Kyrgyzstan is still one of the easiest countries in Central Asia to walk into, but the rule changed at the start of 2026 and most guides online have not caught up. This one was checked against the UK Foreign Office advice and the Kyrgyz government's e-visa portal in September 2026.
Visa-free entry, now 30 days: citizens of the United Kingdom, Ireland, every EU and Schengen country, the United States, Canada, Australia and New Zealand (55 countries in all) can enter Kyrgyzstan without a visa for up to 30 calendar days in any 60-day period. Until 31 December 2025 the allowance was 60 days in 120. Cabinet Resolution 855 halved it from 1 January 2026, and the days are counted cumulatively, so leaving and coming back does not reset the clock.
Longer stays: once your 30 days are up you must leave, or hold a visa. Kyrgyzstan's official e-visa is issued online, and a tourist e-visa (type TS) is valid for a stay of up to 30 days. There is no visa on arrival at Bishkek's Manas airport for ordinary tourists: arrive visa-free or with an approved e-visa.
Registration: visa-free visitors leaving within their 30 days do not need to register with anyone. Anyone staying longer on a visa must register with the State Registration Service within five days of arrival.
Transit: if you only change planes in Bishkek and stay airside you need nothing. Step outside the airport and the visa-free rules above apply.
If your passport is not on the visa-free list, or you plan to stay longer than 30 days, apply for the official e-visa before you travel. It is done entirely online and gives the same right of entry as a sticker visa.
The quickest way to see the exact rules for your passport is to check your requirements with Sherpa, which keeps track of the latest entry changes for you.
Here is the 1 trip we run in Kyrgyzstan.
Once you are in, the whole country is open: Bishkek, Issyk-Kul, Karakol, Song-Kul and the Tian Shan trails need no permits. The only exceptions are a few remote zones along the Chinese and Tajik borders, which need a border-zone permit that a local agency arranges. If you would rather someone else handled the logistics, our 9-day Kyrgyzstan small group tour covers Bishkek, Ala-Archa, Issyk-Kul, Karakol and Chon-Kemin with transport, accommodation and a local guide included. Our Kyrgyzstan weather guide and 9-day itinerary will help you pick your dates.
Check the latest visa requirements:
Up to 30 calendar days in any 60-day period, since 1 January 2026. It was 60 days before that. The same limit applies to Irish, EU, US, Canadian, Australian and New Zealand passport holders.
Yes. Cabinet of Ministers Resolution 855, announced on 31 December 2025, replaced the old 60 days in 120 with 30 days in 60 for the 55 visa-free countries. Plenty of older guides still say 60, so trust the government sources linked above.
No. The 30 days are counted cumulatively within a rolling 60-day window, so leaving and re-entering does not give you a fresh 30. To stay longer you need an e-visa.
Not for ordinary tourists. Either enter visa-free or apply for the e-visa online before you fly.
The fee depends on your nationality and is shown on the official portal before you pay; budget roughly US$50 to US$90 for a single-entry tourist visa. Processing is quoted at five working days, so apply two to three weeks ahead.
Not if you enter visa-free and leave within 30 days. Visa holders staying longer must register with the State Registration Service within five days of arrival; a hotel or guesthouse can usually help.
Thirty days is still plenty for the mountains, the lakes and a yurt or two, and the border remains one of the friendliest in the region. Check out our Kyrgyzstan backpacking tours.
We run one trip in Kyrgyzstan — and 29 more countries besides. Your next adventure is waiting.
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