In brief: the host must notify the internal affairs authorities about a foreign national staying with them within three working days of arrival. When the temporary place of residence changes, the host must also notify the authorities within three working days. These are two situations expressly covered by the Rules approved by Resolution No. 148. [1]
The notification is submitted by the host, not by the guest in the host’s place. The guest should establish in advance who will do this, provide accurate information and obtain confirmation. The notification itself is not a temporary residence permit (RVP) and does not add days to the permitted stay.
This guide is for foreign nationals visiting Kazakhstan temporarily, including Russian citizens, and the people or organisations hosting them. Special regimes, such as diplomatic arrangements, and the registration of permanently resident foreign nationals are outside its scope. Legal requirements and our recommendations for checking the result are identified separately below.
Who must notify the authorities of arrival
The law defines a host as a citizen of Kazakhstan, a foreign national or stateless person permanently residing in Kazakhstan, or a legal entity registered in Kazakhstan, who requests an invitation for an immigrant to reside temporarily and/or provides accommodation. The host is therefore not necessarily the employer or the person who bought the ticket. [2]
A practical starting point is to agree on notification with the party actually hosting you and providing accommodation. For an ordinary stay, this may be a hotel, an apartment host meeting the legal definition, or a relative. Booking through a platform does not, on its own, establish who has fulfilled the duty.
| Situation | Who to agree on notification with | What the guest should check |
|---|---|---|
| Checking into a hotel | The administration acting on behalf of the host | Whether notification has been submitted for you specifically, for this visit and at the hotel’s address |
| Staying in an apartment or with relatives | The person or organisation providing accommodation and meeting the definition of a host | Who submits it, which actual address they give and how they will provide confirmation |
| Arriving for work | The employer and, separately, the accommodation provider if they are different parties | Who handles the address-related notification; an employment contract does not itself confirm submission |
| Moving from a hotel to an apartment | The host at the new temporary address | Whether a change-of-residence notification has been submitted, rather than merely keeping the hotel’s document |
If different organisations handle the invitation and accommodation, do not leave matters at “the other party will do it”. Agree on who is responsible and, if anything is unclear, ask the migration service unit about the procedure. This table is a recommendation for organising the steps, not a replacement for the statutory definition of a host.
The deadline after entry and after moving
Paragraph 9 of the entry rules specifies three working, not calendar, days from arrival. The final paragraph of clause 10 separately specifies three working days when the temporary place of residence changes. Do not replace these rules with “72 hours” or confuse them with the permitted period of stay in the country. [1]
KLC practical advice: agree to submit on the day of check-in or the next working day, without waiting for the last possible date. Around public holidays and rescheduled days off, check the official working calendar. If the start date itself is disputed, clarify it with the migration service rather than deriving it from when the ticket was purchased.
Paragraph 9 does not identify a short trip, in itself, as a reason not to notify: do not agree to “stay for three days first and then decide”. On a new entry, arrange notification of the new arrival; the previous confirmation relates to earlier information, even if the apartment is the same.
The existence of border-crossing data does not resolve the matter either: paragraph 9 provides for records based on information from both hosts and border checkpoints. For a Russian citizen, the 90/180 rule is a separate issue. See the detailed guide to the permitted stay without an RVP.
What to prepare before submission
The Rules provide for records based on identity documents. Electronic and in-person submission methods differ; the following list is information to prepare and cross-check, not an approved universal list of mandatory attachments. The host must check the exact fields and attachments in the chosen official channel. [1]
- First and last names, date of birth, nationality and details of the document used to record the guest. Check the spelling against the document rather than relying on memory.
- The actual arrival date; when moving, also the date of moving into the new address. Do not substitute the date of a new lease for the border-crossing date.
- The complete actual temporary residential address, including the apartment number where applicable.
- The purpose of the visit and expected period of residence, so that the host can correctly complete the relevant fields if requested.
- The host’s details and contact information, and an agreement on who will pass the submission result to the guest.
An individual identification number (IIN), lease or employment contract is not proof that notification has already been sent. Do not ask a guest to hand someone else an electronic digital signature key: for the electronic method provided by the Rules, the host uses their own personal electronic digital signature (EDS).
Where the host submits the notification
Paragraph 4 of the migration-control rules, approved by the same Resolution No. 148, provides for the following channels: [1]
- The Visa and Migration Portal of the Berkut Unified Information System through vmp.gov.kz or eGov, using the host’s personal EDS.
- Direct submission to a migration service unit; the Rules also provide for sending information by post.
- The eQonaq system, for its users. This is another recognised channel, not a reason to assume that any guest can independently fulfil the accommodation host’s duty on their behalf.
Before submitting, check that you have selected the service for notifying the authorities of a foreign national’s stay, rather than an invitation, an RVP application or an extension of the permitted stay. These actions serve different purposes.
