Overview
Cabinet of Ministers Resolution No. 241 of 30 April 2025 approved a permanent procedure for granting foreigners the «Digital Nomad» status and repealed the 2022 pilot. The status is decided by the migration authority and exempts holders from registering their address for up to 60 days after entry and from needing a work permit; it also lets them get a personal identification number, open Kyrgyz bank accounts and register as an individual entrepreneur or company founder in the eligible fields.
It is open only to specialists in information and communication technology, software development and related fields — including IT exports, digital art, VR/AR and 3D design, animation, graphic and multimedia design, robotics and AI, data processing and hosting, and software and game publishing — who are citizens of eleven listed countries.
Editor's note — The first 60 days are simple; staying longer is not. To extend to a year you must file within 60 days of arrival with medical certificates (including an HIV test) and proof of registration in Kyrgyzstan as an individual entrepreneur or a company — and citizens of the United States, the United Kingdom, Germany, Japan and South Korea also need a «DN» e-visa.
Who is eligible
- Citizen of Azerbaijan, Armenia, Belarus, Kazakhstan, Moldova or Russia (visa-free), or of the United States, the United Kingdom, Germany, Japan or South Korea (visa required).
- Working in IT, software development or a related digital field listed in the regulation.
- Contracts (employment or services) from the last two years and/or for the coming period.
- Income of at least US$5,000 from contracted work over one year and a bank balance of at least US$3,000.
- No convictions for the serious offences listed in the regulation.
Income & financial requirements
Bank statement of income from contracts over one year.
Bank certificate showing the balance.
Employment or service contracts, or contracts for the coming period.
Diploma, certificates or recommendation letters in an eligible field.
The regulation sets two money tests: a bank statement showing at least US$5,000 of income from contracted services over one year, and a bank certificate showing at least US$3,000 in your account. You also file your contracts and proof of professional activity. Documents in a foreign language need a translation with a notarised translator's signature and, unless a treaty exempts them, consular legalisation.
Costs & fees
- The status itself is issued free of charge, as an electronic document with a QR code.
- A «DN» e-visa for citizens of the five visa-required countries, at the standard e-visa fee.
- Notarised translations and legalisation of foreign documents; medical checks and business registration to extend beyond 60 days.
Taxes
Holders who register as individual entrepreneurs come under Kyrgyz tax law, and the State Tax Service keeps count of Digital Nomad holders registered that way. Check the applicable regime and any double-tax treaty with your home country before relying on it.
How to apply
Apply online
File the application with the migration authority through its online portal: passport, photo, contracts, income statement, bank certificate and proof of qualification.
Get a decision
Up to seven working days, including a three-day security check; missing documents can be supplied within ten working days.
Enter Kyrgyzstan
The status activates when you cross the border; citizens of visa-required countries first obtain a «DN» e-visa.
Extend within 60 days
Apply for the one-year stage with medical certificates and your entrepreneur or company registration; renew yearly up to ten years.
Duration & renewal
Sixty days at first, then one year, renewable annually for up to ten years while you continue to meet the conditions.
Bringing family
The status is individual: the regulation sets no route for family members, who need their own visa or status.
Pros & cons
Advantages
- The status itself is free
- Up to ten years with yearly renewals
- No work permit needed
- Local bank accounts and business registration
Considerations
- Only eleven nationalities
- IT and digital-creative fields only
- Medical checks and local business registration to stay beyond 60 days
- Translations must be notarised and legalised