Moving to Kazakhstan in 2026: IIN, registration, residence and work

How to live and work legally in Kazakhstan: stay limits, the tax number that unlocks everything, the routes to residence, banking and tax

Since 13 February 2026, Kazakhstan has handed out permanent residence on a points basis: a Kazakh language test, an online questionnaire, security checks, an interview and about $12,700 sitting in a local bank account. Getting in remains easy. Americans, Britons and EU citizens can arrive without a visa for 30 days at a time, and citizens of the Eurasian Economic Union for up to 90 days.

That gap between arriving and staying is the story of moving to Kazakhstan in 2026. Below: what changed this year, every legal route to live in the country, what rent costs in Almaty and Astana, how the new progressive income tax works, and who should look elsewhere.

What changed for people moving to Kazakhstan in 2026

In a single year Kazakhstan rewrote almost every rule that matters to newcomers. Guides written in 2023 or 2024 are now half wrong.

• Points-based residence. From 13 February to 31 December 2026 a pilot scheme, set up by a joint order of the labour, interior and digital development ministries, screens applicants for permanent residence: the KAZTEST language test, a questionnaire, a minimum of 400 points, background checks and an interview. Applications are accepted only in certain regions, mostly northern and eastern: Almaty, Astana and Shymkent are closed as a general rule, with exceptions for some categories.
• Tax ID only inside the country. Since 1 January 2026 Kazakh embassies and consulates no longer issue the IIN (individual identification number, the personal tax and ID number) to foreigners. You get it in person at a PSC (public service centre, known locally as TsON).
• Mandatory registration for EAEU citizens. From 1 July 2026 citizens of Russia, Belarus, Armenia and Kyrgyzstan staying more than 30 days must be registered with the migration authorities by day 30 after entry.
• Electronic entry permit. Since 25 August 2026 a law on QazETA (Electronic Travel Authorization) for visa-free visitors has been in force. For now the system runs in test mode and is free.
• New Tax Code. From 1 January 2026 personal income tax became progressive (10% and 15%) and VAT rose from 12% to 16%.

How long can you stay in Kazakhstan without a visa?

It depends entirely on your passport. Citizens of the Eurasian Economic Union (EAEU: Russia, Belarus, Armenia, Kyrgyzstan) can stay up to 90 days in any 180, and Russians may enter on a domestic ID card. Most Western passport holders get 30 days per entry, capped at 90 days in any 180. The table follows the Kazakh foreign ministry list.

Since 27 January 2023 the count runs on a rolling window: a day trip to Bishkek and back does not reset the clock. Overstaying is expensive. Under Article 517 of the Code of Administrative Offences, up to 3 days earns a warning, 3 to 5 days a fine of 10 MCI, about $100, 5 to 10 days 15 MCI, about $145, and more than 10 days 25 MCI, about $240 or expulsion. The MCI (monthly calculation index) is the unit Kazakhstan uses for fines, fees and tax thresholds; in 2026, 1 MCI = 4,325 tenge.

QazETA is the next hurdle. The law is in force, and the Interior Ministry's draft rules would make the permit mandatory at airports from 1 November 2026 at about $10 when applied for online. In early September the ministry said dates, the country list and the fee would be confirmed separately. Holders of a residence permit, a temporary residence permit or a Kazakh visa are exempt. Full details are in our guide to QazETA and paid entry to Kazakhstan.

Do you need to register in Kazakhstan, and who does it?

Registration is required if you stay longer than 30 days. From 1 July 2026 an EAEU citizen must be registered no later than the 30th calendar day after entry, with passport details and information about the host. For other visa-free foreigners the host has 3 business days after arrival to notify the authorities.

The host files the notice, not you: the landlord, the hotel or the employer. It goes online through the eGov government portal or the vmp.gov.kz and eQonaq services (the latter used by hotels).

• Raise registration before you sign a lease. If the owner refuses, you will not be registered, and that alone is grounds to refuse you.
• Hotels register guests automatically. Ask for confirmation and keep it.
• Moving to another address or city means a new notification.
• A fake address or sham registration leads to refusal, a fine and trouble with any future residence application.

