Reports that from January 1, 2027, citizens of Kazakhstan and other countries of the Organization of Turkic States will be able to travel to each other's countries using only an identity card are untrue. This was stated by the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of Kazakhstan, according to infohub.kz.
A post making this claim appeared on Threads back in mid-September. It said that from January 1, 2027, citizens of Kazakhstan, Turkey, Azerbaijan, Uzbekistan and Kyrgyzstan would allegedly be able to travel between the countries without a passport — using only an identity card.
"Let the cooperation of the brotherly Turkic-speaking states continue to develop. Now in Istanbul you will be able to take photos with only your identity card," the post said.
The author also claimed that Turkey is considering providing tourists from Turkic-speaking countries with tickets to paid tourist attractions, such as Topkapi Palace and Hagia Sophia, at the same price as its own citizens or significantly cheaper than a regular tourist ticket.
Kazakhstan's Foreign Ministry told Kazinform that the possibility of mutual travel by citizens of the Organization of Turkic States using identity cards had indeed been discussed. However, no agreement has been reached between the countries yet.
"Currently, there is no consensus among the member states of the OTS regarding the implementation of this initiative. In this regard, the information that from January 1, 2027, a procedure for mutual travel of citizens of OTS countries using identity cards will be introduced is not confirmed," the ministry said in response to a request.
When such a procedure might be introduced is still unknown.
The Organization of Turkic States includes Kazakhstan, Azerbaijan, Kyrgyzstan, Turkey and Uzbekistan. Kazakhstan has a visa-free regime with all countries of the organization. However, Kazakhs can enter only Kyrgyzstan using an identity card. For travel to other countries, a passport is required.
The Foreign Ministry also said that Kazakhstan continues negotiations with Uzbekistan on the possibility of crossing the border using an identity card. Currently, a foreign passport is required for travel there, and the timeline for introducing the new procedure has not been determined.
Meanwhile, from November 22, 2025, Kazakhs can travel to Armenia using an identity card. The procedure applies to direct flights between the two countries, including on the routes Astana — Yerevan — Astana and Almaty — Yerevan — Almaty.