Kazakhstan steps forward on simplifying EU visa procedures
Kazakhstan and the EU are set to reach a final agreement on the visa matter during 2026, Kazakhstan’s Foreign Minister Yermek Kosherbayev said on the sidelines of the Mazhilis, the lower house of Kazakhstan’s parliament.
Journalists asked Kosherbayev whether the EU is being accommodating in the negotiations. In response, the official said that this issue is for bilateral discussion.
«This is not about who will win, but about how the sides view reaching a consensus,» he noted.
Kosherbayev added that the issue of visa-free travel to EU countries for Kazakhstani citizens remains open.
«You’ll find out later; we’re not rushing things right now,» he concluded.
Context
In 2023, then-Deputy Minister of Foreign Affairs Roman Vassilenko said that Kazakhstan was negotiating to reduce EU visa processing times. Kazakhstan unilaterally lifted visa requirements for EU nations in 2017.
In 2024, he stated that visa-free travel negotiations were planned to begin in 2025.
Previously, Kursiv.media reported that Vice President of the European Commission Kaja Kallas announced a process to simplify the visa regime between Kazakhstan and European countries during a meeting with President Kassym-Jomart Tokayev.