How do foreigners get an IIN in Kazakhstan?

Almost nothing works without an IIN: a bank account, a SIM card in your name, an employment contract, the tax portal, a doctor's appointment, a residence application. From 2026 you have to collect it in person. Issuance through embassies and consulates ended on 31 December 2025.

• Where: any PSC (TsON) or special PSC inside Kazakhstan.
• Documents: an application form and your passport. If the passport is not in Russian or Kazakh, add a notarised translation.
• Cost and timing: free, usually 1-3 business days.
• Right after: get an EDS (electronic digital signature). It unlocks eGov, the tax portal and most online services.

A remote IIN is available through the eResidency programme (eresidency.gov.kz), a digital status aimed at business and financial services. It gives no right to live in Kazakhstan and does not replace an immigration status.

How to move to Kazakhstan: every route to residency

After 90 days only a legal basis keeps you in the country. There are eight, and they differ in cost, duration and whether they lead to permanent residence.

Temporary residence (TRP, known locally as RVP) is tied to its purpose and ends with it. The residence permit (VNZh) is Kazakhstan's version of permanent residence: a card valid for 10 years but never beyond your passport's expiry. It lets you work without a permit, run a business and enter without QazETA. More on the card itself on our page about the Kazakhstan residence permit.

How to get a Kazakhstan residence permit in 2026: points, test and $12,700 in the bank

The biggest change of the year for anyone who wants to stay: on the general route, a residence permit now goes only to applicants who clear a points-based screening. The pilot runs from 13 February to 31 December 2026, and the government has not said what happens in 2027. There are five steps.

• Kazakh language test. KAZTEST is the state testing system for Kazakh. Residence requires the basic A1 level: 60 questions on listening and reading, with at least 30% correct in each section.
• Questionnaire. Filled in online at migration.enbek.kz: education, work history, family, languages.
• Points. The system scores the questionnaire on eight criteria. You need at least 400 points to move on.
• Checks. The police and the KNB (National Security Committee) vet the application.
• Interview. Held by a local employment centre or a Kazakh embassy.

Money is a separate test. On the day you file, a Kazakh bank account must hold at least 1,320 MCI, which is about $12,700 at the official rate of roughly 452 tenge to the dollar. Each family member aged 16 or over proves the sum separately, so a couple needs about $25,300. Exempt from the funds requirement are, among others, kandas (ethnic Kazakhs resettling in the country), people born in Kazakhstan or the Kazakh SSR, and their families. The rules also exempt citizens of countries that have a simplified-citizenship treaty with Kazakhstan (Russia, Belarus and Kyrgyzstan signed one in 1999), but in practice this exemption is not always applied. Applicants must also show consent from their home country to emigrate or a deregistration slip proving they have been removed from the residence register at home.

Who skips the points system? Labour Minister Askarbek Ertayev said in April 2026 that specialists on the list of in-demand professions (51 occupations, from software developers and engineers to neurosurgeons) need neither the language test nor the scoring. In September 2026 the ministry published a draft order that would expand the list to 174 occupations. Also exempt: participants in the digital nomad programmes, political refugees and people renewing an existing permit. Some applicants face one more condition: a year of living in regions the state wants to populate, mainly in the north and east. Investors and minors are exempt from it.

The practical takeaway: if you have an in-demand profession, an IT background or capital to invest, use the dedicated route. The general points route is the slowest and least predictable.

Can foreigners work in Kazakhstan? Work permits explained

For EAEU citizens, working in Kazakhstan is close to working at home. The 2014 Treaty on the Eurasian Economic Union exempts them from work permits, and their stay extends for the length of the employment contract, on temporary residence.

Everyone else needs a work permit, and the employer applies for it. Since 1 September 2025, under the rules on hiring foreign workers, the employer must first run a labour market test, showing that no local candidate was found, and only then file through a new online portal. The number of permits is capped by an annual quota.

