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Nearly 900,000 citizens in Kazakhstan are currently prohibited from traveling abroad due to unpaid debts. This number has been steadily increasing, with a notable rise in individuals evading child support payments.

Rising Travel Restrictions

As of March 2026, the Unified Register of Debtors lists 874,400 individuals who are temporarily banned from leaving the country. This figure reflects intensified efforts by bailiffs in enforcing debt collection.

Compared to the same period last year, when 113,700 debtors faced restrictions, the number has now climbed to approximately 121,000.

Regional Breakdown and Alimony Issues

Geographically, the highest number of travel bans are concentrated in the Almaty region with 103,500 individuals, followed by the Turkestan region with 88,100, and the city of Astana with 85,800.

The issue of alimony evasion is particularly prominent. Currently, there are 290,700 ongoing alimony enforcement cases. Among these, 12,700 individuals are recognized as problematic debtors who consistently evade payments.

The total accumulated alimony debt has reached 18.2 billion tenge. The vast majority of these debtors, 97.01%, are men, while women constitute 2.99%.

Bankruptcy as a Way Out?

For some Kazakh citizens, declaring bankruptcy has become a means to lift travel bans. Personal bankruptcy automatically halts enforcement proceedings, including travel restrictions.

Last year, 658,500 enforcement cases were registered in favor of second-tier banks. Separate statistics for debts owed to microfinance organizations are not maintained.

How to Check and Pay Debts

To avoid encountering travel bans at the airport, citizens can settle their debts through applications like Kaspi.kz and Post.kz, or at 'Kazpost' terminals and the www.post.kz website. Once payment is made, including the bailiff's service fee, the restriction is typically lifted within 30 minutes.

Legislative Changes Underway

Discussions are underway to amend legislation. A proposed norm in the Parliament aims to automatically remove travel bans if the deadline for submitting an enforcement document has passed. This is expected to reduce instances where citizens are mistakenly listed as debtors.

Citizens can check for any existing travel bans against them on the Ministry of Justice website or through the eGov.kz portal.