Checked on 11 September 2026. This guide is for adult Russian citizens planning a short visit, looking for work or returning to Kazakhstan after earlier trips.
Under the ordinary visa-free rules, Russian citizens may stay in Kazakhstan for up to 90 calendar days from entry, but no more than 90 days in total in each period of 180 calendar days. Days from separate trips are added together. Leaving for a weekend does not give you another 90 days. This is the rule in paragraph 6 of the Entry and Stay Rules; it does not apply in the same way to someone with a valid temporary residence permit (RVP). [1]
Below are a way to check your travel calendar, two examples and steps to take if you do not have enough days left. This is a preliminary planning calculation, not confirmation that you will be admitted at the border. If you previously held an RVP, changed your basis of residence or already have a violation, simply counting visa-free visits does not establish your status.
What 90/180 means — and why it is not “three months”
Russian citizens fall under the provision for EAEU citizens: up to 90 days per entry and no more than 90 in each 180-day period. Do not apply to Russians the general 30-day limit stated in the same paragraph for other visa-free foreign nationals. [1]
180 days is not a calendar half-year. You cannot restart the count on 1 July just because June has ended. To check a particular day, look at that day and the preceding 179 calendar days. Count how many days within that period you were in Kazakhstan. When you move to the next day, the period being checked moves forward too.
90 days and three calendar months can end on different dates. Make a list of dates rather than relying on the same date three months later or an approximate rental period.
How to check your trips
- List all entries and exits that could fall within the 180 days before your planned trip. Use actual border-crossing dates, not just the dates on purchased tickets. If records differ, clarify them with the migration service or the National Security Committee's Border Service before travelling.
- Mark the days you were in Kazakhstan on a calendar. For a cautious preliminary calculation, KLC recommends including both the entry and exit day and counting the same calendar day only once. Paragraph 6 sets the limit but does not specify a separate rounding algorithm for partial days: do not treat this calculation as an official extract from the border system.
- For each day of your planned stay, take a 180-day window ending on that day. Add past and planned days of presence within it: the total must not exceed 90.
- Check the entire proposed visit, not just the return date. Having one day available today does not mean you can stay for the next three months.
- Write down your planned departure date and allow a buffer for a rescheduled flight. This is planning advice, not extra permitted days.
The formula for one date is: days from past visits within the window + days from the new visit within the same window ≤ 90. It applies to the ordinary visa-free scenario described here, without a change of status.
Example 1: three short visits instead of one long stay
Suppose you had not been to Kazakhstan before January and visited three times in 2026. In this and the next example, both border-crossing dates are included in the preliminary calculation.
| Trip | Days in Kazakhstan | Total used by the end of the trip |
|---|---|---|
| 1–30 January | 30 | 30 |
| 1–30 March | 30 | 60 |
| 1–30 May | 30 | 90 |
On 30 May, all these visits fit within the preceding 180 days. That is 90 days, even though no visit lasted longer than a month. Staying for 31 May would bring the same rolling window to 91 days.
Leaving on 30 May and returning on 31 May does not change the arithmetic. The total number of days matters, not the number of border crossings.
Example 2: planning a return after 90 days
With no visits before 1 January, a stay from 1 January to 31 March 2026 is exactly 90 days when both dates are included.
The period from 1 April to 29 June is 90 days outside Kazakhstan. If you return on 30 June, the 180-day window being checked contains 89 days from the first visit plus one new day: 90 in total. Returning one day earlier, on 29 June, would produce 91 days in this example.
If the second visit continues from 30 June through 27 September, it will last another 90 days. Each day has been checked individually: as new days are added, the old January, February and March days leave the window. The limit is not exceeded.
This is a worked calendar, not a universally permitted entry date. Different dates, extra trips or a change of status produce a different result. For scattered short visits, there is no general requirement always to spend exactly 90 days abroad: the specific windows must be recalculated. Admission also depends on other legal conditions, not just the stay calculation.
Arrival notification does not extend the 90 days
The receiving party must inform the internal affairs authorities of a foreign national's arrival within three working days of arrival. When the temporary place of residence changes, the receiving person must also notify them within three working days. This is a separate duty under paragraphs 9 and 10 of the Rules. [1]
Before entry, agree with the hotel or your host who will submit the notification. After arrival, request confirmation of submission and check the address and passport details. Re-entry requires a new notification of the new arrival; the old one does not replace it.
The notification reports where you live. It is not an RVP and does not add days to the visa-free allowance. An individual identification number (IIN), a rental agreement or an open bank account likewise does not by itself constitute a basis under paragraph 6 for a new period of stay.