Running your own business is a different story. Only EAEU citizens who already hold a residence permit can register as a sole proprietor (IP). Other nationals cannot, even with a residence permit. Any foreigner can set up a limited liability partnership (TOO, the local equivalent of an LLC). How that works is on our page on company registration in Kazakhstan.

Kazakhstan digital nomad visa and residency for IT professionals

Kazakhstan runs two programmes for remote professionals, and mixing them up is costly: one gives you a year, the other a residence permit.

The Neo Nomad Visa (category B12-1) has been available since late 2024. Under the visa rules, you need at least $3,000 a month in income, shown by six months of bank statements, a tax return from your country of residence, a police clearance certificate and health insurance. The visa lasts one year with an in-country extension possible, and spouses and children can apply alongside. It is designed for people working for foreign employers and clients and does not by itself confer permanent residence. For comparisons with other countries see our overview of digital nomad visas.

Digital Nomad Residency is a pilot residence programme for IT professionals, created by a joint order of the Ministry of Artificial Intelligence and Digital Development and the Interior Ministry. It runs from 26 May to 31 December 2026 in Astana and Almaty. You apply through Astana Hub (the state-backed tech park) with a CV, portfolio, motivation letter, diploma and police certificate. With a recommendation from the relevant ministry, you then apply for permanent residence through eGov. No language test, no proof of income and no migration police interview; Astana Hub runs a video interview instead. By August 2026, 262 people had received status under the two digital nomad programmes, out of 1,517 applications.

What taxes do you pay in Kazakhstan in 2026?

The flat 10% income tax that drew relocators for years now survives only for middle incomes. A new Tax Code took effect on 1 January 2026, and personal income tax (PIT) became progressive.

The Tax Code sets out who counts as a tax resident: anyone who spends 183 days or more in Kazakhstan in any rolling 12-month period. You can become resident sooner if three conditions are met at once: you hold Kazakh citizenship or a residence permit, your family lives in Kazakhstan, and you or your family have housing available there. Residents are taxed on worldwide income, non-residents only on Kazakh-source income. How to count the days, and what to do if two countries claim you, is covered in our guide to tax residency and the 183-day rule.

Worked example. A specialist earns 50 million tenge a year (about $110,700). The first 36,762,500 tenge is taxed at 10%, or 3,676,250 tenge; the remaining 13,237,500 tenge at 15%, or 1,985,625 tenge. The total is 5,661,875 tenge, 11.3% of income, before deductions and pension contributions. In neighbouring Armenia the same income would face a flat 20%.

Two more points people miss. Kazakhstan still calls its system universal declaration, but from 2026 only people with grounds to declare must file. According to the State Revenue Committee, that includes holders of foreign accounts or property abroad, large buyers and anyone earning more than 8,500 MCI a year. They file an assets and liabilities return (form 250.00) and an income and property return (form 270.00) by 15 September of the following year. And your home country may still tax you: US citizens remain taxable on worldwide income wherever they live, although the US and Kazakhstan have an income tax treaty to prevent double taxation, and many countries require their tax residents to report foreign bank accounts.

Is it expensive to live in Kazakhstan? Cost of living in Almaty and Astana

Rent is the largest cost, and in 2026 Astana overtook Almaty: in July 2026 a one-bedroom flat in the capital cost more. Figures below are average long-term rents, in dollars at the official rate of about 452 tenge to the dollar.

Prices keep climbing: by the end of August a two-bedroom flat in both Almaty and Astana cost about $775.

For scale: the average monthly wage in Kazakhstan in the second quarter of 2026 was 486,388 tenge (about $1,100), according to the Bureau of National Statistics, and the median 348,415 tenge. Astana pays more, at 647,920 tenge on average. The 2026 minimum wage is 85,000 tenge and the subsistence minimum 50,851 tenge. A one-bedroom in Almaty therefore eats close to half the average salary. Kazakhstan is cheap for someone earning abroad and tight for someone looking for a local job.

