Visa c3 in Kazakhstan for foreign specialists at companies participating in the Astana Hub park

Over the years, we have handled work visa applications for specialists across a wide range of positions and industries. One of the newer and increasingly popular areas is obtaining “C3” category work visas for foreign specialists hired by companies that are participants of the Astana Hub International Technology Park for IT Startups.

Participant status in the Astana Hub International Technology Park gives the employer a number of significant migration benefits, the main one being the ability to hire foreign executives and specialists without going through the procedure of obtaining a permit to attract foreign labor. In this article, we explain who can take advantage of this benefit, what requirements apply to the foreign specialist, which documents need to be prepared, and what nuances may arise in practice.

WHEN IS A WORK PERMIT NOT REQUIRED FOR A FOREIGN SPECIALIST?

As a general rule, a foreign national planning to work in the Republic of Kazakhstan must obtain a permit to attract foreign labor (a work permit), after which a “C3” category work visa is issued.

However, the law provides for a number of exceptions to this rule. One of them concerns specialists working for a company that is a participant of the Astana Hub International Technology Park.

Under the Law “On Migration of the Population,” sub-clause 9, clause 2, Article 36-1, dated 22 July 2011, No. 477-IV, a permit to attract foreign labor is not required for persons working at the Astana Hub Autonomous Cluster Fund or for Astana Hub participants in managerial or specialist positions who hold a higher education degree.

This benefit is one of the key advantages of Astana Hub participant status, as it allows foreign technology companies and startups to significantly speed up and simplify the process of hiring foreign personnel, bypassing quotas and the lengthy procedure of obtaining a permit from local executive authorities.

At the same time, exemption from the work permit requirement does not mean that the visa is issued immediately. The employer and the foreign specialist must still meet the legal requirements and prepare a complete set of documents.

REQUIREMENTS FOR THE POSITION AND QUALIFICATIONS OF THE FOREIGN SPECIALIST

The benefit applies only to managerial and specialist positions, so the main condition for its application is that the foreign national must hold a higher education degree confirmed by a diploma.

There is no direct statutory requirement linking the position held to the field of the diploma obtained. However, based on our practical experience, the technology park itself, when approving employment, recommends that the position reasonably correspond to the field of the diploma, as this reduces the risk of additional questions from the migration authorities during document review.

An important point: if the diploma was issued outside Kazakhstan, depending on the issuing country, it may require an apostille or consular legalization, followed by a notarized translation into Russian or Kazakh.

WAYS TO OBTAIN THE VISA

A “C3” category work visa for a specialist of an Astana Hub participant company can be obtained in one of the following ways:

• at the Embassy or Consulate of the Republic of Kazakhstan in the country of citizenship or in the country of permanent residence of the foreign national (provided there is a document confirming the right to long-term residence in that country – a residence permit, work visa, or student visa);
• within the territory of the Republic of Kazakhstan without leaving the country – the availability of this option depends on the foreign specialist’s citizenship, the grounds for their stay in the Republic of Kazakhstan, the presence of a valid Kazakhstani visa, and other circumstances provided for by migration legislation.

Documents are submitted to the migration service office at the place of registration of the employer company. For example, if the company is registered in Almaty, the documents are submitted to the migration service department in Almaty.

MAIN LIST OF DOCUMENTS

Under the established procedure for obtaining a “C3” work visa for employees of Astana Hub participant companies, the following documents are required for submission to the migration service:

• a petition (completed form) or an invitation letter in 3 copies;
• a copy of a valid foreign passport – with at least two blank pages for visas; the passport’s validity must not expire earlier than 3 months after the visa’s expiration date, as well as the original passport (if the visa is affixed within Kazakhstan);
• a notarized copy or a signed original of the employment contract bearing the company’s seal;
• an order appointing the specialist to the position;
• a certificate of state registration of the legal entity as an Astana Hub International Technology Park participant (issued in the current month);
• a copy of the certificate confirming Astana Hub participant status;
• an education document (diploma) with a notarized translation, and, if required, with an apostille or consular legalization, depending on the issuing country;
• a visa application form and a color photograph measuring 3.5 × 4.5 cm;
• a receipt confirming payment of the state fee (0.5 MCI for the invitation letter, 30 MCI for affixing or extending the visa within Kazakhstan);
• if the documents are submitted by an authorized representative of the company — an order appointing them or a power of attorney, together with a copy of their identity document.

The list of documents may vary slightly depending on the region of submission and individual circumstances, so we recommend clarifying the requirements of the specific migration service office in advance.

APPLICATION PROCEDURE AND REVIEW TIMELINES

Once the complete package of documents has been prepared, the application is submitted to the migration service department at the place of registration of the employer company. The standard review period for a “C3” work visa application for specialists of Astana Hub participant companies is 5 business days.

At the same time, the law allows for an extension of the review period – up to 30 calendar days – if additional coordination with the National Security Committee of the Republic of Kazakhstan is required.

