You are the easiest case on this site, and that is worth knowing before you start paying anyone to make it complicated. A Kazakh passport gets you into Georgia for a year, your criminal record certificate is free and arrives the same day, and the apostille comes with it. What will catch you out is the Georgian sequence, not your own paperwork, and one regional assumption that does not survive the border.
Can you enter, and for how long?
Yes, and for a full year at a time. Kazakhstan sits at item 88 on the annex to the government resolution carrying Georgia's visa-free list, which permits entry and stay for one year, resettable by leaving and returning. We checked that list on 1 August 2026.
The universal conditions apply. Every visitor needs insurance with a minimum of GEL 30,000 in cover from 2026, and the 365-day visa-free stay permits presence and nothing else. It accrues nothing toward permanent residence, so the ten-year count does not begin until you hold a residence permit.
Your document chain is the shortest on this site
Kazakhstan has been a party to the Apostille Convention since 30 January 2001, so a single certificate replaces any consular chain. What makes it genuinely fast is that the state has digitised both halves of the job.
The certificate of the presence or absence of a criminal record is delivered by the General Prosecutor's Office through the "Government for Citizens" corporation, and the service on the electronic government portal issues the electronic version within minutes of the request, at no charge. Where additional verification is needed it runs to a few working days instead. The important part for an immigration file is that you can choose a paper copy with the apostille already attached in the same application, naming Georgia as the destination country and paying a nominal state fee, rather than making two separate journeys through two agencies.
That single design decision is why a Kazakh applicant assembles in days what an American spends three months on. Compare it against the police clearance procedures by country and the gap is stark.
The apostille authority depends on which body issued the paper, and the Hague Conference listing for Kazakhstan records nine of them, each able to delegate to its territorial offices.
| Document | Who apostilles it |
|---|---|
| Criminal record certificate | General Prosecutor's Office |
| Birth, marriage and divorce certificates, notarial acts | Ministry of Justice |
| Migration police documents and its archival records | Ministry of Internal Affairs |
| Diplomas and academic transcripts | The relevant education ministry |
| Court documents | The Judicial Administration |
Two practical points that are specific to Kazakh documents. Civil records may be issued in Kazakh or in Russian, and the version you hold is the version that gets apostilled and then translated into Georgian. There is no need to obtain a second-language original first. And check the Latin transliteration of your name on each certificate against your passport before paying for the apostille, because Kazakh and Russian source spellings convert differently and a mismatch is not repairable after the stamp. The rest of the apostille sequence is the same for everyone: stamp abroad, ship the paper original, translate and notarise in Georgia.
EAEU membership does nothing here
This is the one assumption worth correcting explicitly, because it is reasonable and it is wrong.
Within the Eurasian Economic Union, a national of one member state can work in another without a separate work permit. Georgia is not a member of the EAEU, is not a party to its labour mobility arrangements, and left the Commonwealth of Independent States in 2009. None of the regional shortcuts a Kazakh citizen may be used to in Moscow or Minsk operate in Tbilisi.
The practical consequence is that you stand on exactly the same terms as an Australian or a German. Since 1 March 2026 a Special Labour Permit is required to employ foreign staff in Georgia, to trade as an Individual Entrepreneur with Georgian clients, and as the first step on a work or IT residence permit. It is a separate approval from a separate authority and it comes before the residence permit rather than with it. Who is caught by the requirement, and the handful of genuine exemptions, is set out in who actually needs a work permit.
A three-year permit for IT professionals earning $25,000+ a year, with two years of experience behind them. Longer than any other work route.
See what it costs, from $450
Which route fits
For the technology and product workers who make up much of the flow out of Kazakhstan, the IT residence permit is usually the right answer. It asks for $25,000 of documented annual income and two years of relevant experience, and it grants three years rather than one, which removes two renewal cycles from your life. It carries a 183-day annual presence condition and the labour permit still sits in front of it. The full conditions, including what counts as IT work, are in the IT permit rules.
If you invoice clients rather than draw a salary, register as an Individual Entrepreneur first and use the registration and turnover as your evidence base. The company and tax side of that is handled by our sister site's guide to Individual Entrepreneur registration. It is the one step here that everyone takes; whether a labour permit follows depends on whether your clients are Georgian and on whether you want a residence card.
If you have capital rather than income, the property route at $150,000 needs no criminal record certificate and no labour permit at all, and the investment route at $300,000 reaches permanent residence in five years instead of ten. Unlike Russian and Belarusian applicants, you face no sanctions-driven obstacle to moving the money or opening a Georgian account: a Kazakh passport is treated as an ordinary commercial counterparty, and that quietly makes both capital routes easier for you than for your neighbours.
What Kazakhstan does when you leave
Very little, and the one thing it does is worth understanding properly.
There is no exit tax and no departure permission. Kazakh tax residency turns on 183 days in any rolling twelve-month period ending in the reporting period, or on the centre of vital interests. That is almost word for word the test Georgia applies under Article 34 of the Tax Code, which means a mid-year move can leave you resident in both countries for the same year rather than neither.
That collision is resolvable, because Georgia and Kazakhstan have had a double tax treaty in force since 5 July 2000 and it appears on the Georgian Ministry of Finance list of agreements. A treaty supplies tie-breaker rules, which is precisely what a dual-residence year needs. Do not assume the permit settles it: a residence permit and tax residence are separate tests, and the mechanics of counting the days are in the 183-day rule.
Kazakhstan's annual individual declaration falls due at the end of March for the previous year, with the tax settled in April. Someone who leaves during a tax period and does not return before that deadline may file early, covering the period up to departure, which is usually the cleaner way to close the file.