If you find a job or want to stay longer
For EAEU workers and their family members, Article 97 of the EAEU Treaty links the period of stay to the duration of an employment or civil-law contract. Russian citizens generally do not need a separate work permit. But the right to work and arranging residence are different matters. [2]
Kazakhstan's rules provide for obtaining an RVP through the receiving party; an ordinary employment-based RVP is limited by the contract, passport and maximum duration set by the rules. Do not assume that signing a contract alone means you no longer need to deal with migration documents. [1–3]
The employee supplies accurate information and prepares personal documents. The employer concludes a genuine contract, ensures the required registration in the Unified System for Recording Employment Contracts (ESUTD) and arranges submission through the receiving party. The landlord or hotel and the employer may act as different receiving parties for particular tasks: agree in advance who handles arrival notification, housing documents and the RVP application.
The full current checklist, including insurance registered in Saqtandyry, fingerprinting and housing documents, is covered in the employment-based RVP guide for Russian citizens. Do not replace that package with just a notification or IIN.
Issuing an RVP is a free public service, with a statutory processing time of one working day after the necessary documents are submitted; at a Public Service Centre (TsON), the day of acceptance is excluded. Preparing the contract, insurance and other documents takes additional time, while insurance and notary costs depend on the circumstances and provider. The service standard is not a promise that everything can be arranged on the last day of your stay. [3]
For a permanent move, compare the requirements in “RVP or permanent residence: which should a Russian citizen choose?”. Do not choose permanent residence simply to avoid counting days: it has its own requirements.
If your RVP expires or your contract is terminated
Do not automatically add 90 visa-free days to your RVP expiry date. Paragraph 6 links an RVP holder's permitted stay to the permit's validity, and the exception to the ordinary 90/180 limit applies to those who have obtained an RVP. Moving between grounds for residence needs separate verification: this calendar of short visa-free visits does not resolve it. [1]
If a contract is terminated early after 90 days have elapsed since entry, Article 97(9) of the EAEU Treaty provides 15 days to conclude a new employment or civil-law contract without leaving. These are not universal extra days after any dismissal or RVP expiry. Check with the migration service whether the provision applies and how to formalise the new basis. [2]
What to do if you have too few days left or have already overstayed
If no violation has occurred yet: change your departure date or arrange a suitable basis for residence in advance. If the new trip would exceed the limit, postpone it and recalculate the entire plan. Do not buy a supposed “reset” or use a backdated contract.
If you have already overstayed: gather your passport, border-crossing dates, notifications, previous RVP, contract and any decisions issued. Contact the migration service without delay; if expulsion is a risk, contact a lawyer too. Do not expect a short trip out of the country to remedy the violation.
Under parts 3 and 4 of Article 517 of the Code of Administrative Offences, failure to leave after the lawful period ends attracts a warning during the first three days; longer overstays carry fines, and more than ten days carries 25 monthly calculation indices (MCI) or administrative expulsion. Separate provisions apply to repeated violations. A warning is still a penalty, not permission to stay three extra days. [4]
A fine does not grant an RVP or replace a decision on what must happen next. The deadline for departure after proceedings and the possibility of obtaining documents depend on the applicable rules and the decision in your case, not on arbitrarily adding 90 days. If an RVP is refused or the application package is not accepted, obtain the written reason; resubmission itself must not be treated as an automatic extension of stay.
Frequently asked questions
Must I wait 90 days abroad after every trip?
No. The rule limits days of presence in each 180-day period. After a short trip, unused days may remain. But you must check every date of the next visit, not simply subtract the last visit from 90.
Will a new passport or a different border crossing help?
Do not treat either as a new allowance. The rule concerns the person's stay, not a particular passport booklet or border-crossing route. Keep travel dates from your previous document too.
Is this the same calculation as tax residence?
No. This guide covers the migration rule of 90/180. Tax residence and taxation require a separate assessment; this calendar does not determine them.
What should I prepare for an assessment of my situation?
A list of all entries and exits for the relevant travel period, your actual address, details of any current or previous RVP, whether you have an employer and contract, and proposed dates for the next trip. This is a working checklist for an assessment, not the statutory RVP document list. Mention separately if you are travelling with children or family members have different statuses.
Your next step with KLC
If you want to stay on an employment basis, start with the questionnaire: Check your eligibility and get a personalised RVP document checklist. Select “Temporary residence in Kazakhstan”. It first provides an initial checklist to prepare for contacting us; the personal set is clarified during an individual assessment. A complex travel history, previous status or an overstay requires a separate assessment under the “Visas, temporary and permanent residence” service.
The questionnaire is not a border calculator and does not confirm the right to enter. Prepare the travel calendar described in this guide for a review of your dates.
Official sources
- Government of Kazakhstan Resolution No. 148: paragraphs 4, 6, 9 and 10 — periods of stay, exceptions, notification and obtaining an RVP through the receiving party.
- EAEU Treaty: Article 97, paragraphs 1, 5 and 9 — work without a separate permit, stay linked to a contract and early termination.
- Kazakhstan Ministry of Internal Affairs Order No. 992: Chapter 2 and Appendix 2 — RVP documents, submission, processing time and free service; version introduced by Order No. 454 of 29 June 2026.
- Kazakhstan Code of Administrative Offences: Article 517 — liability for migration-rule violations.