The authorities of Macau and Kazakhstan have reached an agreement on visa-free travel for citizens of one another.
Announcing the news, the authorities said that the exemption from the visa requirements for both countries’ nationals will start applying from this Thursday, October 24, 2024, VisaGuide.World reports.
As soon as the agreement enters into force, passport holders of Macau will be able to enter and remain within the territory of Kazakhstan for up to 14 days without the need to apply for a visa at first.
The same principle applies to passport holders of Kazakhstan, who will be permitted to stay in Macau for two weeks visa-free.
Those who want to stay in the territory of one another for more than 14 days for study, work, or other purposes will need to undergo the visa procedures and obtain the document before traveling.
Visa Exemption Deal Aims to Strengthen Relationship Between Both Countries
While the authorities of both countries did not make any further comments on the matter, it is believed that the visa-free agreement was reached in an attempt to promote people-to-people connections as well as strengthen the cooperation between the nations.
In addition, the decision to remove the visa requirements for one another will have a positive impact on the ranking of these two countries’ passports.
According to the VisaGuide Passport Index, Macau’s passport currently ranks 59th in the world. Those who hold Macau’s passport can travel visa-free to a total of 109 countries, and they need a visa to enter 54 countries.
On the other hand, Kazakhstan’s passport ranks 107th in the world, with its holders being able to travel to 46 countries without a visa and needing a visa to enter a total of 118 world countries, including the EU nations.
As soon as the agreement becomes effective, this ranking will change, as both nationalities will gain visa-free access to another country.
Kazakhstan Has Reached Visa-Free Travel Agreements With Several Other Countries This Year
The visa-free travel agreement with Macau is not the only one that Kazakhstan has reached so far this year.
Just recently, Kazakhstan and Morocco established a visa exemption deal for citizens of one another.
Under this agreement, citizens of Kazakhstan and Morocco can enter each other’s territory without obtaining a visa, provided that their stay is not longer than 30 days.
Earlier this April, Kazakhstan also reached a visa-free travel agreement with Thailand in an effort to drive tourism growth. In May, the country reached the same agreement with Vietnam, too.