How the two main cities compare: Almaty is the largest city and business hub, with mountains on the doorstep and milder winters, but heavy smog in the cold season. Astana is the capital, newer and full of government institutions, with harsh, windy winters. Districts, schools and prices are in our city guides to Almaty and Astana.

Can a foreigner open a bank account in Kazakhstan?

A foreigner can open one, but the days of a card in an hour on a passport alone, as in 2022, are over. Banks want you in person, and compliance checks on non-residents and the source of their money have tightened.

• The basic kit: passport, IIN and a Kazakh phone number (the SIM card is also registered to your IIN).
• Many banks ask why you are in the country: a lease, an employment contract, a university letter or proof of registration.
• A client with a job and a lease clears checks easily; a three-day tourist increasingly does not.
• The residence route needs an account holding $12,700, so choose the bank with that in mind.

Which banks work with foreigners and what they ask for is on our page on a personal bank account in Kazakhstan.

Kazakhstan vs Armenia, Georgia and Serbia: which is easier to move to?

Kazakhstan beats its neighbours on everyday convenience and moderate tax, but loses on access to permanent residence and a second passport.

If a fast, cheap residence permit and a passport without renunciation matter most, Armenia is the logical choice. If the goal is minimal tax on freelance turnover, Georgia. Kazakhstan is strongest where you need a large job market, a big Russian-speaking community, direct flights across Eurasia and a comfortable, affordable city life.

Does Kazakhstan allow dual citizenship?

Kazakhstan does not allow it, and that is why most newcomers stop at the residence permit. Under the citizenship law, a Kazakh citizen who acquires another nationality loses Kazakh citizenship, and a concealed second passport can bring a fine.

The standard route is five years of permanent residence on a residence permit; some categories, such as kandas, qualify sooner. You must show elementary knowledge of Kazakh, national history and the Constitution, formally renounce your previous citizenship and take an oath. Details are on our page on Kazakhstan citizenship, and countries where you can naturalise without giving anything up are in our guide to dual citizenship in 2026.

Pros, cons and pitfalls: who should not move to Kazakhstan

• The residence rules are temporary. The points system is a pilot until 31 December 2026. From 2027 it may be extended, tightened or replaced, so build in time.
• 90 days never reset. A weekend in Bishkek or Tashkent does not restart the clock, and with QazETA overstays will be visible before you even board.
• Registration depends on your landlord. No consent means no registration, which also hurts a future residence application.
• Extradition is real. Kazakhstan cooperates with neighbouring states on criminal cases and has handed over people wanted in their home countries.
• Tax on worldwide income. A Kazakh tax resident pays on income from everywhere and declares foreign accounts.
• Language. Russian works in daily life and in government offices, but the general residence route and citizenship require a Kazakh test.

Kazakhstan is a poor fit for anyone who needs a second passport without giving up the first; for people facing criminal proceedings at home or avoiding military service there; for non-EAEU freelancers who want to trade as a sole proprietor; for high earners chasing tax efficiency, since residents pay up to 15% on worldwide income; and for anyone with neither an in-demand profession, nor $12,700 in the bank, nor a willingness to sit a Kazakh test.

Moving to Kazakhstan checklist: the first 90 days

• Before you fly: check QazETA status; a police certificate if you plan to apply for residence (check whether your country needs an apostille); check which travel documents your children need under your country's rules.
• Days 1-3: housing with the owner's consent to register you, a local SIM card.
• Days 3-7: IIN at a PSC, then an EDS and an eGov login.
• By day 30: migration registration at your address.
• In parallel: a bank account with your IIN, phone number and proof of purpose.
• By day 60: choose your route to temporary or permanent residence and gather documents.
• By day 85: file or leave. Do not wait until day 90.

How we can help

We match the route to your income, profession and family: employment, a special residence programme, the investor route or a local company. We help with the IIN, bank account, company registration and residence paperwork, and we will tell you plainly if another country suits your goals better. Our full-service support is described on the relocation page, and you can tell a manager about your situation in the chat on the contact page.

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