Kazakhstan immigration pathways — January 2025 snapshot

Kazakhstan's official visa framework distinguishes remote foreign-source work, local employment, qualified self-employment, entrepreneurship, investment, and permanent-residence-oriented talent routes.

Route map

• Neo Nomad Visa (B12-1)
• Digital Nomad IT Visa (B9-1)
• In-Demand Profession PR Visa (B9)
• Employment Visa (C3)
• Qualified Self-Employment Visa (C4)
• Business Immigrant Visa (C5)
• Investor Visa (A5)
• Investor Visa (A6)

Digital nomads and remote workers

Kazakhstan had two very different nomad-branded routes by January 2025. B12-1 Neo Nomad is for people earning stable foreign-source income and does not authorize Kazakhstan employment. B9-1 Digital Nomad is an IT-specialist route oriented toward obtaining permanent residence.

Freelancers and self-employed professionals

There is no unrestricted local freelancer visa. C4 is limited to qualified self-employment in in-demand professions within priority sectors and requires a qualification-compliance certificate.

Entrepreneurs and startup founders

C5 is the official business-immigrant route for entrepreneurial activity. The Tier-1 sources reviewed for this snapshot do not identify a separate general startup-founder visa. Founders must map their real activity to C5, investment routes, or employment routes rather than rely on a marketing label.

Investors

A5 and A6 are distinct. A5 is tied to specified investment-activity roles and certain AIFC investment-residency participants. A6 is for foreign businesspersons whose qualifying investment exceeds USD 300,000. Neither should be described as automatic citizenship or automatic permanent residence.

Skilled workers and permanent residence

Local employment generally uses C3. Skilled professionals in official in-demand occupations may use the B9 permanent-residence-oriented route, while qualifying IT specialists may use B9-1.

Before acting, reconfirm current rules with the competent Kazakhstan authority. See Asia, work visas, business visas, investor visas, methodology, and legal disclaimer.

Published pathways