My preparation to Kazakhstan

After I decided to travel to Kazakhstan, it's time for the visa application. Luckily, since October 2015, the Taiwanese Passport Holders can apply for single entrance visa upon arrival with the LOI (visa support) in the Airport of Almaty, Astana, Aktau, Atyrau and Uralsk.

Visa Support (Letter of Invitation, LOI) is a document which proves that you have a sponsor in Kazakhstan for your full stay within the territory. Advantour, Caravanistan and Stantours are three most common agencies people usually consult for the Visa Support Letter. As most of the agencies will ask the visitor to book a full package through them (the full stay accommodation, tours and the transportation in Kazakhstan), thus, I applied my LOI through Stantours (info@stantours.com), and I booked the hotel through booking.com. If the staying in Kazakhstan exceeds more than 5 days, the OVIR (Registration in the Police Office) is a must, otherwise, a fine will be charged while departing the country.

Now it's time for the flight booking. Air Astana was my first choice, as there is a direct flight Hong Kong to Almaty every Tuesday and Friday, and the cost is very reasonable, so I had no hesitation to pay for my mysteriously exciting trip.

When you got your flight ticket and hotel booking done, you can start to proceed the visa support procedures. Please note that the earliest issuance of the LOI can only be 1.5 months to the latest 14 days before your arrival to Kazakhstan, so please organise well your time for it. Stantours is very efficient, but the LOI price varies upon different circumstances. It takes usually 7-14 working days for the issuance. The scan of LOI will be sent via Email to you, and a printed copy will be needed when you apply for the visa. The fee of visa upon arrival also varies depends on the circumstances. You will see a consular section window once you arrive Almaty airport, there you can hand in all the documents (LOI, one application form: http://www-pub.iaea.org/mtcd/meetings/PDFplus/2009/cn172/cn172_VisaForm.pdf, two photos within 6 months, and your migration card) for the visa application. It does not take so long, just need to prepare the exact amount of fees in case they have no changes.

I also asked for the support from Stantours for my OVIR (as they sponsored my full stay there), and reminder that under some circumstances, the passport needs to be given to the agent for two working days unless you have a ticket which proves you're leaving to another city, thus, the procure of OVIR can be speeded up.

Well, now it's time to discover Almaty City!!