Border zone permits: where you need one and where you do not
Kolsai, Kaindy, Big Almaty Lake and Charyn are named in the regulation as places where the border regime does not apply to foreigners.
Verified: 2026-09
The most reliable way to spoil a Kolsai trip is to read online that a permit is required, and then either lose a week arranging one or drive out anxious without it.
The argument has run for years because both sides are half right: the Raiymbek district genuinely is a border district, and a border zone exists there. But the regulation carries a table of exceptions, and the tourist sites are listed in it by name.
What the source says
Government Resolution No. 356 of 16 April 2014 states for each listed site that the border regime concerning entry of foreigners and stateless persons by permits issued by the Ministry of Internal Affairs does not apply to that territory.
In other words, for these places no permit is required, foreigners included.
| Site | Depth of the strip |
|---|---|
| Большое Алматинское озеро | 7 км |
| перевал Озерный | 21 км |
| перевал Проходной | 15 км |
| перевал Джусалы кезень | 10 км |
| озеро Каинды | 7-8 км |
| село Саты | 25 км |
| нижнее озеро Кольсай | 18 км |
| Среднее озеро Кольсай, гостевые домики ГНПП | 11 км |
| Кольсайские озера | 18 км |
| ГНПП “Көлсай көлдері” | 23 км |
| ГНПП “Чарын” | — |
| реликтовая ясеневая роща | — |
| ГНПП “Жонгар-Алатау” | — |
| ущелье Баянкол | 5 км |
The full list for every region is in the regulation itself; above are the sites on popular routes.
Zone and strip are not the same thing
Two different territories share similar names, which is where much of the confusion starts.
The border strip runs immediately along the boundary line. Its regime is stricter and, as a rule, there are no tourist sites inside it.
The border zone is wider and can cover entire districts. Permits issued by the internal affairs authorities concern entry into this zone, and it is from this zone that the exceptions are made.
The advice “you need a permit, it is a border district” conflates the two and therefore misleads.
What this does not cancel
You still need documents. The exception removes the permit requirement, not the duty to carry an ID or passport. A border patrol may check them.
The park tariff still applies. The border regime and entry to a protected area are separate matters. At Kolsai you pay both.
The list can change. It is set by a resolution, and resolutions get amended. This page carries its check date; if you travel later, verify against the act linked in the sources.