Kyrgyzstan: Visa-Free Stay Shortened
The Kyrgyz Republic has introduced amendments to the rules governing the period of stay for foreign nationals on its territory, in force from the date of official publication on 31 December 2025. The updated provisions revise the permitted duration of visa-free stays for several categories of foreign citizens.
Which law introduced the changes?
Decree of the Cabinet of Ministers of the Kyrgyz Republic No. 855 dated December 31, 2025: On Amendments to the Decree of the Cabinet of Ministers of the Kyrgyz Republic “On Approval of the Regulations on the Procedure for the Stay of Foreign Citizens in the Territory of the Kyrgyz Republic” dated October 10, 2023, No. 541
What are the changes?
The revised rules establish new visa-free stay limits depending on nationality:
- Nationals of countries listed in Appendix 1 to the Regulation may now stay in the Kyrgyz Republic without obtaining stay authorization for up to 30 days within each 60-day period, instead of the previously allowed 60 days within a 120-day period. The list includes more than 50 countries, most notably the EU & EEA member states, the United States, the UK, Australia, Japan, and others.
- Citizens of Uzbekistan have been moved to a separate subclause of the law and may enjoy permit-free stay for up to 60 days within each 120-day period
Several rules remain unchanged:
- Citizens of Eurasian Economic Union (EAEU) member states — Armenia, Belarus, Kazakhstan, and Russia — may continue to stay in the Kyrgyz Republic without immigration permits for up to 90 days within each 180-day period. Transitional provisions previously applicable to citizens of Kazakhstan have been removed.
- Visa-free stay rules for citizens of Serbia, Türkiye, Ukraine, and Mongolia (90 days within each 180-day period), as well as for nationals of certain Gulf states (180 days within each 360-day period), remain unchanged.
In cases where no specific stay period is established for citizens of a particular country, the duration of stay continues to be determined based on the principle of reciprocity.