On citizenship, both ends refuse. Kazakhstan does not recognise dual nationality: acquiring another citizenship triggers a duty to notify the authorities within thirty calendar days and to surrender the Kazakh passport and identity card, and concealment carries a penalty. Georgia does not generally permit it either. The dual citizenship position therefore closes the naturalisation route for almost everyone, which makes permanent residence after ten years of continuous temporary residence the destination worth planning for.
Timeline and cost
Government fees are GEL 300 to GEL 600 by processing track plus GEL 60 for the card. The IT permit has its own schedule of GEL 500 on the 90-day decision or GEL 750 on the 60-day one, and the labour permit adds GEL 200 or GEL 400. Our fee is $450 on the work and IT routes and $570 on property.
Because your documents are quick, the binding constraint is the Georgian sequence rather than the Kazakh one. The labour permit decision takes up to 30 calendar days, the IT permit decision runs to 90, and the residence permit application has to be filed 40 calendar days before your lawful stay expires or it is refused review rather than assessed. The 40-day rule is the detail that catches people who assumed a fast document chain meant a fast application. Six to eight weeks is a realistic total if you start the labour permit first.
The verdict
Straightforward, and the most straightforward of the four post-Soviet origins we cover. No entry problem, no banking obstacle, a free and same-day police certificate with the apostille bundled in, a tax treaty in force, and civil documents that legalise cleanly in either language. The only two things to get right are dropping the EAEU assumption and respecting the Georgian order of operations. Neither costs money if you handle them at the start.
Key takeaways
- Kazakh citizens enter Georgia visa-free for 365 days, confirmed against the government list on 1 August 2026.
- The criminal record certificate is free on egov.kz and the apostille can be ordered in the same application, naming Georgia as the destination.
- The General Prosecutor's Office apostilles that certificate. Civil registry documents go to the Ministry of Justice instead.
- EAEU membership and CIS history give you nothing in Georgia. The Special Labour Permit rules that have applied since 1 March 2026 reach you like anyone else.
- Georgia and Kazakhstan use almost identical 183-day residency tests, and the treaty in force since 5 July 2000 is what resolves a dual-residence year.
- Neither country permits dual citizenship, so permanent residence rather than naturalisation is the realistic endgame.
- Your bottleneck is the Georgian sequence, not your documents. Start with the labour permit.
Frequently asked questions
Do Kazakh citizens need a visa for Georgia?
No. Kazakhstan appears on the annex to the government resolution listing visa-exempt countries, with entry and stay permitted for one full year at a time and a reset on re-entry. We checked that on 1 August 2026. Every visitor must also hold insurance with at least GEL 30,000 of cover.
How do I get a Kazakh police certificate for a Georgian residence permit?
Through the electronic government portal. The certificate of the presence or absence of a criminal record is issued by the General Prosecutor's Office, costs nothing in electronic form, and usually arrives within minutes. Request the paper version with the apostille attached in the same application and name Georgia as the destination country.
Can Kazakh citizens work in Georgia without a permit under EAEU rules?
EAEU rules do nothing for you either way, because Georgia is not a member and is not party to its labour mobility arrangements. The ordinary Georgian rule applies instead: since 1 March 2026 a Special Labour Permit is required to employ foreign staff here, to trade as an Individual Entrepreneur with Georgian clients, and as the first step on a work or IT residence permit. Remote work for clients outside Georgia engages none of those.
Is there a double tax treaty between Georgia and Kazakhstan?
Yes, in force since 5 July 2000 and listed by the Georgian Ministry of Finance among 58 agreements. It matters more here than for most nationalities because Kazakhstan and Georgia apply almost the same 183-day rolling residency test, so a mid-year move can make you resident in both places and the treaty is what breaks the tie.
Which Georgian residence permit is best for a Kazakh IT worker?
The IT residence permit, if you can document $25,000 of annual income and two years of relevant experience. It runs three years rather than one and carries a 183-day annual presence condition. A Special Labour Permit still has to be granted first, so budget for two applications in sequence rather than one.
Can a Kazakh citizen open a bank account in Georgia?
Yes, on ordinary commercial terms. A Kazakh passport carries none of the sanctions-driven friction that Russian and Belarusian applicants encounter, so account opening is a normal onboarding process rather than a compliance obstacle. Having a residence permit and a registered Georgian address makes it more straightforward again.
Do my Kazakh documents need to be in Kazakh or Russian for Georgia?
Either is fine. Whichever language the original was issued in is the version that gets apostilled and then translated into Georgian by a translator here. There is no need to obtain a second-language original first. Check that the Latin transliteration of your name matches your passport before you pay for the apostille.
How much does a Georgian residence permit cost for a Kazakh applicant?
The same as for anyone else. Government fees run GEL 300 to GEL 600 by processing track plus GEL 60 for the card, and the IT permit has its own schedule of GEL 500 or GEL 750. Our fee is $450 on the work and IT routes and $570 on property. Kazakh document costs are close to nothing by comparison.
Can Kazakh citizens get Georgian citizenship?
Only by giving up Kazakh citizenship. Kazakhstan does not recognise dual nationality and requires notification within thirty calendar days of acquiring another, with surrender of the passport and identity card. Georgia does not generally permit it either, so permanent residence after ten years of continuous residence is the realistic destination for almost everyone.
How long does the whole process take for a Kazakh applicant?
Six to eight weeks is realistic if you start with the labour permit. Your documents are the fast part; the Georgian sequence is not. The labour permit decision takes up to 30 calendar days, the residence permit application has to be filed 40 calendar days before your lawful stay expires, and the IT route adds a longer decision period on top.
