Living in Kazakhstan as a French National: Cities, Stay, School, Safety and Daily Life

Kazakhstan has more than 20 million inhabitants, nearly 60% of them urban, for a density of 7 inhabitants per square kilometre. Life expectancy is about 74 years and the literacy rate 99.6%. Kazakh is the State language and Russian an official language, dominant in the large northern cities such as Astana and Almaty, where English is relatively well understood. The majority religion is Hanafi Sunni Islam (70.2%), ahead of Orthodox Christianity (26%). The currency is the tenge. The country is a secular State where religious tolerance is the rule and where proselytism is strongly discouraged.

The constraints lie in distances, the state of some secondary roads, a harsh winter and precise registration formalities. The page on the healthcare system in Kazakhstan details the care on offer and the page on healthcare reimbursement in Kazakhstan explains who pays depending on your status.

The capital, Astana (about 1.5 million inhabitants), is home to the French embassy (62 Kosmonavtov Street) and the consular section. Almaty (about 2.3 million) is the former capital, still the economic and cultural centre; the French consulate general is there (77 Kunaev Street) and also covers Kyrgyzstan. France Diplomatie also cites Karaganda, Atyrau, Aktau, Pavlodar and Shymkent.

• Astana: administration, State-owned companies and the French international school; street crime is low in the centre, with a visible police presence and many cameras.
• Almaty: the city most exposed to seismic risk in the country, which was razed twice in the last century; ticks are particularly numerous in the region from April to June.
• Atyrau and Aktau: towns of the west, linked to hydrocarbons, whose export accounts for nearly half of the value of the country’s exports.

Several popular sites in the Almaty region (Almaty lake, Charyn canyon, Alakol lake) are in the border zone: the authorities state that they are open without a permit, but local fines are reported, which France Diplomatie advises refusing by citing this opening.

According to France Diplomatie, GDP is around USD 300 billion and inflation can be high. The national statistics bureau gives an average nominal monthly wage close to 490,000 tenge. The inflation and exchange-rate indicators, updated continuously, appear in the economic benchmarks block of this page.

As for housing, the government investment portal states that foreigners can hold in private ownership land intended for construction, including residential, but neither agricultural land nor land located in a border zone; a moratorium prohibits the leasing of agricultural land to foreigners. The host or hotel declares your arrival to the immigration police. Have any lease or sale agreement reviewed by a local legal professional.

Since 1 January 2022, French nationals are again exempt from a visa for short stays, tourism having been authorised since 16 February 2022: 30 calendar days per visit, with an unlimited number of visits, within a limit of 90 days in any 180-day period; the days of entry and exit count. Extensions are requested from the immigration police at least a week before the 30-day limit, and overstaying is severely punished, with heavy fines or prison sentences. A stay of 31 to 90 days requires a short-stay visa. Long-stay visas, valid from 91 days to 3 years with multiple entries, are applied for at the Kazakh embassy in France, and extensions and changes of category can be requested from within Kazakhstan.

• Registration: the person inviting or the hotel declares the arrival of a foreigner to the immigration police within three working days, online on the visa and migration portal (vmp.gov.kz), on paper or through the eQonaq.kz system; any change of address must also be reported.
• Permanent residence permit: reserved for people already present on a listed basis (permanent residence visa, investor visa, visa for a sought-after profession), processed in 45 calendar days, with a fee of 4 monthly calculation indices, a passport valid for more than 180 days, proof of solvency, a criminal record certificate and a medical certificate.
• Work: visa-free stay prohibits any paid activity; business trips allow meetings, signing contracts and conferences.

See the page on working in Kazakhstan and the checklist for the first 90 days.

The directory of the Agency for French Education Abroad (AEFE) lists the Charles-de-Gaulle – Miras French international school in Astana (32-34 Kuishi Dina Street), a partner establishment of the network attached to the Mission laïque française. Its listing shows 15 levels, 8 of them accredited, from the petite section to CM2, and 7 secondary levels, from sixth to final year, offered through the CNED (the French distance-learning centre) rather than through accreditation, as well as 41 pupils. The French embassy cites no establishment in its family section and refers to sheets on school grants.

Ask the school for the admission calendar and open levels before fixing your arrival date. For children’s health cover, see the guide to children’s health cover abroad.

France Diplomatie formally advises against the areas south of Kurchatov and Semipalatinsk, where radioactivity remains particularly high because of Soviet nuclear tests; the rest of the country is classed as a heightened vigilance zone. The advice below is presented without political comment.

• Road: frequent accidents and many deaths every year; secondary roads often in poor condition, poorly signposted and poorly lit, animals on the carriageway; rescue sometimes slow to arrive.
• Earthquakes: risk mainly in the south; frequent weak and moderate tremors in the region.
• Gatherings: rare and closely monitored by the security forces, they can turn violent; follow the instructions of the local authorities and keep away from crowds.
• Restricted areas: access to certain areas requires a permit (propusk) from the immigration police, generally within ten days; movement restrictions apply within 25 km of the borders, notably with China, and in Baikonur.
• Checks: as police checks are frequent, keep the originals of your identity and travel documents.

Numbers: fire brigade 101, police 102 (landline) or 112 (mobile), ambulance 103, gas emergency 104; French embassy in Astana +7 7172 795 100. Register with Fil d’Ariane to receive alerts.

Winter temperatures can approach -40 °C and petrol stations are rare in rural areas: bring a spare jerrycan. To drive, a French licence accompanied by an international licence, applied for from the ANTS (the French national agency for secure documents) before departure, is enough at first; beyond 6 months of stay or with a residence permit, exchanging the French licence for a Kazakh one is compulsory and involves a theory test, possible in English, Kazakh or Russian. Speed limits are generally 120 km/h on motorways and 70 km/h on country roads, speed cameras are common in Astana and Almaty, and any trace of alcohol in the blood can lead to confiscation of the vehicle.

Narcotics are strictly prohibited and severely punished. Photographing sensitive sites (military bases, border posts) is strongly discouraged, and any drone flight requires prior authorisation from the aviation committee of the Ministry of Industry and Construction. Homosexuality is not illegal but is little tolerated. Prefer official taxis: unregistered taxis expose you to assaults and fraud; trains are slow, and at night, a lockable compartment is advised.

To prepare your move, compare expat health insurance contracts with Expavy, checking cover for evacuation and repatriation.