Renting and buying a home in Almaty for citizens of the Gulf states

What entry rules apply to citizens of the Gulf states?

All five countries are on the visa-free list: you can stay up to 30 days per entry and no more than 90 days in each six-month period. That's enough for the summer season or for a trip with viewings and a deal. Living here long term requires a visa on a specific basis: work, business, investment.

If you hold a UAE passport or live in the Emirates with another nationality, see the separate page for the UAE. The entry rules are the same, but clients from Dubai usually come with different goals.

Why families from Saudi Arabia, Qatar and Kuwait come to Almaty

The main reason is the climate. In summer, when Riyadh or Kuwait is over forty degrees, Almaty is around thirty, and it's cool in the mountains at Medeu and Shymbulak. Qatar Airways flies from Doha, SalamAir from Muscat, Jazeera Airways from Kuwait, and Air Astana from Jeddah and Medina. The Ministry of Tourism links the growth in visitors directly to direct flights and visa-free entry.

Business interest is growing too. Saudi Arabia's ACWA Power, together with Kazakhstan's Ministry of Energy and the Samruk-Kazyna fund, is building a 1 GW wind farm in Kazakhstan with investment of around $1.5–1.8 billion. Projects like this bring engineers and managers who need housing for a year or longer.

How to rent a house or apartment in Almaty for the summer

Families from the Gulf usually arrive in large groups and look for a house with a private yard and a high fence, or an apartment of 150 m² or more with several bedrooms. There isn't much housing like this in Almaty, and in summer locals and tourists compete for it. I advise starting the search in March or April and booking with a contract and prepayment, not a verbal agreement.

Before renting, I check the owner and the documents, view the house in person or by video, and agree who is responsible for cleaning, the garden and repairs. If the family comes every year, it makes sense to settle on one house and agree with the owner in advance for several seasons.

Can a Saudi or Qatari citizen buy a house in Almaty?

A foreigner registers housing in their own name with a Kazakh residence permit. A visa-free trip doesn't give that right, however many times you come. Without a residence permit there are two workable routes: a house or apartment in the name of a 100% foreign-owned Kazakh LLP (limited liability partnership, locally TOO), or commercial property in your own name.

Houses come with an extra detail. A foreigner can own the land under a house in the city, but a house on a plot zoned for individual housing construction (IZhS) counts as a dwelling, and without a residence permit a notary will most likely not register it to an individual. So for clients from the Gulf I almost always work through houses via an LLP and check the structure with a lawyer in advance.

How to pay for property in Kazakhstan from the Gulf states

It's best to send the money by bank transfer to your own account or your LLP's account at a Kazakh bank. The account is opened in person after you get an IIN (individual identification number) at a TsON public service centre. Currency control starts at $10,000 for individuals and $50,000 for legal entities, and the bank will ask about the source of the funds.

Many clients ask about Islamic finance. ADCB Islamic Bank (formerly Al Hilal) and Zaman Bank operate in Kazakhstan, but there's no Islamic home mortgage yet. And a regular mortgage isn't available to a foreigner without a residence permit either, so purchases are made with your own funds or an interest-free developer instalment plan, if the specific project offers one.

Which Almaty districts suit families from the Gulf

Closer to the mountains: Gorny Gigant, with houses on their own plots and Esentai Mall nearby; Remizovka and Upper Dostyk, with low-rise boutique buildings and mountain views; and Rakhat in the west, which is quieter and cheaper. From here it's a quick drive to Medeu and Shymbulak.

Almaty's Central Mosque is in the centre, and for some families it matters to live within a reasonable drive of it. In the foothills I check the project's seismic design and the ground, and for new projects compliance with the zoning rules: new high-rise residential complexes are banned south of Al-Farabi Avenue, where up to three storeys are allowed.

The most expensive mistakes

• Paying a deposit on a house in your own name without a residence permit and without a checked LLP structure
• Looking for summer housing in June, when the best houses are already taken
• Renting a house without a written contract and an inventory
• Buying in the foothills without checking the seismic design and whether the building height is legal
• Counting on a mortgage: without a residence permit you won't get one

How accompaniment works for clients from the Gulf states

I speak English, Russian and Kazakh. With clients from the Gulf we communicate in English, and for meetings and the notary we bring in an Arabic interpreter if needed. I send a shortlist with videos and calculations in advance, so in a single trip you can view the final options and get your IIN.

Accompaniment is a paid service, and we fix its scope before work starts. After the purchase I can arrange renovation, furniture and upkeep of the house while you're away: I've built houses and done turnkey renovations, I rent out 4 apartments myself and I know who can be trusted with the keys here. My commission on a purchase starts at 1%.