Kazakhstan and the European Union have agreed to begin official consultations on the facilitation of the visa regime for all citizens of Kazakhstan.
The agreement to begin negotiations on the matter was reached earlier this week in Brussels following a meeting between the Minister of Foreign Affairs of Kazakhstan, Murat Nurtleu, and the EU Commissioner for Home Affairs, Ylva Johansson, SchengenVisaInfo.com reports.
According to the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of Kazakhstan, during the meeting, Minister Nurtleu informed Johansson about the country’s policy and stressed the absence of migration risks to the EU.
Minister Nurtleu further informed of the measures that the country has taken to fight irregular migration, highlighting that the EU should not worry about a possible increase in irregular arrivals once the visa regime gets facilitated.
Commissioner Johansson also expressed the EU’s interest in strengthening the cooperation with Kazakhstan. She said that maintaining a consistent cultural and humanitarian exchange is a crucial part of the strategic partnership between the EU and Kazakhstan.
“Ylva Johansson said the European Union is interested in further strengthening mutually beneficial cooperation with Kazakhstan and is committed to expanding contacts between the citizens of the parties,” the statement of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of Kazakhstan reads.
Kazakhstan has unilaterally introduced a visa-free regime for all citizens of the EU in 2017. On the other hand, citizens of Kazakhstan continue to be required to apply for a Schengen visa in order to be permitted entry to the bloc.
For this reason, Kazakhstan is asking the EU to reduce the number of documents required when applying for a Schengen visa as well as to increase the issuing rate, among others.
Currently, citizens of Kazakhstan are required to submit several documents when applying for a Schengen visa.
Kazakh citizens must submit the completed visa application form containing all information and required data. They must also submit their Kazakh passport, identity photographs, and a certificate proving their civil status.
In addition to the above-mentioned, citizens of Kazakhstan applying for a Schengen visa must also submit proof of having booked a place to stay in the EU, a booked flight reservation from Kazakhstan to the EU and back, proof of having purchased travel health insurance with medical coverage of €30,000, proof of paid visa fee, and proof of having sufficient financial means, among others.
Additional documents, such as an employment contract and bank statement, are required depending on the employment status.
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