OUR CASE

We were recently approached by an Astana Hub participant company requesting assistance with obtaining a “C3” work visa for a Ukrainian citizen. The distinctive feature of this case was that the applicant already held a “C3” accompanying visa as the spouse of the company’s main employee – a visa that does not grant the right to work. Since the company planned to employ the applicant as a Senior Consultant, we filed for the conversion of her “C3” accompanying visa into a “C3” work visa under the general rules applicable to a foreign specialist of an Astana Hub participant company.

Because the employer was an Astana Hub participant, no permit to attract foreign labor was required; it was sufficient to confirm the company’s status and the applicant’s higher education (a master’s degree in economics) for a position matching her field of education. The documents were submitted at the company’s place of registration – in Almaty.

NOTIFYING ASTANA HUB AFTER SUBMITTING DOCUMENTS

An important detail that employers often overlook: after submitting documents to the migration service, an Astana Hub participant company is advised to also notify the technology park itself about the employment of the foreign specialist.

For this purpose, employers usually send the following to info@astanahub.com:

• a copy of the employment contract;
• a copy of the education diploma;
• a copy of the foreign specialist’s passport;
• information confirming that the documents have already been submitted to the migration service.

Such notification allows Astana Hub to record the fact that the foreign specialist has been employed under the preferential regime and, if necessary, to confirm the status of the company and the employee to government authorities.

COST, VALIDITY PERIOD, AND VISA EXTENSION

The state fee for issuing a “C3” work visa for an Astana Hub participant is 30 MCI, which, at the 2026 MCI value (KZT 4,325), amounts to KZT 129 750, while the fee for the invitation letter is 0.5 MCI – KZT 2 162.5 for 2026. When budgeting, the employer should also take into account notarization of documents, translations, as well as the foreign specialist’s possible expenses for an apostille or consular legalization of the diploma and consular fees when applying through an Embassy.

A “C3” work visa for specialists of Astana Hub participant companies can be requested for a period of up to 5 years, but not exceeding the term of the employment contract – noticeably longer than the standard “C3” work visa term for other categories of foreign employees, which is usually issued for up to 1-3 years.

After the work visa is obtained, it can be extended within the Republic of Kazakhstan without the need to leave the country, provided that the grounds for the specialist’s stay remain valid, in particular the continuation of the employment relationship with the Astana Hub participant employer. We recommend starting to prepare the extension documents 3-4 months before the visa’s expiration date. Documents for extension may be submitted no earlier than 30 business days and no later than 5 business days before the visa expires.

CAN FAMILY MEMBERS ACCOMPANY THE SPECIALIST?

Yes. The spouse and minor children of the foreign specialist may obtain accompanying “C3” category visas without the right to work, valid for the same period as the main employee’s visa.

For this, in addition to the standard document package, a marriage certificate and/or birth certificate(s) of the children must be provided, bearing an apostille or legalization (depending on the issuing country) and a notarized translation into Russian or Kazakh. If an accompanying family member later plans to take up employment, the accompanying visa will need to be converted into a “C3” work visa under the general requirements applicable to foreign nationals seeking employment in the Republic of Kazakhstan.

ADDITIONAL MIGRATION BENEFITS OF ASTANA HUB PARTICIPANT STATUS

In addition to exemption from the requirement to obtain a permit to attract foreign labor, Astana Hub participant status provides the employer and its foreign employees with a number of other migration benefits worth considering in workforce planning:

• the company is not subject to the foreign labor quotas applicable to ordinary employers, although it is advisable to maintain a reasonable ratio of foreign to Kazakhstani staff;
• a foreign specialist employed by an Astana Hub participant company is entitled to apply for a residence permit under an expedited procedure – within 90 days of employment, instead of the standard 180 days applicable to most foreign employees;
• the “C3” work visa can be requested for a long term right away – up to 5 years – eliminating the need for annual renewal typical of a standard work visa;
• the simplified employment regime applies not only to executives but also to company specialists, allowing the company to hire foreign personnel for a wide range of positions, from developers to consultants and analysts, without a separate justification for each role.

COMMON MISTAKES AND WHAT TO PAY ATTENTION TO

In practice, a number of typical difficulties arise when obtaining a “C3” work visa for specialists of Astana Hub participant companies, which are best taken into account in advance:

1. lack of confirmed Astana Hub participant status at the time of document submission – the participation certificate and the state registration certificate must be current (in particular, the registration certificate must be issued in the current month);
2. mismatch between the position held and the field of education; although there is no direct statutory requirement, a significant discrepancy may result in additional inquiries from the migration service;
3. absence of an apostille or consular legalization for a diploma issued abroad, as well as its notarized translation;
4. an incomplete or outdated set of the company’s corporate and personnel documents: the resolution (if applicable), appointment order, employment contract, additional agreements, and other documents must be valid, mutually consistent, and aligned with each other in terms of dates, position, and other material details;
5. late notification of Astana Hub about the employment: although this is not formally a document required by the migration service, failing to send such notification can complicate subsequent interaction with the technology park, for example during visa extension or in the event of inquiries from government authorities.