Kazakhstan for foreign citizens allows them to obtain a C3 work visa, which grants the right to legally reside in the country and find employment. After the revocation of the residence permit, the foreign citizen had several options: a C5 business immigrant visa or a C3 work visa. The decision was made to work towards a C3 work visa.

Step 1. Analysis of the foreign citizen’s qualifications and selection of a position in accordance with the Constitutional Court

We analyzed the Turkish citizen’s qualifications based on their diploma, resume, and work experience. It was decided to issue a work permit for the foreigner under Category 3, specialist level. To obtain a work permit under this category, the foreigner must have at least three years of experience in their specialty. For Categories 1 and 2, for example, at least five years of experience is required.

Step 2. Search for candidates in the domestic labor market

One of the important conditions before submitting documents for a work permit is posting a vacancy on the Enbek.kz website. This requirement is stipulated by law to promote candidates in the domestic labor market. Only after 15 calendar days from the date of the vacancy’s publication are foreign citizens entitled to apply for and receive a work permit.

Step 3. Collect the necessary documents and prepare application forms

An equally important factor is the legalization of foreign documents. Since foreign diplomas are not legally valid without an apostille, we informed our clients in advance of the need to legalize their documents in the country of receipt, Turkey. The remaining documents were collected in Kazakhstan.

Step 4. Application registration on the online portal

After collecting the required documents, we applied for a work permit in Astana for Turkish citizens through the e-license.kz online portal. Access to the employer’s digital signature is required to upload documents. If any inaccuracies or formal errors are found, the Employment Department will issue a denial within 1-3 business days.

Therefore, it is important to comply with all requirements specified in the regulations. Obtaining a work permit is tied to the actual location of the foreign national’s employment. If the company is registered in Almaty, but the employee will be performing their work duties in Astana, then the permit must be obtained in Astana.

Step 5. Issuance of a notification with the commission’s decision

Once the application is registered, the government agency will issue a notification with the commission’s decision. If the decision is positive, the mandatory state fee amount is indicated. In our case, the cost was 700,000 tenge. After paying the state fee, you must upload the receipt to the online portal. The work permit itself will then be available for download.

Difficulties we encountered:

1. The diploma was apostilled and immediately translated in Turkey. Consequently, the translators’ seals were missing. Upon arrival, we retranslated the documents and had them notarized.
2. The apostille was on the translated document, not the original. The original also had an apostille stamp, so we translated the document and attached it to the original.
3. E-license.kz, through which we submitted the application, did not always work correctly; the application status did not change. We had to call the authorized agency.

Solutions we found:

1. Initially, it was necessary to apostille the diploma, which the foreigner had in the country where the document was received, that is, in Turkey. However, instead of apostilling the diploma itself, the apostille was attached to a notarized translation of the diploma. Therefore, the translated document contained the seals of a Turkish notary. Since the Department of Labor and Social Protection does not recognize foreign stamps, we decided to translate the stamps and have them notarized. This decision had a positive impact on the acceptance of the application and its subsequent progress.
2. As mentioned earlier, the apostille was not on the original diploma, but on its notarized translation. This created confusion: a notary in Turkey notarized the translation of the diploma, and this document was then apostilled by an official Turkish agency. However, the foreigner had already arrived in Kazakhstan, and it was not possible to reissue the apostille. Therefore, we took the original documents with us and went directly to the Department of Labor, which decides whether to issue a work permit. After explaining the entire situation and providing evidence in the form of a notarized translation of the diploma and an apostille, the Department accepted the documents.
3. Applications for a work permit are submitted through the e-license.kz website, which has a known issue with systemic glitches. That is, since electronics, including websites, can crash, our application status has not changed. On average, a decision on a work permit is made within 5-7 working days from the date of application. However, in our case, more than two weeks have passed. We then discovered that website glitches prevented us from updating our application status, and a decision had already been made on our application.

Through smart decisions and the tasks, we set, we overcame these difficulties, and ultimately, the Department of Labor and Social Security of the Republic of Kazakhstan issued a decision to issue a work permit to a Turkish citizen.

What are the next steps for a Turkish citizen to work in Astana?

1. Submitting an entry notification within 3 working days.
2. Obtaining an Individual Identification Number (IIN).
3. Obtaining a Category C3 work visa for subsequent employment.