Go, but pay attention.

Active notices

• • Global Measles

Vaccines

Required: Yellow Fever

Recommended: Hepatitis A, Hepatitis B, Measles, Rabies, Tick-borne Encephalitis, Typhoid

LGBT+ travellers

Same-sex sexual activity is not illegal in Kazakhstan. However, on 30 December 2025, legislation was introduced prohibiting the ‘promotion’ or dissemination of information about non-traditional sexual orientation. Perceived breaches of this law may result in administrative penalties, including fines, detention, and deportation. Public acceptance of LGBT+ people and identities in Kazakhstan is limited, especially outside major cities. There is an increased risk of discrimination or harassment against individuals thought to be part of the LGBT+ community, or perceived to be supporting their rights. Read more advice for LGBT+ travellers .

Staying safe

• •Generally, Kazakh cities are safe during the day, but certain parts of major cities should be avoided at night to reduce risk, namely, all parts of Almaty below Rayimbek Batyr (previously Ta…
• •In smaller towns, e.g.
• •Keep your passport (or a certified copy of your passport and visa) with you at all times.
• •The risk of violent crime is comparable with Eastern European countries and rougher parts of major US cities.
• •Excessive consumption of alcohol and visiting a nightclub will always present a higher risk, especially if a person goes out alone.
• •A foreign man soliciting a local woman on the streets or in a nightclub may draw unwanted attention from locals, or might result in arguments.

Staying healthy

• •In general, the level of health care and hygiene is not up to Western standards.
• •In an emergency, call an ambulance at the general hospital on duty on 103. However, you should consider using local hospitals.
• •When travelling to forested and mountainous areas, especially in the early summer months, tick-borne encephalitis should be taken into account.
• •In order to avoid stomach infections and food poisoning, particular attention should be paid to hygiene when preparing food and drinks, especially during the summer months.
• •Travellers should have comprehensive travel insurance, including cover for aircraft evacuation in the event of serious illness or accident.

Cash vs. Card

The national currency is tenge, denoted by the symbol "₸" or "T" (Cyrillic: тенге, ISO code: KZT). On Wikivoyage we use tenge to denote the currency, e.g. 100 tenge. Coins come in denominations of ₸1-, ₸2-, ₸5-, ₸10-, ₸20-, ₸50-, ₸100 and ₸200. Banknotes come in denominations of ₸200-, ₸500-, ₸1,000-, ₸2,000-, ₸5,000-, ₸10,000 and ₸20,000.