A positive permanent-residence decision is an important milestone, but it is not the residence card itself. After approval, there is a separate documentation stage: apply for production of the residence permit and collect the completed document.
Short answer: after receiving permission, apply for the residence card to the territorial police at the Government for Citizens State Corporation at your place of residence. For first issuance from age 16, the rules list a valid foreign passport and the permanent-residence approval notification; the state duty, photography and fingerprinting are separate considerations. The ordinary service takes no more than 17 working days. This is a different stage from consideration of the permanent-residence application. The basis is Ministry of Internal Affairs Rules No. 266.
This guide was checked on 12 September 2026. It addresses a foreign national who already has a positive decision and is obtaining a first residence card. Do not use this route instead of the initial permission checklist, the documentation rules for stateless persons or the separate rules for replacing a lost card.
Three stages not to confuse
| Stage | What you receive | What to do next |
|---|---|---|
| Permission for permanent residence | A positive decision and notification of it | Check the instructions for obtaining the card and prepare your visit |
| Residence-card application | A registered request for document production and a ticket or receipt | Keep the confirmation and clarify collection of the result |
| Card collection | A document identifying the foreign national in Kazakhstan and confirming permanent-residence permission | Check the details and expiry date; keep it with your status documents |
The definition of the residence permit is established in the Law on Identity Documents. Receiving the notification does not itself mean that the electronic card-application form has already been completed.
Step 1. Read the notification, not just “approved”
The notification form in Appendix 13 to Rules No. 992 provides for the deciding authority, date and decision number, and details of where to apply for the residence card: police-office address, reception days and hours, and the officer.
Keep the notification and check the information. If the application procedure or reception location is unclear, ask the office that issued the notification.
The service provider obtains residence-registration information from its information system during documentation. That does not mean the address can be ignored: if the details do not match, clarify the registration issue before the application is processed. Housing-document preparation is covered in a separate guide.
Step 2. Prepare documents specifically for the first card
The service checklist under Rules No. 266 lists the following for first issuance to applicants aged 16 or over:
- a valid foreign passport;
- notification granting permanent-residence permission.
The checklist also provides for a state-duty payment receipt, or supporting documents for an exemption. Do not confuse this payment with the amount previously evidenced in your bank account: they are different requirements.
Photograph requirements depend on the application format. A paper form requires two 3.5 × 4.5 cm photographs meeting the rules. For an electronic form, the photograph is taken on site free of charge. The officer completes the electronic form during the service; this is not a promise of a fully remote card-issuance procedure.
Fingerprinting under the relevant rules is part of the documentation process. If you already completed it while preparing for permission, tell the officer; do not independently assume that an earlier certificate removes every action at this stage.
Step 3. Separate state duty, expedited processing and preparation time
The current service checklist sets the state duty at 0.2 MCI, using the monthly calculation index in effect on the payment date. Expedited processing carries a separate additional charge. Check that amount before paying: a tariff from someone else's old account is not the current price for your application.
The ordinary service takes no more than 17 working days. Expedited processing takes up to 7 working days; the day the application is submitted and the expedited-service receipt is paid is excluded from that period. Document preparation, resolving discrepancies and the time before your appointment do not become part of the promised production period.
An electronic form generates an application-registration ticket; a paper form generates a document-collection receipt. Keep the confirmation and clarify where and how to collect the result. An incomplete application or expired documents can lead to refusal to accept the application, rather than starting the service clock.
Step 4. Check the passport before ordering the card
Under Article 10 of the Law on Identity Documents, residence permits are issued to foreign permanent residents from age 16 for ten years, but not beyond the validity of their country-of-citizenship passport. The same rule appears in Identity Document Rules No. 532.
Example: you apply for a residence card in 2026, but your national passport expires in 2028. You cannot expect a card valid until 2036: its validity is capped by the passport. This example illustrates the limit; it does not determine the exact expiry date of your future card.
If your passport is nearing expiry or is being replaced during the process, agree the sequence with the migration service in advance. Do not order or delay documents solely on the assumption of an automatic ten-year term. A foreign national's identity for travel abroad is established by the national passport: the residence card is not its replacement.
Step 5. Collect the document and check it immediately
Compare the surname, given name, date of birth and other personal information with the documents used to issue the card. Check the expiry date and legibility. If there is an inaccuracy, ask the officer about correction: the service has a separate issuance category for errors in a completed document.
An accurate card confirms status, but does not remove a foreign national's other obligations. If a stay-limit violation has also arisen, do not assume that waiting for or receiving the card automatically remedies it; address it separately with the migration service.
After collection, retain the notification, application confirmation and issued-document details. Record the passport and card expiry dates in your calendar so you can plan ahead. This is a document-management recommendation, not a new statutory application deadline.
If a step goes wrong
- No notification or an unclear reception address: clarify the result and instructions with the office that made the decision.
- Address or identity details do not match: establish which information needs correction and which authority maintains it before proceeding with an incorrect form.
- The passport has expired: do not submit it as valid; agree the documentation process after resolving the passport issue.
- You need a replacement, not a first card: use the checklist for the relevant replacement reason. First issuance, loss and correction of details are different situations.
For help assessing the next steps, open the Visas and residence permits service. If you are only beginning to prepare for permanent residence, you can use the questionnaire for an initial document checklist, selecting “Permanent residence in Kazakhstan”. It provides an initial checklist: it does not order a card or replace individual review after approval.
Official sources
- Ministry of Internal Affairs Rules No. 266: accessing the service, first issuance, documents, photographs, state duty and processing times.
- Law on Identity Documents: residence-permit definition and Article 10 on age, validity and the national passport.
- Ministry of Internal Affairs Rules No. 532: preparation and issuance of identity documents, including foreign nationals' residence permits.
- Ministry of Internal Affairs Rules No. 992: Appendix 13 — notification of the decision and where to apply for the card.