Indonesia Grants Visa-Free Entry to Kazakhstan to Boost Tourism and Investment

RRI.CO.ID, Jakarta - Indonesia has officially granted visa-free entry to citizens of Kazakhstan, a move expected to increase tourism, investment, and trade while strengthening bilateral relations between Southeast Asia's largest economy and Central Asia's largest nation.

The policy, which took effect on July 9, 2026, is regarded as a strategic step to deepen economic cooperation while adhering to the principles of reciprocity, security, and selective immigration policies.

"The issuance of visa-free access for Kazakh citizens to Indonesia marks one of the greatest achievements in Indonesia-Kazakhstan bilateral cooperation," Indonesian Ambassador to Kazakhstan Fadjroel Rachman said in a statement released by the Indonesian Embassy in Astana on Tuesday, July 14, 2026, as quoted by Antara.

He described the policy as a historic milestone in relations between the two countries that would generate significant mutual benefits.

"I believe this visa-free policy will encourage tourism, trade, and investment between the two largest and wealthiest countries in Central Asia and Southeast Asia. Kazakhstan had previously granted visa-free access to Indonesian citizens," he said.

Fadjroel projected that the reciprocal visa-free arrangement could increase bilateral trade to around USD 2 billion over the next three to five years.

He added that several agreements covering politics, the economy, business, culture, and education are currently being finalized.

The ambassador also invited Kazakh citizens to visit Indonesia for tourism, business, investment, and education while encouraging Indonesians to travel to Kazakhstan to strengthen people-to-people ties.

The visa-free facility was enacted under Minister of Immigration and Corrections Regulation No. 10/2026, which expands the list of countries, special administrative regions, and entities eligible for visa-free visits to Indonesia.

The regulation also grants visa-free entry to citizens of Türkiye, Brazil, Peru, Kazakhstan, China's Macao Special Administrative Region, and Belarus.

Immigration and Corrections Minister Agus Andrianto emphasized that the decision followed a comprehensive evaluation based on Presidential Regulation No. 95/2024 on Visa-Free Visits.

"We carefully considered reciprocity, national security, the impact on tourism, economic and investment potential, and other strategic aspects determined by the President," Minister Agus said.

He stressed that Indonesia does not grant visa-free access without careful consideration.

Currently, Indonesian passport holders enjoy visa-free access to 88 countries. The expanded list is expected to attract more international visitors while reinforcing Indonesia's position in the global economy. ***