Starting September 1, 2025, new rules for issuing passports to Kazakh citizens abroad will come into effect. The corresponding order was signed by Kazakhstan's Minister of Foreign Affairs, Yermek Kosherbayev, according to infohub.kz.
The changes affect a wide range of people: citizens permanently residing abroad, students, those working under labor contracts, minors born outside Kazakhstan, and their family members. Additionally, the rules apply to family members of foreign citizens living abroad and relatives of diplomatic service employees. The list also includes elderly people, persons with disabilities, citizens caring for relatives who cannot care for themselves, as well as detainees, those in custody, or serving sentences abroad.
The order sets new deadlines for passport issuance through consular offices. If the consulate has access to a special digital system, the passport will be issued as part of a government service within 40 working days. If there is no access to the system, the deadline extends to 90 calendar days.
The procedure is as follows: after submitting the full package of documents, the consulate verifies the citizen's data and creates an electronic application in the system. Then the documents are sent to the Migration Service Committee of the Ministry of Internal Affairs, where verification takes five working days. If there are no errors, the application is forwarded for passport production. If discrepancies are found in the data, or issues with the photo or signature, the documents are returned for revision. Five working days are allotted for corrections, but if the citizen's personal participation is required, the deadline may be extended to ten working days.
There is a separate procedure for children under 14 who are getting a passport for the first time and do not have an IIN (Individual Identification Number). In this case, the consulate initiates the formation of an IIN, and the Ministry of Internal Affairs must issue it or refuse within two working days.
The rules also regulate service time at consulates: the wait when submitting documents should not exceed 30 minutes, and the actual service should not exceed 10 minutes.