One student from the Kyrgyz-Russian Slavic University told Kaktus.media that his parents live in Kordai, and he visits them every two to three weeks. However, on December 14, when he tried to return to Kyrgyzstan, he was denied entry and handed a refusal notice.
He shared: "Due to the new entry and exit rules for foreign citizens, I cannot attend classes. My university does not have a dormitory, and others refuse to register me. I have no opportunity to temporarily register at another address, as the owners of the apartment I rent are against it, and I have no relatives in Kyrgyzstan. Despite my excellent academic performance, I risk being expelled due to missed classes."
The student added that he has been going to the checkpoint for four consecutive days in hopes of crossing the border.He also noted: "There are currently more than 200 students here who cannot cross the border, and most of us study in medical faculties."
What is the duration of student registration?
Nazgul Abakova, the chief specialist of the migration department of the state institution "Kyzmat" under the Presidential Administration, emphasized that foreigners should inquire about the rules of stay in the country, including registration and obtaining a temporary residence permit.She explained: "Many students, for example, those living in Kordai, cross the border to study, coming for just a day. The issue arose when they exceeded the 90-day limit. We have communicated with universities that constantly inform foreign students, especially from Kazakhstan, about the need for registration. Educational institutions assist with the submission of documents for registration, and we carry out this work."
Abakova noted that registration is carried out only after entry and for the duration of the foreigner's stay in Kyrgyzstan.
She reminded that for working citizens of Kazakhstan, there is an opportunity to provide an employment contract at any Public Service Center (CОN) and register for a year. Students can register in a dormitory or at another address with the owner's consent. Registration is also valid for one academic year. Some may not have managed to register since they had the opportunity to cross the border freely until September 1, 2025," she added.
University Opinions
Indira Kudaybergenova, the rector of the Kyrgyz State Medical Academy, told Kaktus.media that there are students who cannot attend classes due to migration restrictions.She noted: "We will try to help these students; we have sent requests to the Ministry of Foreign Affairs and the Ministry of Science and Higher Education. If the government supports us, it will be a positive step. We are concerned about our students."
In response to a question about possible expulsions, she stated that this is not happening at the moment.Kudaybergenova added: "The session is still ongoing. Expulsions occur only after the session. However, conducting exams in an online format is impossible, as this is medicine, not journalism or law."
Kaktus.media also requested a comment from KRSU and will publish a response as it arrives.
How many foreign citizens cannot enter the KR?
Melis Pamirov, head of the Main Border Control Department of the State National Security Committee, reported that a large number of foreign citizens, including those from Kazakhstan, are currently being recorded at the checkpoints.According to him, "since December 7, there has been an increase in the number of citizens denied entry. Initially, it was 20-30 people, but by December 14-15, the number reached 400-470 people per day. We cannot let in those who did not register on time. Primarily, these are students from Kazakhstan who previously lived on our territory. Similar violations of migration legislation are observed in Kazakhstan concerning citizens of Kyrgyzstan, but there is no exact statistics on this," he noted.
Foreigners are urged to avoid conflicts at the border
Pamirov reminded that the Cabinet of Ministers' resolution on the rules for the stay of foreign citizens was adopted on October 10, 2023, and came into force on October 21."This rule applies to all foreign citizens. However, for Kazakhstan, based on a bilateral agreement, it was decided to start applying it from September 1, 2025, which gave Kazakh citizens almost two years to prepare. Since November of this year, government agencies, including the border service and the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, have been conducting explanatory activities," he added.
He stated that this norm allows Kazakh citizens to stay in Kyrgyzstan for 90 days out of 180.Pamirov explained that the introduction of these rules is aimed at legalizing all foreign citizens entering Kyrgyzstan. After the new regulations were introduced, the number of requests to the Ministry of Foreign Affairs for visas and registration significantly increased.
Since September 1, when these rules began to apply to Kazakh citizens, those who violated migration legislation have been identified at the border. A special "Unified System for Accounting External Migration" is used when crossing the border, which automatically records the number of days foreign citizens stay.
Pamirov also noted that "if Kazakh citizens did not register at their place of residence and exceeded the 90-day limit, they will be able to return only 90 days after leaving."He emphasized that Kazakh citizens coming to Kyrgyzstan for short periods must monitor their stay time themselves. For example, if they stay for 3-5 days, they should consider that the day of entry counts as one full day. If a foreign citizen plans to stay longer than 30 days, they are required to register. After that, the counting of days is paused, and they can cross the border freely until the registration period expires.
Pamirov also noted that they do not agree with claims of insufficient information provided to foreign citizens about the new rules.
The resolution has been posted on information boards at all checkpoints since early January 2024, and at the "Ak-Jol - Road" checkpoint, information about the stay rules for Kazakh citizens has been communicated through monitors since November. A press conference was held in December with government agencies; however, despite this, Kazakh citizens continue to claim they were unaware of the new rules. "I don't know how else to convey this information," Pamirov said.
He also urged citizens who were denied entry not to create conflicts at the checkpoints.
"It is important to understand that they violated Kyrgyzstan's migration legislation, which is the reason for their entry restrictions," he concluded.Illustration on the main page: informburo.kz.
