The Austrian Foreign Ministry quietly updated its country advice for Kazakhstan on 25 September 2026, flagging an important future change: a compulsory electronic travel authorisation (ETA) that will replace Visa-on-Arrival registration for short stays. For now, Austrians can still enter Kazakhstan visa-free for up to 30 days, but from an as-yet unannounced go-live date travellers will have to register via the “QazETA” mobile app at least 72 hours before departure. The ETA trial is already running and the ministry notes it “will soon become mandatory”. That wording is a signal to mobility managers that corporate travellers heading to the country for site inspections in the energy, mining and infrastructure sectors should build in extra lead time. Once enforced, failure to secure the ETA in advance could mean being denied boarding or entry, as Kazakh border officers will receive the clearance electronically. Kazakhstan is aggressively digitalising its border processes ahead of EXPO 2027 in Astana and growing Chinese and Middle-Eastern investment flows. For EU nationals the upcoming ETA will standardise data collection and pre-screening, aligning the country with schemes in Australia, the United Kingdom and, soon, the EU’s own ETIAS. Practical implications for Austrian companies include updating traveller profiles with passport scans so that duty-of-care teams can complete the mobile registration on behalf of employees, and liaising with Kazakh hosts to verify whether business-visa invitations remain necessary for trips exceeding 30 days after the ETA launch. The Foreign Ministry also reminds citizens that ID Austria digital IDs are not yet recognised abroad, so a physical passport with six-month validity is still required.
