Temporary Residence Permit (TRP) and Registration of a foreigner’s passport

Temporary residence permit in the Republic of Kazakhstan (TRP) is an official document that allows citizens of the EAEU, Tajikistan, Uzbekistan and Azerbaijan to stay in the country for a period exceeding the visa-free regime.

A temporary residence permit is required in cases of study, work, business activities, medical treatment, missionary work or family reunification.

Who can obtain a Temporary Residence Permit (TRP) in Kazakhstan?

A Temporary Residence Permit may be obtained by:

• Foreign nationals who have arrived in Kazakhstan for employment on the basis of a work authorization;
• Students enrolled in educational institutions in Kazakhstan;
• Individuals arriving for medical treatment (based on a conclusion issued by a Medical Advisory Commission of a healthcare institution located in the Republic of Kazakhstan);
• Foreign nationals married to a citizen of the Republic of Kazakhstan;
• Foreign nationals married to holders of a Permanent Residence Permit in Kazakhstan;
• Business immigrants engaged in entrepreneurial activities in the Republic of Kazakhstan;
• Foreign nationals carrying out missionary activities in Kazakhstan.

Grounds for obtaining a temporary residence permit?

• Employment (work permit or employment contract).
• Education (order of enrollment in an educational institution).
• Family circumstances (marriage).
• Medical indications (referral to a Kazakhstani medical institution).
• Business (registration of an individual entrepreneur or legal entity). Temporary residence permit with the status of a business immigrant for registration of an LLP

What documents are required to obtain a residence permit?

The standard package of documents includes:

• Application for a Temporary Residence Permit (issued at the PSC).
• Passport of the foreign national used for the most recent entry into Kazakhstan. In some Public Service Centers (PSCs), an internal passport (for citizens of the Russian Federation) or an ID card (for citizens of Kyrgyzstan) may also be requested. This is required to ensure accurate tracking of the foreign national’s subsequent entries and exits.
• Individual Identification Number (IIN) certificate (must be issued for the passport used to apply for the TRP and for the most recent entry into Kazakhstan)
• Notarized consent for residence from the property owner. Consent must be obtained from all property owners.
• Documents confirming the purpose of stay (employment contract, university enrollment certificate, marriage certificate, etc.).
• Compulsory medical insurance (CMI) policy.
• Notification of arrival.
• Dactyloscopy certificate.
• Letter of application from inviting side.

Depending on the purpose of stay, additional documents may be requested.

The process of applying for a TRP

1. Submission of documents. The documents are submitted to the Population Service Center at the place of registration of the company inviting party or the company.
2. Consideration of the application. The term of consideration of the application is usually 1-2 days after submission of documents to the Public Service Center.
3. Receipt of authorization. In case of a positive decision, the permit is issued to the applicant.

Permit validity period.

• For labor migrants – in accordance with the validity of the work permit and/or labor contract, but for no more than 1 year.
• For students – for the period of study (with annual extension).
• For family members of Kazakhtani citizens – up to 1 year with the possibility of extension.

Family members: A temporary residence permit can be issued to close family members of an employee (purpose – family member of a labor immigrant) for the same period of time as the foreign specialist himself. A marriage certificate will be required for the spouse. For children, a birth certificate will be required. Documents must be submitted in a notarized copy with a legalization/apostille stamp depending on the country of issue of the document.

Children under 16 years of age do not require a temporary residence permit; children aged 16 to 18 must obtain a TRP as a family member of the employee accompanying the primary employee, if a long-term stay in Kazakhstan is planned. For children aged 18 and above, a Temporary Residence Permit (TRP) may be issued only if they are officially dependent on the primary employee (parent). In this case, the main supporting document is a certificate of dependence issued on the basis of a legally binding court decision. Depending on the country of issuance, the document may also require apostille certification or consular legalization for use in the Republic of Kazakhstan.

As a result of the government service, foreign nationals receive a temporary registration certificate with a QR code from the migration authority.

Reasons for refusal to issue a temporary residence permit

A temporary residence permit may be refused if:

• The applicant poses a threat to national security.
• False or unreliable documents have been submitted.
• The rules of migration registration are violated.
• Scanned copies of the documents are not displayed (a technical error that allows the documents to be resubmitted).

