- Capital
- Astana (TSE)
- Dialing Code
- + 7
- Time Zone
- GMT / UTC +5 to +6
- Language
- Kazakh and Russian
- Best Time to Go
- March – June & September - November
- Currency
- Kazakh Tenge (KZT)
Travel Tips
- English is spoken in the major tourist regions
- All water should be regarded as being potentially contaminated. Bottled water is available
- Kazakh’s are conservative in dress and behaviour. Women should keep their arms, legs and head covered when visiting mosques. Men should wear long pants. Formal dress should be worn to the theatre and dinner parties
Last updated 1 October 2026
Visa Guide
Foreign Representation in South Africa
Embassy of the Republic of Kazakhstan
226 Aries Street, Waterkloof Ridge, 0181
Telephone: 012 460 0086
E-mail: pretoria@mfa.kz
Website: www.gov.kz/memleket/entities/mfa-pretoria
Visa Submissions / Collections: Tuesdays & Thursday, 10:00 - 12:00
Public Holidays
2026
January: 1 - 2, 7
March: 8 - 9, 21 - 24
May: 1, 7, 9, 11, 27
July: 6
August: 30 - 31
October: 25
December: 16
Visa Requirements
SA Passport holders do require a visa
- Tourist & Business visas may be applied for online, if you have received an invitation number from the Kazakh side. Refer: vmp.gov.kz
- Visa applications must be submitted (in person or by a representative - they may NOT be emailed) to the Consular Section
Requirements
- completed visa application form & signed
- one photograph 3.4 x 4.5cm, affixed to visa form
- Invitation letter from the hosting tourist company in Kazakhstan, licensed for visa support purposes, and confirming arrangements made, hotel reservation confirmation, approved by Immigration services of Ministry of Internal Affairs of Kazakhstan
- Passport with 2 blank pages, and at least 3 months expirty beyond departure from Kazakhstan
Visa Processing Time
Approximately 5 working days from the time when all proper requirements have been met
Visa Cost
Tourist: 60 USD
Transit: 20 USD
Visa Forms
Health / Vaccinations
Compulsory:
Yellow Fever (Dependant on Country of Origin/Stopover)
Recommended Travel Vaccines:
Hepatitis A & B, Rabies, Typhoid, Tetanus, Polio
South African Representative Abroad
South Africa High Commission
7th Floor, Presidential Plaza Building, 62A Kosmonavtov Street, Astana City
Telephone: +7 7172 925326/7/8
E-mail: astana.consular@dirco.gov.za
Website: dirco1.azurewebsites.net/astana/
Accredited to Kyrgyzstan, Tajikistan & Turkmenistan