Kazakhstan, Benin sign visa exemption agreement for diplomatic and service passports

Kazakhstan and Benin have signed an agreement on mutual visa-free travel for holders of diplomatic and service passports on the margins of the 81st session of the United Nations General Assembly in New York. The accord was signed by Kazakhstan’s Minister of Foreign Affairs Mukhtar Tileuberdi and Benin’s Minister of Foreign Affairs Aurelien Agbenonci, according to the MFA of Kazakhstan.

Under the agreement, eligible holders of diplomatic and service passports from Kazakhstan and Benin will be able to travel between the two countries without visas. The arrangement applies only to the passport categories covered by the agreement and does not extend to ordinary passport holders.

The document is meant to make official travel between the two countries easier and to promote the development of bilateral ties. It also seeks to strengthen political and trade-economic relations between Kazakhstan and Benin.

The agreement was reached during the 81st session of the UN General Assembly. According to the UN’s official information, the session’s high-level meetings and general debate are being held at UN Headquarters in New York from September 22 to 29, 2026.

Kazakhstan’s official visa-regime information, last updated on August 21, listed Benin as requiring visas for diplomatic, service and ordinary passport holders. The newly signed agreement therefore creates a framework for lifting visa requirements for the first two categories, subject to the relevant procedures and its entry into force.