Kazakhstan- Business Travel Kazakhstan- Business Travel
Business Customs
Kazakhstan draws on a combination of Russian and Central Asian cultural influences, and customs may depend on the ethnicity of the person with whom you are meeting. It is customary to shake hands and call people by their first name and patronymic (adaptation of the father’s first name) at business meetings and at informal gatherings, though use of just the first name is also acceptable. Business attire is generally a suit and tie for men, and a suit or business dress for women. Refreshments are usually served at business meetings - coffee, tea and water are the norms. Small gifts (pens, company logo pins, portfolios, and books) are frequently given at the end of an initial meeting as a token of appreciation. Business cards are the norm, often printed in both Russian and English.
Scheduling meetings can be difficult, but this is also the norm. It can sometimes take weeks to get a response to an email, fax, or a telephone message request for a meeting. Once contact has been established, patience is still required to confirm a date and time to meet. It is not uncommon for meetings to be cancelled with no explanation. Since traffic is a problem in Almaty and Nur-Sultan, company representatives appreciate meeting at their office locations, but are not averse to accepting an invitation for a lunch meeting.Kazakhstani businessmen are generally less direct than American businessmen. What can be accomplished in a few meetings in the U.S. might take more in Kazakhstan, requiring patience and discipline on the part of the American. An experienced and competent interpreter can be invaluable to your business meetings.
Though Kazakhstanis tend to be Muslim, business travelers with experience in Islamic countries will find the country to be very secular, and many practices that exist elsewhere are not widely observed here, although this is slowly changing. It is quite common for ethnic Kazakhs and Uighurs to consume alcohol at dinner functions or receptions.
Travel Advisory
Please see the U.S. Department of State Travel Advisory for Kazakhstan.
Visa Requirements
A valid passport is required. The Embassy of Kazakhstan in Washington, D.C., and the Consulate of Kazakhstan in New York issue visas.
The Embassy of Kazakhstan
1401 16th Street NWWashington, DC 20036
Telephone (202) 232-5488 or 550-9617,
Fax (202) 232-5845
The Kazakhstani Consulate in New York
866 United Nations Plaza; Suite 586 A
New York, NY 10017
(212) 230-1900 or 230-1192
The Kazakhstani Consulate in San Francisco
580 California Street, Office 1220
San Francisco, CA 94104
(415) 568-2160
On January 1, 2017, the Kazakhstani government implemented visa waiver program that allows U.S. citizen travelers to enter Kazakhstan for most purposes of travel (excluding employment and engaging in religious activities) without a visa for stays up to 30 days. During this period, business travelers may extend their stays for one month and investors may extend their stays for up to three years respectively without leaving Kazakhstan under certain circumstances. U.S. citizens wishing to visit Kazakhstan for longer than fifteen days will be required to obtain a visa.
Since December 27, 2016, the U.S. and Kazakhstan began issuing ten-year multiple-entry visas on a reciprocal basis to applicants traveling for tourism, business, diplomatic and official travel, education/participation in exchange programs, and journalism. An invitation is no longer required for business and tourist visas. The U.S. Embassy in Nur-Sultan and the U.S. Consulate General in Almaty cannot provide any visa assistance to those interested in private travel to Kazakhstan.
Travelers may be asked to provide proof at the border of their subsequent travel arrangements. Travelers should be aware that those overstaying the validity period of a visa or the visa waiver pilot program’s 30-day limit may face possible fines, imprisonment up to 15 days, and delays upon exit.
Most visa categories cannot be extended in Kazakhstan. Exceptions to this rule are student visas, visas for medical treatment, visas for permanent residents of Kazakhstan, and work visas, which can be extended in Kazakhstan up to the expiration date of the holder’s work permit, a separate document issued only in Kazakhstan. Business visas can be extended domestically if the traveler is in Kazakhstan at the invitation of the Government of Kazakhstan, a diplomatic mission, or international organization in Kazakhstan.
Registration of U.S. passports is conducted at the same time as the issuance of the visa in one of Kazakhstan's embassies and consulates abroad or at the time of a border crossing. At airports and border posts, Kazakhstani immigration officers present travelers with a white registration card. Travelers must retain this card throughout their stay in Kazakhstan. Two stamps on the card indicate that the traveler is registered. If the card contains only one stamp, the traveler must register with the Migration Police within five days. All registrations are valid for three months, regardless of where they are issued. To extend your registration beyond three months, or if you are not sure if you have been properly registered at the time of visa issuance or border crossing, please contact your local office of the Department of Migration Police.
Foreigners must inform the Migration Police of changes of address. Penalties for violating registration rules include imprisonment for up to 15 days, and deportation.
Some HIV/AIDS restrictions exist for visitors to and foreign residents of Kazakhstan. Visitors applying for a work or residency permit, required for U.S. citizens who wish to spend more than 6 months in Kazakhstan, must submit negative HIV test results with their application to the Migration Police in the city where they intend to work or reside. The results must be less than three months old. The city HIV clinic in the place of registration can conduct the test or may certify test results performed abroad. If the original test results are in a language other than Russian or Kazakh, they must be accompanied by an official translation. If a foreigner tests positive for HIV in Kazakhstan, he or she must depart the country. Please verify this information with the Embassy of Kazakhstan before you travel.
