Kazakhstan

Kazakhstan, the world’s largest landlocked country, is located in Central Asia and offers substantial investment opportunities. With a population approaching 21 million, the nation is rich in natural resources, including oil, natural gas, uranium, and various metals.

Kazakhstan Golden Visa Programme

Kazakhstan has recently announced its new Golden Visa programme, offering long-term residency to foreign nationals who make a qualifying investment of USD $300,000. The investor visa provides a residence permit for up to 10 years, positioning Kazakhstan as an emerging destination for global investors.

Qualifying investments can be made in one of the following:

• Charter capital of Kazakh companies

• Local publicly traded securities

The programme grants applicants immediate permanent residence in Kazakhstan, along with access to benefits such as health insurance, social security, and retirement entitlements. The regulation comes into effect on 10 May 2025, with applications open from 1 June 2025.

Kazakhstan Citizenship By Investment

Kazakhstan does not currently have a citizenship by investment programme. For now, investors can only apply for residency. However, under Kazakhstan’s naturalisation laws, it may be possible to apply for citizenship after maintaining full time legal residency for at least five years.

Kazakhstan Passport Strength and Ranking

If Kazakhstan was to introduce a citizenship by investment programme, it would fail to enhance that already offered by existing programmes, due mainly to its fairly weak passport. The Kazakh passport only offers access to 91 countries worldwide, which equates to just 40.1% of worldwide destinations.

Alternative Golden Visa Countries

While Kazakhstan’s new Golden Visa offers a unique foothold in Central Asia, investors seeking well-established routes with wider global mobility benefits, or access to EU residency and citizenship may wish to consider the following alternatives:

Portugal Golden Visa

One of Europe’s most respected residency-by-investment programs.

• Invest in regulated Private Equity Fund or Venture Capital Fund.
• Access to EU residency and the Schengen Travel Zone.
• Pathway to citizenship after five years with minimal stay requirements.

Grenada Citizenship by Investment

• Fast-track second citizenship with U.S. visa treaty benefits.
• Citizenship within 4–8 months.
• Investment via donation or approved real estate.