Risk areas: It is very important to keep track of the validity period of the temporary residence permit, as untimely departure of a foreign citizen after the expiration of this period entails a fine for both the foreign citizen and the receiving party/employer according to Articles 517 and 518 of the Code of Administrative Offenses of the Republic of Kazakhstan.

What is the deadline for obtaining a residence permit?

• For citizens of Armenia, Belarus, Kyrgyzstan, Russia, Azerbaijan and Tajikistan – within 90 days from the date of entry into Kazakhstan. It is important to observe the rule of no more than 90 days of stay within a 180-day period.
• For citizens of Uzbekistan – within 30 calendar days from the date of entry into Kazakhstan. It is important to observe the rule of no more than 90 days of stay within a 180-day period.

Obligations of holders of a temporary residence permit

Foreign citizens who have received a temporary residence permit in Kazakhstan are obliged to:

• Comply with the legislation of the Republic of Kazakhstan.
• To reside at the place of registration. If the address is changed, the receiving party must submit a notification of the change of address. In the event of a change of the foreign national’s residential address, the Temporary Residence Permit (TRP) does not need to be reissued. It is sufficient to submit a notification of the change of address.
• Timely renew the permit if necessary. Applications for the extension may be submitted no earlier than 14 days before the expiry date of the current Temporary Residence Permit (TRP). In practice, some Public Service Centers (PCSs) may accept documents up to one month in advance.
• Notify the migration authorities about changes in the purpose of stay or place of residence (obligation of the receiving party) within 3 working days.
• Registration of IIN.

Risk areas in the issuance and extension of a Temporary Residence Permit (TRP)

1. What should be done if the TRP expires and the extension cannot be processed in time? What are the risk mitigation options?

Answer:

Applications for TRP extension may be submitted until the last day of the current TRP validity period inclusively. However, it is important to note that the processing time by the state authority is 1 working day (the day of submission is not included). Therefore, there is a risk that a decision may not be issued on the same day.

In the case of a positive decision, the TRP is extended, and the foreign national may continue to legally stay in the Republic of Kazakhstan without any risks.

However, if a refusal is issued on the following day after submission in the last day, this will be considered an overstay. In such cases, it is necessary to first clarify the reason for refusal. If the overstay period is up to 3 days, an administrative protocol is usually issued by the officer, after which either a re-submission of the application is required (with mandatory attachment of the protocol), or departure must be made within the timeframe specified in the protocol.

An alternative and lower-risk option is applicable when the parties are not ready to accept the above-mentioned risks associated with potential delays in decision-making or refusal on the expiry date of the TRP. In this case, it is recommended that the foreign national leave Kazakhstan before the expiration of the current TRP and re-enter the country from the day following its expiry. A new TRP is then issued under the general procedure. In this case, the process is considered a primary issuance rather than an extension.

1. What should be done if fingerprinting (dactyloscopy) data for previous years (2024-2025) is not reflected in the system, resulting in a refusal to issue a TRP?

Answer:

If confirmation of the procedure is not available in the system, the authorized authority will typically require the foreign national to undergo fingerprinting (verification) again or to provide an updated certificate for the current year.

In such cases, it is recommended to promptly fulfill the requirement in order to avoid delays in the issuance or extension of the TRP.

1. What technical errors in information systems most often lead to issues with confirming the legal stay of a foreign national?

Answer:

Typical technical errors that may lead to issues when processing a Temporary Residence Permit (TRP) include system failures in the Ministry of Internal Affairs’ information systems, such as incorrect uploading or display of scanned document copies (for example, files not opening due to large size, format issues, or system malfunctions).

It is also common for certain documents or attachments not to be properly linked to the application, or to be displayed only partially.

Since such situations are not caused by the applicant or the foreign national, the application is usually resubmitted, accompanied by a rejection notice specifying that the refusal is due to a technical system error.

In addition, errors may occur directly in state databases, such as incorrect display of registration address, TRP details, employer information, inviting party data, or other migration-related records. In such cases, prior correction of the data through the authorized state bodies is generally required. After the necessary updates have been made, the TRP application is resubmitted via the Public Service Center.

Therefore, it is recommended to verify the accuracy of all information contained in state information systems before submitting documents.