Essence of the Proposals
The amendments pertain to Article 6, which regulates "The Entry Permit for Foreign Citizens or Stateless Persons into the Kyrgyz Republic, Their Stay in the Kyrgyz Republic, Transit Passage, and Exit from the Kyrgyz Republic."The proposed amendments are as follows:
Objectives of the Changes
The justification for the draft law states that its objectives include:- protecting the right to family life and maintaining family ties for foreign citizens with relatives who are citizens of the Kyrgyz Republic;
- humanizing migration legislation regarding the duration of stay for visa-free foreigners;
- preventing negative consequences arising from the formal application of migration norms;
- creating legal conditions for fair regulation of migration, taking into account international experience;
- reducing the risks of restricting entry and movement for individuals with stable family ties in the Kyrgyz Republic.
Currently, foreigners who have taken advantage of the visa-free regime can stay in the country for no more than 60 days within a 120-calendar-day period, unless otherwise stipulated by law. However, the practice of applying such restrictions in other countries shows that this can create serious problems for people with close relatives outside the country.
According to the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of Kyrgyzstan, as of September 1, 2025, new stay rules for citizens of Kyrgyzstan came into effect in Kazakhstan, limiting the duration to 90 days within every 180 days. Exceeding these limits results in restrictions on entry. In practice, this has created a number of high-profile situations related to errors in accounting for stay durations and the formal application of migration norms:
- The case of Dina Karimzhanova, who was denied entry into the Kyrgyz Republic on December 17, 2025, despite having actually stayed in Kazakhstan for 45 days. The migration authorities recorded an error of 405 days in the documents. Dina works in a medical institution in Kazakhstan, while her family and children live in Kyrgyzstan, leading to a prolonged separation and requiring public intervention to restore her rights.
- The case of Furhatjan Ruzaev, who was denied entry on December 13, 2025, despite having actually stayed in Kazakhstan for 13 days, while the act indicated 201 days. This prevented him from visiting his elderly parents in the Kyrgyz Republic during the holiday period.
Dastan Bekeshev also emphasized that the adoption of the proposed draft law would create a legal mechanism for protecting family ties and reduce the likelihood of conflicts on humanitarian and social grounds.
