Ministry of Digital Development, Innovation and Aerospace Industry of the Republic of Kazakhstan: Minister (Minister - Bagdat Musin) Tel: 8 (7172) 74-98-44 e-mail: moap@mdai.gov.kz URL: www.mdai.gov.kz
It is possible to register a legal entity in Kazakhstan online via eGov.kz, the e-government portal of Kazakhstan.
The application is filled out online, all required documents are attached in scanned form. The portal also allows you to open a bank account and conclude an insurance contract; you need to fill out an online application, attach the charter and a list of employees.
The total term of all services is 2 working days.
You can register a legal entity offline in Kazakhstan at the Population Service Center (PSC) - A government agency whose main task is to provide a variety of services to citizens through a "one-stop" system.
Documents required to register a legal entity through the PSC, located in the place of residence or at the place of registration of the legal entity: application; charter; Articles of Incorporation; The decision of the founder/authorized body of the legal entity to incorporate a legal entity (LLP is the most common form of legal entity in Kazakhstan - more than 95% of the total number of legal entities in Kazakhstan are LLP; in addition to LLP one may incorporate a branch or representative office, a subsidiary, a joint stock company, an individual entrepreneur); A document confirming the location of the founder; a receipt for payment of state duty.
You will need the following for the insurance company: ● an application form; ● staff schedule; ● Charter.
In order to open a legal entity in Kazakhstan, a foreigner must obtain an Individual Identification Number (IN), and a foreign legal entity must obtain a Business Identification Number (BIN).
To get IN/BIN you need to apply to CSC Center, where you need to write an application to get IN/BIN. An individual needs to attach a notarized copy of his/her passport translated into Kazakh and Russian to the application. Delivery time takes 3 working days.
After getting IN/BIN it is necessary to get an electronic digital signature (EDS) in CSC. Then it is possible to register a legal entity online through e-government portal.
If the legal entity to be registered already pays taxes in its home country, it is necessary to provide a tax number and an ID card when submitting documents to the CSC in order to avoid double taxation with those countries with which the relevant international treaties are in force.
Key point - foreigners should have C5 visa (business immigrants) for foreign natural entities, if the visa is of different type, state authority can invalidate registration. It is easier for a foreign legal entity to register a company in Kazakhstan than for an individual, as a legal entity is not subject to the requirement to obtain a C5 visa.
Good faith principle of taxpayers in taxation works in the country. This means that in tax disputes between the taxpayer and tax authorities, all uncertainties and unresolved issues of tax law are interpreted in favor of the taxpayer.
Corporate Income Tax. It is payable by most legal entities and amounts to 20% of net taxable income. A number of companies may apply for a special tax regime, which provides for lower tax rates.
In addition to corporate tax, permanent establishments of foreign legal entities are subject to a branch profits tax of 15% of the net income after the payment of corporate income tax. Thus, the effective income tax rate for permanent establishments of foreign companies is 32%.
Value Added Tax (VAT). All individuals and companies who carry out commercial activities in Kazakhstan and have an aggregate taxable turnover which exceeds 30,000 times the monthly calculation index (MCI, which is 2,651 tenge for 2020) during a calendar year must pay VAT. The standard VAT rate in Kazakhstan is 12% and applies to sales turnover of goods and services in Kazakhstan, as well as when importing goods into Kazakhstan. Certain types of activities are exempt from VAT, such as sale and lease of land and land use rights (except for land used for parking of passenger cars), financial, insurance and medical services.
Individual Income Tax (IIT). It covers all kinds of compensations and payments, which an employee receives for work in Kazakhstan. The IIT rate is fixed and amounts to 10% for both resident and non-resident workers.
Social tax. It is paid by employers in Kazakhstan, including foreign employers that operate through branches and representative offices. Social tax rate is 9.5% (from 1 January 2025 it will be 11%).
View a complete list of tax rates for 2020 here.
You can register a legal entity online (available for citizens of Kazakhstan and foreigners who have received IN/BIN in Kazakhstan) at eGov.kz.
You can open a bank account through the e-government website - the bank is selected from a list.
Depending on the bank the cost of opening an account may vary, some banks do not charge for opening an account.
