Under the agreement, diplomatic passport holders of Kazakhstan will be able to enter the territory of Austria without the need to undergo the visa application process or hold a valid visa, once it becomes effective.

While the authorities have not shared additional information on the matter yet, Kazakhstan diplomatic holders will not be permitted to stay visa-free within the territory of Austria for a long period of time.

Generally, under such agreements, diplomatic passport holders are exempt from the visa requirements for stays not exceeding 90 days within any 180-day period.

For longer stays, diplomatic passport holders of Kazakhstan will need special accreditation or a residence permit issued by the Austrian authorities.

What About Ordinary Passport Holders of Kazakhstan?

Since the visa exemption agreement will apply only to diplomatic passport holders of Kazakhstan, citizens of the country holding diplomatic passport will continue to be subject to visa requirements.

All ordinary passport holders of Kazakhstan need to apply for a Schengen visa and obtain the document in order to be permitted entry into the Schengen Area.

Kazakhstan has been working with the EU authorities on reaching a visa exemption agreement for its citizens for some time now. However, no decision on the matter has been made yet.

Earlier in December 2024, the Kazakhstan authorities pushed for a swift start of the Schengen visa facilitation talks with the EU.

During a meeting with the EU Ambassador to Kazakhstan Aleška Simkić, the Kazakh Deputy Foreign Minister, Roman Vassilenko said that the negotiations on the Visa Facilitation Agreement should be launched as soon as possible.

The same stressed that the visa facilitation negotiations will be of interest to both parties and agreed to increase cooperation with the EU in numerous fields.

As for the EU authorities, they have already confirmed their readiness to begin preparations for visa facilitation negotiations with Kazakhstan.

The EU Council said in October of last year that the EU and Kazakhstan are ready to pursue preparations for the Visa Facilitation Agreement negotiations. The same suggested that they are willing to work together to facilitate travel to the bloc for Kazakhstan citizens.