Zhanbolat Usenov, the official spokesperson for the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of the Republic of Kazakhstan, gave a series of recommendations to Kazakh citizens traveling abroad during a briefing at the ministry, according to infohub.kz.
Usenov emphasized that Kazakh citizens have repeatedly found themselves in difficult situations abroad due to ignorance of the laws of the host country, failure to comply with or unawareness of migration, visa, transit, and customs requirements of foreign states.
The most common problems are Kazakh citizens overstaying their permitted stay, attempting to transport prohibited or undeclared goods, and failing to comply with transit and stay rules in foreign countries.
"We would like to urge our compatriots to carefully study the legislation, visa and migration requirements of the destination country, as well as transit states, before traveling abroad. Particular attention must be paid to the validity periods of passports, visas, residence permits, and other documents. In addition, we recommend obtaining medical insurance, purchasing airline tickets only through official services, complying with airline requirements for baggage and transit, not handing over your documents to third parties, and not carrying other people's bags, parcels, or other items whose contents you do not reliably know," the Foreign Ministry representative said.
Citizens traveling abroad for work, study, or treatment were advised to verify in advance the legality of all necessary documents, invitations, employment contracts, and permits.
"It is also crucial to check arrangements with organizers of group trips and to plan for emergency situations. A recent high-profile example is the situation where about 200 Kazakh students were left without a roof over their heads in the United States," Usenov added.
It was noted that Kazakhstan's diplomatic and consular missions provide citizens with necessary assistance within their competence. At the same time, responsibility for complying with the laws of the host country and meeting established requirements rests directly with the citizen.