Foreigners' fingerprint collection by Home Ministry halted

The past week has seen a number of issues preventing foreigners from obtaining residence permits and other documents in Kazakhstan. These problems, according to Minister of Internal Affairs Erjan Sadenov, are related to technical malfunctions causing difficulties with fingerprinting.

Sadenov acknowledged the issues in the Majilis, the lower house of the Kazakh Parliament, and stated that measures are being taken with the Government to resolve these problems. It was later reported that mandatory fingerprinting would be abolished, but the current issues are not related to this decision.

The Ministry of Internal Affairs (MVD RK) is still dealing with these technical malfunctions, and a temporary simplified scheme is being applied to ensure foreigners do not overstay their visas. Under this scheme, Sadenov is issuing temporary residence permits for foreigners.

Initially, it was planned to include fingerprints in Kazakhstani ID cards, but the current problems have necessitated a delay. The Government is also involved in addressing these technical issues, and the fingerprinting of foreigners will be conducted at a later time to ensure compliance with the law.

In addition to registering the addresses of foreigners, the MVD RK is also dealing with the technical malfunctions that are causing the fingerprinting issues. Previously, the Senate adopted amendments to the law on voluntary fingerprint registration, but the search results do not provide information about the exact period during which fingerprint registration for foreigners in Kazakhstan is suspended.

Despite these challenges, the temporary simplified scheme remains in place to ensure foreigners do not overstay their visas. Sadenov, as the head of the MVD, is committed to resolving these issues and maintaining the smooth flow of immigration processes in Kazakhstan.