To open a bank account via the e-government website, you need to attach the bank questionnaire in electronic form and additional documents (charter, sample signatures, statement of adherence to the Agreement between the bank and the client, extract from the Registry of securities holders, powers of attorney), if available, in scanned form.
A number of banks in Kazakhstan provide legal entities with an online account opening service via their website/mobile application. In addition, many banks allow legal entities to open accounts not only in tenge but also in Russian rubles, dollars, euros and yuan.
Альфа-Банк Fortebank Kaspi bank Jýsan Bank Eurasian Bank Сбербанк Народный банк Банк Kassa Nova Altyn Bank Банк ЦентрКредит Банк ВТБ AsiaCredit Bank Заман Банк Capital Bank Kazakhstan АТФБанк Нурбанк KZI Bank (Казахстан Зират Интернешнл)
As of the first quarter of 2020, Kazakhstan had the best e-commerce performance in Central Asia, with an annual growth rate of 55% in the e-commerce market through 2020.
The key regulators of Internet business and e-commerce in Kazakhstan are: ● The Ministry of Digital Development, Innovation and Aerospace Industry of the Republic of Kazakhstan. The activities of the Ministry are e-industry, innovations, e-government and public services. The Ministry is responsible for the implementation of the program "Digital Kazakhstan". ● The Ministry of Trade and Integration of the Republic of Kazakhstan, one of the activities of which is digitalization. The Department of Digitalization is responsible for this direction, and its work includes preparation and approval of draft regulatory legal acts in the field of informatization, coordination of the Ministry of Trade and Integration on digitalization issues and monitoring of implementation of the State Program "Digital Kazakhstan".
State program "Digital Kazakhstan" - is a comprehensive program aimed at improving the standard of living of the country's population through digital technology. One of the directions of the program is the digitalization of the economy, which includes Internet business and e-commerce.
Astana Hub is the largest international technopark for IT startups in Central Asia. It offers relocation to startups with the opportunity to participate in various thematic programs and gas pedal, to get access to the international financial center, tax preferences, startup visa, free workspace, as well as investment opportunities.
Startup Kazakhstan, the international acceleration program for startups, offers the startup of the project in the market of Kazakhstan in 3 months, support from the Kazakh government and national corporations and an opportunity to present to the potential investors. The program is available in Russian as well as in any country. Participation in the program is free of charge, the costs of flights and accommodation in Kazakhstan during the on-site events are paid individually.
A list of companies that can help a startup/IT company recruit in Kazakhstan is provided below. Recruitment company Elite. It offers a range of services in the field of personnel consulting, has a wide partner network in many regions of Kazakhstan and abroad. Recruitment Agency BOLASHAK Expo. It promises to find employees of any specialty, operating all over Kazakhstan. Recruitment Agency ProfExclusive. It recruits employees at all levels. Agency Optimum Recruitment&Executive Search. Recruitment in areas: management, business development, information technology, law, etc. Recruitment Agency It Develop. It offers access to online resume databases. Recruitment company Antal. It helps you find specialists in IT, software development, finance, accounting, sales, and a number of other professional fields.
The Association of Blockchain and Data Centers Industry in Kazakhstan is a voluntary association of legal entities created to develop and popularize blockchain and data center technology in Kazakhstan and to represent the interests of companies that develop these technologies in the country. The Association works in such areas as the automation of processes in the banking industry in order to reduce costs and accelerate transactions, cybersecurity, development of startups in the field of blockchain and cryptocurrencies, financial instruments (implementation of smart contracts) and others.
A draft law of the Republic of Kazakhstan "On amendments and additions to some legislative acts of the Republic of Kazakhstan on the regulation of digital innovations" is being developed. Amendments and additions will include new concepts and phenomena related to the field of blockchain and cryptocurrencies in the legal field of Kazakhstan.
At the end of 2019, Kazakh telecommunications company Kazakhtelecom presented a distributed blockchain platform BaaS (Blockchain as a Service), which will make it easier for government agencies and businesses to implement and operate blockchain systems. The platform is in test operation.
Such projects as KazPost PayPost JSC to implement smart contracts, the project of the Ministry of Finance of Kazakhstan to transfer VAT accounting to the blockchain register are being implemented on a state level.