This guide does not give instructions for unverified account-interface buttons: check the current interface for authentication steps and available fields. If online submission fails, save the error message and promptly ask the migration service which method is available. A website failure is not itself proof that the duty has been fulfilled and does not automatically extend the deadline.
Three working days is the host’s notification deadline, not a promise of three-day processing or document preparation. If a paid intermediary arranges submission, agree separately on their work and price; payment to an intermediary must not be treated as confirmation of notification.
How to check the result: five points
Ask the host to provide confirmation from the channel used. Its form may vary: an electronic result, a reference number and submission status, or a stamped document for an in-person submission. Do not treat a screenshot of completed fields or a saved draft as a completed submission.
KLC checklist — not an additional list of legal requirements:
- Check the name and document details: the confirmation must relate to this specific guest.
- Check the arrival information and current address. After a move, a document with the old address does not answer whether notification has been made for the new one.
- Check who is named as the host, if the result contains that field.
- Make sure there is an indication of actual submission, not just a draft, an incomplete signature or an error message. If the status is unclear, the host should clarify it with the service or migration service unit.
- Save the result, reference number and submission date, along with the responsible person’s contact details. If there is an error, ask the host to clarify the correction procedure; do not edit the received document yourself.
A useful message to the accommodation host: “Please confirm who will submit the notification of my arrival. I will provide my document details, date and address. After submission, please send the result or reference number with the status so that I can check the information.” This is a practical message template, not an official form.
Example: hotel, apartment and a new trip
You arrive in Almaty, stay at a hotel and then move to a rented apartment. You later leave Kazakhstan and return to the same apartment after some time.
First event — checking into the hotel. Agree on arrival notification with the administration and obtain confirmation. Do not treat payment for the room as proof of submission.
Second event — moving. At the new temporary place of residence, the host must notify the internal affairs authorities within three working days. The hotel notification does not replace information about the new address. Clarify who submits the apartment information and check the result again.
Third event — a new arrival after leaving. Arrange notification for the new trip with the host and provide the current dates. Separately check your right to enter and your remaining permitted stay: notification does not “reset” the days of stay.
The point of this example is to keep records by event — “arrival → move → new arrival” — rather than keep one document as indefinite confirmation for every trip. This is a practical application of paragraphs 9 and 10, not a description of a separate government service.
If notification was not submitted or an error is found
First establish what happened: no notification was sent, it was sent with incorrect information, or its status is unclear. Keep the actual arrival and residence dates, previous submission confirmations, the error message and correspondence with the host.
The host should contact the migration service promptly to clarify how to provide the information or correct the record. Do not give fictitious dates or try to conceal a missed deadline with a new agreement. Late submission does not mean the original breach automatically disappears.
Article 518 of the Code of Administrative Offences distinguishes between violations. Under part 1, including failure to inform on time, individuals receive a warning; officials, small businesses and non-profit organisations face 10 monthly calculation indices (MRP), medium-sized businesses 15 MRP, and large businesses 20 MRP. Part 3 sets different sanctions for repeated acts within a year after a penalty is imposed. Providing accommodation to a foreign national who is violating migration law is dealt with separately in part 2. It is therefore incorrect to promise “only a warning for everyone”. The authorised authority determines the specific classification. [3]
The notification duty rests with the host, but this does not release the guest from complying with their own conditions of stay. If the permitted period has expired, the visit’s purpose does not match the actual activity, or there is an RVP issue, two matters must be addressed separately: notification and the lawfulness of the stay. Do not expect an address correction alone to resolve the second problem.
What to do next
Before travelling, identify the actual host. After checking in, provide the information and verify the notification result. When moving, repeat the check for the new address. At the same time, monitor the permitted duration and basis of your stay.
If you plan to work under an employment contract, use the separate employment-based RVP checklist. If choosing between temporary and permanent residence, see the RVP and permanent residence comparison.
KLC’s assistance is described under “Visas & Residence Permits”. To choose your next route, you can select a service and get an initial document list. The questionnaire does not submit a notification or confirm compliance with the deadline; the personalised document set and scope of assistance are clarified during an individual review.
Official sources
[1] Government of Kazakhstan Resolution No. 148 of 21 January 2012: paragraphs 6, 9 and 10 of the entry and stay rules; paragraph 4 of the migration-control rules. The deadline, change of address, identity document and notification channels were checked.
[2] Kazakhstan Law “On Population Migration”: article 1, subparagraph 10-1 — definition of a host.
[3] Kazakhstan Code of Administrative Offences: article 518, parts 1–3 — host liability and distinctions between offences.
The source versions were checked on 11 September 2026. If the rules change, use the current official text; recommendations for organising submission do not replace a migration service decision.