Kazakhstan changes entry rules for Russians with paid QazETA

Kazakhstan is revising border entry rules for Russian citizens, requiring Russian travelers to obtain a paid electronic entry permit and register a digital biometric profile starting November 30, 2026, the Foreign Intelligence Service of Ukraine (SZRU) said.

Kazakh President Kassym-Jomart Tokayev signed amendments to the law tightening migration controls along Kazakhstan’s vast border with Russia.

Under the new requirements, Russian citizens entering by land through certain major checkpoints must apply for an electronic authorization, known as a QazETA, at least 72 hours before travel.

The standard fee for electronic authorization is set at KZT 3,900 (about US$8.60). For travelers applying directly at border checkpoints without digital filing first, the fee will increase to 7,600 tenge (approximately $16.70). Persons attempting to enter without an approved permit face denial of entry and immediate deportation.

The digital system will first be rolled out at international airports on November 30 and will expand to international rail corridors and seaports by mid-December. The QazETA permit will be valid for 180 days, however Russian citizens will be limited to a cumulative stay of no more than 90 days during this period.

According to the NWRU, Kazakhstan has become the main destination for hundreds of thousands of Russian citizens fleeing military mobilization, combat duties and internal repression since the start of Russia’s full-scale invasion of Ukraine in 2022.

Other topics of interest

Putin insists on his peace terms and promises the capture of Donbass in 2026

Russian President Vladimir Putin insists he will end the war only on Russia’s terms, convinced his troops can capture all of Donbass by the end of 2026.

Many Russian expats have also used the Central Asian country as a base of operations for business and employment outside the reach of Western sanctions on Moscow. The intelligence service noted that the paid permit scheme actually creates a significant secondary revenue stream for the Kazakh state from the ongoing migration flow.

Regional fuel control

The introduction of stricter entry controls follows broader efforts by Astana to balance its ties with Moscow while protecting domestic economic stability.

In July, President Tokayev met with Russian President Vladimir Putin during the 22nd Russian-Kazakh Forum of Interregional Cooperation in Omsk, where Tokayev called on Moscow to freeze the conflict in Ukraine and return to the Istanbul 2.0 negotiating framework under security guarantees from major world powers.

During the meeting, Tokayev noted that the war is difficult to understand compared to regional conflicts with a specific historical origin, adding that ongoing hostilities are contrary to the broader interests of regional stability.

Migration changes in Astana also parallel previous administrative measures aimed at curbing cross-border economic arbitrage by Russian citizens. In mid-2026, Kazakhstan introduced restrictions, limiting the entry of passenger and commercial vehicles from neighboring states to once a day, in a bid to stop illegal “grey” exports of heavily subsidized fuel to Russia.

The move was prompted by acute fuel shortages at gas stations in northern border regions, including western Kazakhstan, Aktobe and Pavlodar, where Russian drivers were crossing the border in large numbers to buy AI-95 gasoline at prices almost 40% lower than in the Russian domestic market.