Important Changes in the Legislation of Kazakhstan

Source: zakon.kz

23.09.2025

Criteria for defining social and economic projects have been established

On 17 September 2025, changes were made to the Rules for selecting and defining criteria for social and economic projects

Thus, the following are the criteria for defining projects:

• compliance of projects with documents of the State Planning System, including development plans for cities of national importance, the capital, as well as long-term development strategies for autonomous educational organizations;
• compliance of projects with one of the priority directions of budget investment policy (economic diversification and infrastructural and innovative development, modernization of the social sphere);
• compliance of projects for the construction or reconstruction of facilities with technically simple or standard projects;
• compliance of projects with the System of Regional Standards for Settlements.

The corresponding Order comes into force from 3 October 2025.

 

Source: zakon.kz

19.09.2025

The President of the Republic of Kazakhstan has signed an amended law on combating money laundering

On 19 September, the President of Kazakhstan signed a law strengthening measures to counter the legalization (laundering) of proceeds from crime and the financing of terrorism.

The law is drafted to improve the national system for countering money laundering and terrorist financing, as well as to implement the international standards of the Financial Action Task Force on Money Laundering (FATF).

The Law stipulates the following:

• introduction of newfinancialmonitoringentities(organizationsengaged in clearingtransactions in financialinstruments,stockbrokers,mobileoperators,etc.);
• introduction of obligations for financial monitoring entities to send suspicious activity reports to the authorized body.

Besides, the risk assessment system for money laundering and terrorist financing is proposed to be divided into two levels – a national assessment, which will be conducted by the authorized financial monitoring body, and a sectoral assessment conducted by government agencies monitoring compliance with the applicable law of the Republic of Kazakhstan.

 

Source: zakon.kz

14.09.2025

One-stop shop rules have been changed for investors

Amendments have been made to the Rules for organizing a ‘one-stop shop’ for investors, as well as the procedure for interaction in attracting investments

The amendments clarified a number of terms:

• Investment Project: a set of measures involving investments in the creation of new, expansion or renovation of existing production facilities, including those created during the implementation of the investment project, as well as investments aimed at critically important facilities or projects of national importance;
• Region–wide Pool of Investment Projects: a list of investment projects in all sectors of the economy worth up to one hundred and fifty thousand times the monthly calculation index (MCI) effective on 1 January of the corresponding financial year, initiated by private business entities (domestic and foreign investors);
• Task Force: a structural division of a National Company responsible for the formation and maintenance of a pool of investment projects involving investments in the amount of at least seven and a half million times the MCI effective on 1 January of the corresponding financial year.

A new term has been added:

• Regional Investment Headquarters is established in each region under the leadership of the akim of the region, including heads of structural divisions of the local executive body, regional representatives of the national investment attraction company, representatives of chambers of entrepreneurs, management companies of special economic and industrial zones, the prosecutor's office, tax authorities, etc. The headquarters will be responsible for discussing problematic issues of the region's investment projects.

Besides, the amendments changed the procedure for forming a region-wide pool of investment projects.

In particular, it is established that the regional pool includes investment projects with investments of up to МCI 150,000, provided they meet the criteria approved by the decision of the regional investment headquarters.

The local executive body forms a project passport in the NDIP, after which the project is automatically included in the region-wide pool.

The Order became effective from 24 August 2025.

 

Source: zakon.kz

12.09.2025

The territory of the SEZ ‘National Industrial Petrochemical Technopark’ has been expanded

By a government decree dd. 22 August 2025, changes were made to the activities of the SEZ ‘National Industrial Petrochemical Technopark’

SEZ ‘National Industrial Petrochemical Technopark’ is located in the Atyrau Region. Its area is 4313.8566 hectares and is an integral part of the territory of the Republic of Kazakhstan.

The territory of the SEZ includes: industrial zones ‘Karabatan’ and ‘Technopark’, a gas separation plant, main pipelines and a multifunctional hospital.

Previously, the territory of the SEZ was 3614.8437 hectares.

The territory of the SEZ has been expanded due to the construction of a gas chemical complex.

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

 

Source: zakon.kz

21.07.2025

 

Kazakhstan has ratified the treaty on the expansion of allied relations with Kyrgyzstan

The Law "On Ratification of the Treaty on Deepening and Expanding Allied Relations between the Republic of Kazakhstan and the Kyrgyz Republic" was signed

The law is aimed at deepening cooperation in countering new challenges and threats to security.

The agreement provides for the expansion of partnership in the political, military, trade, economic, investment, agricultural, transit and transport, water and energy, educational, scientific, technical, cultural and humanitarian spheres.

According to the Agreement, the parties also support the further development and strengthening of inter-parliamentary relations.

 

Source: zakon.kz

03.07.2025

New SEZ ‘Khorgos – Eastern Gate’ has been established

The resolution of the Government of Kazakhstan dated 1 July 2025 "On some issues of  SEZ ‘Khorgos – Eastern Gate Special Economic Zone’" was adopted

The SEZ is located on the territory of the Zhetysu Region, its territory is 5,431.5 hectares and is an integral part of the territory of the Republic of Kazakhstan.

The SEZ includes several zones:

• Logistics
• Industrial
• Dry

The aims of the SEZ:

• Accelerated development of modern competitive industries, formation of a qualitatively new level of service provision, attraction of investments, introduction of new technologies, as well as increasing the employment rate;

• Creation of an effective transport, logistics and industrial center, contributing to the implementation of the transit potential of the Republic of Kazakhstan, as well as the development of economic and cultural exchange with neighbouring countries;

• Development of cross-border trade and economic cooperation.

A special legal regime is established on the territory of the SEZ.

It is expected that by 2030, 20,500 work positions will be created in 85 companies on the territory of the SEZ, the volume of production of goods and services (works) will amount to KZT 1,171.3 billion.

The share of Kazakhstani content in the total production volume in the territory of the SEZ will be 75%.

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