A signing ceremony was held at the Benelux Secretariat for the Protocol amending the Agreement between the Government of the Republic of Kazakhstan and the Governments of the Benelux Countries on the Exemption of Visa Requirements for Holders of Diplomatic Passports, DKnews.kz reports.
The document was signed on behalf of Kazakhstan by the Ambassador of the Republic of Kazakhstan to the Kingdom of Belgium, Margulan Baimukhan, and from the Benelux countries – by the Director General of the Consular Affairs Department of the Belgian Ministry of Foreign Affairs Joris Salden, Ambassador of Luxembourg to Belgium Jean-Louis Thill, and Deputy Head of Mission of the Netherlands to Belgium Max Valstar.
The Protocol extends the scope of the March 2, 2015 Agreement on visa exemption for holders of diplomatic passports, granting holders of service passports the ability to enter without a visa. This significantly facilitates the work of public officials from Kazakhstan and the Benelux countries, allowing them to travel freely for official duties without the need for a visa and to stay for up to 90 days.
Kazakhstan’s Ambassador Margulan Baimukhan in his speech noted that Brussels hosts over 200 foreign diplomatic missions and 120 international organizations, including key bodies of the EU, the World Customs Organization, and other international institutions that frequently receive official delegations from Kazakhstan. He emphasized that the exemption from visa requirements for holders of service passports will help reduce bureaucratic barriers and create favorable conditions for efficient interaction between agencies and government bodies.
The Protocol will enter into force 30 days after the date of receipt of the last written notification through diplomatic channels confirming that the parties have completed the necessary domestic procedures.
To date, Kazakhstan has visa waiver agreements for its citizens with 96 countries for holders of diplomatic passports, 77 countries for holders of service passports, and 43 countries for holders of national passports.
The Benelux is a political and economic union of three Western European countries – Belgium, the Netherlands, and Luxembourg – established in 1960 to promote the free movement of people, goods, capital, and services within its borders, coordinate economic, financial, and social policies, and implement a unified approach to foreign trade policy.
