China issues warning to tourists amid confusion over visas to Kazakhstan
State media reported that stopovers visas were available to Chinese visitors to the Central Asian country, but officials say the travel permits have yet to be offered
China has told its citizens travelling to Kazakhstan they must have a proper visa amid confusion over the paperwork needed to visit the Central Asian country, state media reported.
The Kazakh authorities announced earlier this month that Chinese visitors stopping over in the cities of Almaty and Astana would be granted a 72-hour transit visa, provided they could prove they had tickets to fly out of the country within three days.
The offer was made to boost the numbers of Chinese tourists visiting the country between June 10 and September 10 when Kazakhstan is hosting Expo 2017 in the capital Astana, the state-run Xinhua news agency reported.
However, the Chinese embassy in Astana has now issued a notice saying Chinese visitors must ensure they have a visa before visiting the country.
“After our verifications with the Kazakhstan foreign ministry, the announced measures [of transit visa] have yet to be implemented,” the embassy said in the statement.