Kazakhstan’s Chinese Visa Application Service Centre (CVASC) in Almaty has posted a 4 February 2026 holiday notice confirming closure from 16 to 23 February for the Lunar New Year. Although Kazakhstan and China introduced mutual 30-day visa-free travel in 2024, the waiver does not cover study, work or media visas, for which demand has grown sharply as bilateral trade tops US$30 billion.
Visa consultants report that appointment slots for the week preceding the closure are already fully booked. Applicants who miss the cut-off will have to wait until 26 February for passport collection, because 24–25 February are dedicated to backlog clearance. The disruption is likely to affect mining-sector assignees and oil-and-gas engineers scheduled to rotate into western China’s Xinjiang projects after the holidays.
![Almaty Chinese Visa Centre to close 16–23 February amid post-waiver traffic surge]()
Kazakhstan has become China’s fastest-growing overland passenger market, benefitting from the visa-free regime and expanded Urumqi–Almaty high-speed rail links. Mobility managers should therefore cross-check whether travellers actually fall under the mutual waiver; if not, contingency plans—such as remote onboarding or shifting meetings online—may be necessary.
CVASC’s Astana branch is expected to issue a matching notice, though as of publication it had not been posted online. Travellers transiting to third countries via Beijing or Shanghai can still use China’s 144-hour transit-visa exemption if they hold onward tickets.
Visa consultants report that appointment slots for the week preceding the closure are already fully booked. Applicants who miss the cut-off will have to wait until 26 February for passport collection, because 24–25 February are dedicated to backlog clearance. The disruption is likely to affect mining-sector assignees and oil-and-gas engineers scheduled to rotate into western China’s Xinjiang projects after the holidays.
Kazakhstan has become China’s fastest-growing overland passenger market, benefitting from the visa-free regime and expanded Urumqi–Almaty high-speed rail links. Mobility managers should therefore cross-check whether travellers actually fall under the mutual waiver; if not, contingency plans—such as remote onboarding or shifting meetings online—may be necessary.
CVASC’s Astana branch is expected to issue a matching notice, though as of publication it had not been posted online. Travellers transiting to third countries via Beijing or Shanghai can still use China’s 144-hour transit-visa exemption if they hold onward tickets.
