Talks on simplifying the Schengen visa process for Kazakh citizens are at an advanced stage and are continuing, Foreign Ministry spokesperson Zhanbolat Usenov said, according to infohub.kz.
According to the foreign policy ministry's representative, the details of the negotiations cannot be disclosed. "The talks are at an advanced stage and are continuing. We are grateful to our European partners for their understanding. On many issues we find that understanding. I hope that within a reasonable timeframe we will have a positive result," he added.
Journalists asked about the parties' positions on reducing the fee that Kazakh citizens pay when applying for the visa. They also noted a nuance involving the refund of part of the paid fee in the event of a reasoned refusal, and asked whether these provisions remained in the negotiation process.
"I cannot disclose the details of the negotiation process. But the issues you mention are ones we raise with literally every country with which we have visa relations and where Kazakh citizens still cannot travel visa-free. Our highest goal is always to secure a visa-free regime for Kazakh citizens in talks with another country. The intermediate goal is, of course, reducing visa fees, extending validity periods, cutting the number of documents and so on. This is discussed in negotiations with any country," he said.
Recall that in March 2025, President of Kazakhstan Qasym-Jomart Toqaev met with Kaja Kallas, the European Union's High Representative for Foreign Affairs and Security Policy. She then announced the start of the procedure to conclude an agreement on facilitating visa issuance between the European Commission and Kazakhstan.
Later, Kazakhstan's Foreign Ministry said the country had begun the first round of negotiations on a simplified visa regime with the European Union.
In March of this year, former Foreign Minister Yermek Kosherbayev spoke in the margins of the Mazhilis about the progress of talks with the European Union on simplifying the visa regime. In June, the Foreign Ministry announced that those talks had been completed.