Inviting Your Business Contacts to the United States
The Embassy supports business travel to the United States by making the U.S. visa process as efficient and transparent as possible. We encourage travelers to apply for U.S. visas 4-6 weeks before their planned departure to allow time for any special processing requirements or seasonal delays. Kazakhstani citizens wishing to renew a business or tourist visa who have been fingerprinted within the last 12 months are strongly urged to utilize the Embassy’s Interview Waiver Program (IWP). For more information on U.S. visa requirements and validity, please consult either the U.S. Embassy website, or U.S. Department of State.
Currency
The currency of the Republic of Kazakhstan is Tenge (KZT). There is a currency exchange kiosk located at Nur-Sultan and Almaty airports and in many places across the city. Most banks are open from 09:00 AM to 6:00 PM from Monday to Friday. Major international debit/credit cards including Visa and MasterCard are accepted in most hotels, major department stores, restaurants and supermarkets. Small businesses and family-run stores may not accept bank cards, so it is useful to keep a moderate amount of cash on hand.Exchange rate (May 31, 2019)
1USD = 381.69 KZT
Telecommunications/Electronics
Telephone coverage in Kazakhstan remains less than universal and Internet connections are not ideal especially in remote areas, but there is significant progress in providing high speed internet in the largest cities of the country. As in developing countries with poor telecommunications infrastructure and regulations, the number of cellular users has surpassed the number of landlines. Kazakhstan has a well-developed mobile network infrastructure. There are three (Kcell, Beeline, Tele2) major mobile operators in Kazakhstan providing services in GSM standard. Most business travelers with roaming capabilities will have no problem using mobile phones here. Both land line and cellular rates in Kazakhstan are higher than in Europe, especially for domestic long distance and international calls. VoIP services such as Skype, WhatsApp, and Viber have become popular during the last few years in Kazakhstan.
Business travelers can obtain Internet access via most hotels, but at a price. Wi-Fi at cafes is becoming more and more common in Almaty, including at shopping and entertainment facilities and at the Almaty airport. Many expatriates living in larger cities still find it difficult to get high-speed Internet access. Even after getting ADSL lines installed, many expatriates complain that speeds obtained are far from what was advertised by the provider.
Transportation
Though Kazakhstan’s capital moved to Astana (now Nur-Sultan) in 1997, Almaty remains the country’s business hub. Business travelers tend to arrive into Almaty via Frankfurt, Amsterdam or London, though there are also several other international connections. Kazakhstan’s national airline, Air Astana, has a fairly modern fleet of Airbuses and Boeings along with direct flights from major European cities such as London so is an alternative to European airlines. It is roughly a 5-7 hour flight from Europe.
In-country travel is accomplished by utilizing the national airline, Air Astana. Some smaller scale companies also offer limited services within Kazakhstan. There is also a high-speed, overnight train between Almaty and Astana.For inner-city transportation, companies are strongly advised to use licensed taxi services. Popular mobile phone applications such as Uber and Yandex Taxi are also widely used in Kazakhstan. Companies can also hire private drivers at a reasonable cost. For a list of driving service providers, see the U.S. Embassy Commercial Section’s Business Service Providers’ listing.
Language
Despite a national movement to encourage the use of the Kazakh language, Russian is still widely used, especially in business. Both Kazakh and Russian languages appear on road signs, at stores and on product packaging. In accordance with the adopted “Kazakhstan’s Development Strategy 2050”, a policy of trilingualism is actively pursued, aimed at developing not only Kazakh, but Russian and English languages by the people of Kazakhstan Today English is one of Kazakhstan’s three official languages and occasionally appears on some signs. Travelers will also find that English skills are quite strong in the service industries. Though good interpreters demand a premium price, business travelers are well advised to ensure they have a qualified interpreter in business meetings.
In October 2017 Kazakhstan President signed and amended in 2018 a decree for transition of Kazakh alphabet from Cyrillic to Latin script. The deadline to complete the transition is 2025.U.S. firms exploring the market are encouraged to hire local interpreters to assist ensure accurate communication with potential partners/buyers in the market. For a list of local translation and interpretation service providers, see the U.S. Embassy Commercial Section’s Business Service Providers’ listing.
Health
Current health information for travelers can be found at:https://wwwnc.cdc.gov/travel/destinations/traveler/none/kazakhstan.
Local Time, Business Hours and Holidays
Eastern Kazakhstan (which includes Almaty and Nur-Sultan) is 10 or 11 hours ahead of EST, depending on the time of year (Kazakhstan does not practice day light savings). Business hours are normally 9:00 a.m. – 6:00 p.m..Local holidays can be found on the Embassy’s website but travelers are also advised to confirm dates with contacts in Kazakhstan. If a holiday falls on a Tuesday or Thursday, the Government of Kazakhstan may elect to make the preceding Monday or following Friday a holiday as well, thereby linking the holiday to the weekend.
Temporary Entry of Materials or Personal Belongings
ATA Carnets cannot be used for the temporary entry of materials into Kazakhstan. Certain goods that are imported temporarily are fully or partially exempt from payment of customs duties and taxes. These include professional equipment, goods imported for demonstration purposes, shipping containers, and advertising materials. A firm importing goods for a temporary period should provide Customs with documents containing the description and value of the goods, and a written confirmation stating that the goods will be sent out of Kazakhstan after a defined period.
Travel Related Web Resources
Please see the U.S. Department of State’s Travel Information for Kazakhstan.
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