Visa and Registration for International Students Studying at IEC

According to the Constitution of the Republic of Kazakhstan and the Law of the Republic of Kazakhstan, every foreign citizen and stateless person entering Kazakhstan must obtain and fill out a migration card. The migration card must be filled out by the foreign citizen personally — legibly, without corrections, in Russian. If the foreign citizen does not speak Russian, they are allowed to fill out their personal details in the Latin alphabet according to the information in their passport or other identity document. The migration card must be filled out for each foreign citizen, regardless of age. In the "Purpose of arrival in the Republic of Kazakhstan" section, it must be specified: study.

A foreign citizen from a distant foreign country can enter Kazakhstan and study at IEC only on a student visa. The invitation is arranged by the IEC International Office in advance. The deadline for submitting necessary documents to the International Office is no later than 45 days before the planned entry into the country.

An international student at IEC must be registered with the migration authorities within five days of arrival in Kazakhstan.
To extend the registration, the international student must contact the International Office 30 days before the registration expiration date (if registration expires on September 1, the student must contact the office by August 25).

Within 1 working day after crossing the border of Kazakhstan, the international student must contact the International Office and provide the following documents:

a) National passport (original);
b) Migration card with the border crossing stamp (original + copy);

1. Any changes regarding the place of residence, contact information, or changes in status (obtaining a temporary residence permit, residence permit, or Kazakhstani citizenship) must be promptly reported to the staff of the International Office.

ATTENTION!
Foreign students are not allowed to engage in work activities in Kazakhstan. According to the Administrative Offenses Code of the Republic of Kazakhstan, failure to timely report to the migration authorities for registration is considered an administrative offense and is subject to a fine. In case of loss of documents, please immediately inform the staff of the International Office.
We kindly ask international students not to leave Kazakhstan during the academic year unless absolutely necessary.

Rules for the Stay of International Students at IEC in Kazakhstan

Registration of the stay of foreign citizens in Kazakhstan is regulated by Law No. 477-IV of July 22, 2011, "On Migration of Population."

International students of IEC who arrived in Kazakhstan under the visa-free regime, as well as students with a student visa, must submit their passports to the International Office on the day of arrival or the following day for further notification of the district migration authorities in Almaty about their arrival.

IMPORTANT!
Foreign students must register with the migration authorities in Almaty within 3 calendar days after crossing the border of Kazakhstan.

(Information from the website: https://egov.kz/cms/ru/articles/exit-entry_of_foreign_nationals)

IMPORTANT!
After the allowed stay period in Kazakhstan expires, international students must register with the migration authorities in Almaty and obtain a temporary residence permit (RVP). To do this, they must contact the International Office 30 days before the registration expires.

If traveling during the holidays or for other reasons, please notify the International Office 3 days before departure in writing, submitting an application and coordinating the departure with the Dean of the Faculty.

Upon returning to Almaty after winter and summer vacations, students must submit their passport to the International Office again for notifying the district migration authorities in Almaty about their arrival.

We inform you that leaving Kazakhstan during the academic year outside of vacation periods is only possible once per semester with the permission of the Dean of your faculty. To do this, you must submit a request to the International Office, justifying the reason for leaving during the academic term, and obtain the Dean's permission for departure. On the day of arrival in Kazakhstan, or the following day, you must contact the International Office and provide your original passport for notification of your arrival to the migration authorities in Almaty.

Before leaving for winter or summer vacations, international students from distant countries must arrange an entry-exit visa. Upon return to Almaty, students must submit their passport to the International Office within three working days to register with the migration authorities in Almaty.

In case of a change in the residential address, students must immediately inform the International Office (no later than 2 days) for timely re-registration with the migration authorities of Almaty.

Any changes regarding contact information, changes in status (obtaining temporary residence permits, residence permits, or Kazakhstani citizenship) should be promptly communicated to the International Office staff.

Foreign students are not allowed to engage in work activities in Kazakhstan. According to the Administrative Offenses Code of the Republic of Kazakhstan, failure to timely report to migration authorities for registration is considered an administrative offense and is subject to a fine, up to the extreme measure — deportation from the country.

In case of loss of documents, please immediately inform the staff of the International Office.

International students should take timely care of:

• Extending or replacing their national passport (6 months before the expiration date, they should extend/replace it);

• Restoring their passport in case of loss;

• In the event of passport extension or replacement, they must provide a copy of the new passport to the International Office.

While in Kazakhstan, students must always carry their passport, temporary residence registration certificate, student ID card, or certificate of enrollment in the university.

We kindly ask international students not to leave Kazakhstan during the academic year unless absolutely necessary.

In case of violation of the legislation of the Republic of Kazakhstan and/or the rules for staying in Kazakhstan, the student is fully financially responsible for their actions.