Kazakhstan. 2/3 month visas available ?
 

Hi there,

I am currently prepping for my next ( bicycle ) ride across Europe & Asia.
I'd like to reach Uzbekistan and Tajikistan next summer, cycling through Eastern Europe, Russia & Kazakhstan.
The visas are a pain, but overall it is getting better.
My Russian business visa is being processed and I should be OK.
Kazakhstan is more of a problem though. It is a very large country and I will need more than the regular 30 days to cross it ( I hail from the EU ).
Has anyone here tried to get a long term Kazakh visa ?
And if successful how ?
I am shooting for 2 or 3 months.
Regards,

L.

Thanks, but checked it already.
I am looking for first or second hand advice from people who've actually done it...

Back in 2011 (so before visa-free travel), I got a two month, double entry tourist visa, but each stay was limited to 30 days as far as I recall.

Try posting on the Caravanistan forum. Very few people bother to spend much time in the country (which is a shame as I think it's the most interesting of the five Central Asian ex-USSR republics).

You could also contact a tour agent like Real Russia as you'll probably need an offcial invitation of sorts to get a longer visa for Kazakhstan.

And there's always the seemingly unconventional practice of contacting the people who issue visas, i.e. your nearby consular representation.

EO

Thanks EO.
I am cycling, so I always need more time !
I've checked and posted on a bunch of forums ( including Caravanistan ) but can't get first hand advice.
Just leads that aren't taking me very far so far:-).
I also contacted travel/visa agents in KZ but they can't help.
I am going through a visa agency here in France for the Russian visa ( one year, 3 month multiple entry ) but they have no experience sorting out the Kazakh bureaucracy.
I will be trekking up to Paris next week and I will pay a visit to the Kazakh Embassy. See what they have in store for slow travelers.

Take a look at this:

https://realrussia.co.uk/Visas/Kazakhstan

EO

Both visa sites say the same thing so I'm not sure how personal experience would help you. One avenue you might like to explore is routing through cities with airports, because you can leave the country then re-enter the same day with another 30 days being granted. Not the cheapest perhaps but if you want more time there I suspect it's the only legal way. When I worked in Almaty it was common for people to jump on flights to Bishkek and back just to renew their permit to stay.

Thanks EO and Tomkat.
Realrussia does list a number of tourist visas but they're all ( and ONLY ) valid for stays up to 30 days. When your time's up you have to leave. And then you may cross back. Kind of a very legal visa run :-).
Coming from Russia and heading down to UZ I think I can cover 2/3rds of the way within 30 days.
I guess I could just leave the bike safely somewhere, hop on a Tashkent-bound bus or train and head back the same way the day after.