Important changes in the legislation of Kazakhstan

02.04.2025

Source: zakon.kz

01.04.2025

Kazakhstan ratified CIS agreement on combating corruption

On 1 April 2025, the President of the Republic of Kazakhstan signed the Law ‘On ratification of the Agreement on Cooperation of the Member States of the Commonwealth of Independent States to Combat Corruption’.

The agreement provides for the expansion of co-operation in the following areas:

  • providing assistance in cases of corruption offences
  • carrying out joint operational and investigative measures
  • detention and extradition of persons who have committed corruption offences
  • creation and use of special information systems.

The Agreement provides for other measures of cooperation, including staff development, exchange of experience in legal regulation in the field of anti-corruption, exchange of anti-corruption monitoring results, development of cooperation programmes and plans, holding meetings, seminars and conferences on anti-corruption issues.

 

Source: dogovor24.kz

17.03.2025

Changes in legislation: Code of Administrative Offences

On 10 January 2025, the President signed the Law of the Republic of Kazakhstan No. 155-VІІ ‘On Amendments and Additions to the Code of the Republic of Kazakhstan on Administrative Offences’. The Law provides for a number of amendments, in particular, affecting the following issues: 

  • Significant increase in fines for violation of legislation on personal data. Now under art. 79 of the Code of Administrative Offences they range from 30 to 2000 MCI (3 times more compared to the previous sanctions: from 10 to 1000 MCI). The amount of the fine varies depending on the nature of the offence and the category of the business entity.

  • Introduction of new rules concerning the use of an electronic digital signature (EDS). Administrative liability is now provided not only for the handover of an EDS to third parties, but also for its use by unauthorised persons. This means that liability will be imposed on both parties - the transmitter and the user.

  • Introduction of fines for transportation without registration of a consignment note (TTN), measurement or weighing act, as well as for the absence of these documents or for entering false information into the Unified Transport Document Management System.

  • Reduction of fines for violation of sanitary and epidemiological norms. 

Source: zakon.kz

04.03.2025

Kazakhstan will form the Investor Register

The Order of 26 February 2025 approved the Rules for the formation, maintenance and use of the Investor Register.

The Rules define the following terms:

  • Investor Register: an electronic database containing information on investors, investment amounts, types of investment projects, stages of their implementation and other information on investment activity in the territory of Kazakhstan.

  • National Digital Investment Platform (NDIP): a unified information system for comprehensive support of investment projects, the creation, management and technical support of which is carried out by an authorised investment authority.

  • Nationwide Pool of Investment Projects: a list of investment projects being implemented and under development in all sectors of the economy with a value exceeding 150,000 times the MCI established by the law on the republican budget and in effect as of 1 January of the relevant fiscal year, as well as investment projects implemented on the basis of investment contracts initiated by private business entities (domestic and foreign investors).

  • National Company in the field of investment attraction (National Company): a legal entity with the status of a national company in the field of investment attraction and its regional representatives and representative offices operating in accordance with art. 282-2 of the Entrepreneurial Code of the Republic of Kazakhstan.

The formation and maintenance of the Investor Register is carried out automatically in the NDIP on the basis of data on investment projects included in the Nationwide Pool of Investment Projects.

The Order is effective from 14 March 2025.

 

Source: dogovor24.kz

24.02.2025

Kazakhstan establishes ‘Aktobe’ SEZ

On 8 January 2025, Special Economic Zone ‘Aktobe’ (the SEZ) was established by the Resolution of the Government for the period until 31 December 2049.

The Regulation on SEZ and SEZ target indicators have been approved.

The SEZ is located in Aktobe, Aktobe Region, occupying the area of 858 ha, including the international airport of Aktobe. Its territory is an integral part of Kazakhstan.

The SEZ is established for the purpose of:

1) accelerated development of modern, highly productive, competitive industries, formation of a qualitatively new level of service provision, attraction of investments, introduction of new technologies in economic sectors and regions, as well as increasing employment of the population;

2) increasing the share of manufacturing industry and reducing import-dependent production, which promotes the development of relevant industries and increases the efficiency of production of goods produced in the competitive territory of Aktobe Region;

3) utilising a favourable geographical location, including proximity to the Russian border for efficient production and logistics processes, cost-effective delivery of components and subassemblies, as well as access to the international transport corridor Western Europe - Western China, which will allow efficient sales of products in the markets of Kazakhstan, Central Asia, and Russia.

The SEZ’s activity is regulated by the Constitution of the Republic of Kazakhstan, the Law of RK ‘On Special Economic and Industrial Zones’ and other applicable laws.

If an international treaty ratified by Kazakhstan establishes other rules than those in the legislation on special economic zones, the rules of the international treaty shall apply.

A special legal regime is established on the SEZ territory.

The Resolution comes into effect from the day of its signing.