Austria Signs Agreement to Lift Visa Requirements for Kazakhstan’s Diplomatic Passport Holders

Austria has officially signed an intergovernmental agreement to remove visa requirements for diplomatic passport holders from Kazakhstan. As reported by Kazinform, the agreement was signed by Austria’s Ambassador to Kazakhstan, Andrea Bacher, along with Kazakhstan’s Minister of Internal Affairs and Deputy Minister of Foreign Affairs. The agreement will allow Kazakhstani diplomatic passport holders to enter Austria without undergoing the visa application process or obtaining a visa once the agreement comes into effect.

While no further details have been disclosed by the authorities, Kazakhstan’s diplomatic passport holders will not be permitted to stay in Austria for extended periods without additional authorization. Typically, such agreements grant visa-free entry for short stays of up to 90 days within any 180-day period. For longer stays, diplomatic passport holders from Kazakhstan will be required to obtain special accreditation or a residence permit issued by Austrian authorities.

The visa exemption agreement applies exclusively to diplomatic passport holders, meaning ordinary Kazakhstani passport holders will continue to be subject to visa requirements. Citizens traveling on ordinary passports must still apply for a Schengen visa and obtain approval before entering the Schengen Area. Kazakhstan has been in discussions with EU authorities for some time regarding a broader visa exemption agreement for its citizens, but no final decision has been made yet.

In December 2024, Kazakhstan’s government pushed for an expedited start to Schengen visa facilitation talks with the European Union. During a meeting with the EU Ambassador to Kazakhstan, Aleška Simkić, Kazakh Deputy Foreign Minister Roman Vassilenko emphasized that negotiations on a Visa Facilitation Agreement should commence as soon as possible. He reiterated that such negotiations would benefit both parties, and both sides agreed to strengthen cooperation in various fields.

The European Union has already signaled its willingness to move forward with the visa facilitation process. In October 2024, the EU Council announced that both the EU and Kazakhstan were prepared to initiate preparations for the Visa Facilitation Agreement negotiations. The council further indicated that it was committed to working alongside Kazakhstan to ease travel restrictions for Kazakhstani citizens seeking entry into the EU.

By fLEXI tEAM