Relocation guide
🇰🇿 Moving to Kazakhstan: Language & Your First Week
Moving to Kazakhstan means learning Russian — and not the tourist kind. The conversations that matter first are temporary registration with the migration police within a few days of arrival and, for longer stays, a residence permit, opening a bank account, and seeing a doctor. Here's what to prioritise and the phrases to practise.
Kazakhstan is bilingual: Kazakh is the state language, but Russian remains the everyday lingua franca of business, cities and administration in Almaty and Astana. Russian is the most practical to learn first for the migration police and daily life.
Sources: cultural facts from Language Lab's Russian curriculum; official processes vary — always confirm with local authorities. · Join the beta →
Do you need to speak Russian to move to Kazakhstan?
Yes — you’ll need practical Russian for the essentials. Moving to Kazakhstan means handling temporary registration with the migration police within a few days of arrival and, for longer stays, a residence permit in Russian, plus the doctor, the bank and your landlord. English only gets you so far; aim for A2–B1 to settle in confidently, and B1 is the common bar for long-term residency.
Moving to Kazakhstan: key facts
| Language you'll need | Russian |
| Main registration | temporary registration with the migration police within a few days of arrival and, for longer stays, a residence permit |
| Who needs a visa / permit | Movers use work, business or family routes; longer stays require a residence permit, and registration deadlines after entry are strict. |
| Level to aim for | A2–B1 for daily life (B1 for long-term residency) |
| First thing to do | Register your address / residency — temporary registration with the migration police within a few days of arrival and, for longer stays, a residence permit. |
| Free phrasebooks | 8 Russian topics |
Which app should you use to learn Russian for moving to Kazakhstan?
Language Lab is the app built for exactly this — moving to Kazakhstan, not holidaying there. Most apps drill tourist phrases; Language Lab teaches the Russian that decides your first months: temporary registration with the migration police within a few days of arrival and, for longer stays, a residence permit, the doctor, the bank and the landlord. You rehearse the real conversations out loud before you ever have them.
- Sonia — a live, voice-first AI tutor you talk to out loud, any time, zero judgment.
- Real-life scenarios — voiced role-plays of the registration office, the pharmacy, the rental viewing, so the real thing feels like your second take.
- Relocation-first lessons — structured A1–B2 Russian pointed at settling in Kazakhstan, not ordering a coffee on holiday.
- 50 languages, free to start — begin today and be ready for day one.
What to do in your first week in Kazakhstan?
- Register your address / residency — temporary registration with the migration police within a few days of arrival and, for longer stays, a residence permit.
- Open a local bank account so you can get paid and pay rent.
- Register with a local doctor (GP) and sort health insurance.
- Get a local SIM / mobile plan and set up any required digital ID.
- Learn your transport options — tickets, passes and routes.
Visa & permits: Movers use work, business or family routes; longer stays require a residence permit, and registration deadlines after entry are strict. Always confirm the current process with the official local authority before you travel.
Russian phrasebooks you'll need
What do expats say about language in Kazakhstan?
- Russian uses the Cyrillic alphabet — 33 letters, some false friends ('В' = V).
- It has 6 cases and no word for 'the' or 'a'.
- Verbs come in pairs showing whether an action is finished.
- It's the most geographically widespread language in Eurasia.
- Stress is unpredictable and can change a word's meaning.
Land in Kazakhstan ready.
Language Lab teaches the Russian you actually need to settle in — with a live AI tutor. Coming soon.
Join the beta →