KazakhstanCitizenship

Admission to citizenship in Kazakhstan

Admission to citizenship of Kazakhstan is the route for foreign nationals who live in the country permanently on lawful grounds and want a Kazakhstani passport. Every application is decided by the President of Kazakhstan on the submission of the internal affairs bodies and the commission on citizenship matters. There is a general procedure and a simplified one — for kandas, the descendants of those subjected to repression and other special categories. Kazakhstan does not recognise dual citizenship, and the applicant has to demonstrate knowledge of the state language.

Source: eGov.kz — how to obtain Kazakh citizenship

Who is granted citizenship and on what conditions

The law on citizenship sets out two grounds for admission: the general procedure under article 16 and the simplified (registration) procedure under article 16-1 — they differ in the requirements as to the length of residence and in the authority that formalises the decision.

The general procedure (article 16)

You have lived in Kazakhstan permanently and continuously on lawful grounds for at least five years by the time the application is filed
You have been married to a citizen of Kazakhstan for at least three years continuously
You have come from a former Soviet republic for permanent residence and have a close relative in Kazakhstan who is a citizen of the country: a child, a spouse, a parent, a brother, a sister, a grandfather or a grandmother

The simplified (registration) procedure (article 16-1)

You are a kandas — you live in Kazakhstan permanently on lawful grounds, regardless of the length of residence
You are a rehabilitated victim of political repression or a descendant of one, deprived of citizenship against your will
You are an ethnic Kazakh studying at a university in Kazakhstan, or the widow of a citizen of Kazakhstan

When the programme will not suit

I want to live in Kazakhstan longer, but I am not prepared to give up my current citizenship

A permanent residence permit — it gives the right to live and work in the country without changing citizenship

I am an ethnic Kazakh, but I have not yet moved to Kazakhstan for permanent residence

First you need kandas status and the move to your historical homeland — simplified admission to citizenship comes after that

I have lived in Kazakhstan for less than five years and I am not married to a citizen of Kazakhstan

You need to build up the period of permanent residence or check whether one of the grounds in article 16-1 fits

I have an unspent conviction or I am not prepared to renounce foreign citizenship formally

The application will be rejected under article 17 — first have the conviction removed or execute a notarised renunciation of the previous citizenship

What it costs

State duty for processing the documents on admission to citizenship1 MCI at the rate in the Tax Code (article 613); 1 MCI = 4,325 tenge in 2026 under the Law on the Republican Budget for 2026–2028; paid when the application is filed with the internal affairs bodies	4 325 KZT
Notarial certification of a signature or of the accuracy of a translation (per document)0.03 MCI per document — the tariff for individuals under the Tax Code (article 611); needed for translating foreign documents into Kazakh or Russian and for the notarised renunciation of the previous citizenship	130 KZT
Total government feesThe sum of the mandatory rows in the table. Charges with no official price list are in the list below.	4 455 KZT

Paid separately

Testing on knowledge of the state language, the Constitution and history — Paid for separately to the National Testing Centre at the price the centre itself publishes — it is not part of the state duty
Permanent residence permit — A separate, earlier procedure — most applicants under the general procedure have to obtain it before applying for citizenship

Documents to gather

The list is for the general procedure of admission to citizenship (article 16); for the simplified procedure the list is shorter and there is no examination.

An application form addressed to the President of the Republic of Kazakhstan
A curriculum vitae
Four photographs measuring 3.5×4.5 cm
An undertaking to observe the conditions of article 1 of the law on citizenship
A copy of the document certifying identity and citizenship of another state (passport), or a stateless person's certificate
A certificate confirming the absence or termination of citizenship of another state
A document confirming payment of the state duty or a ground for exemption from it
An electronic certificate of knowledge of the state language at elementary level and of the fundamentals of the Constitution and the history of Kazakhstan
A notarised copy of the marriage certificate — for those applying on the basis of marriage to a citizen of Kazakhstan

How the process runs

The timelines run from the date the full set of documents is filed to the issue of the certificate of admission to citizenship.

1
Filing the documents at the police department at the place of permanent residence
The district or city internal affairs body checks that the set is complete; if anything is missing it notifies the applicant within three working days of what has to be supplied.
2
Checks and preparation of the file at the district or city internal affairs body
up to one month
The materials are checked for the completeness of the personal details and the correct statement of the surname, first name and patronymic, and are then sent up the chain to the police department of the region, the city of republican significance or the capital.
3
Checks at the regional police department and a request for criminal record information
up to one month
The police department opens the file, requests confirmation of the absence of a criminal record through the law enforcement information exchange system, agrees the materials with the national security bodies and issues a reasoned opinion.
4
Approval at the Ministry of Internal Affairs and forwarding of the materials to the Presidential Administration
up to one month
The Ministry of Internal Affairs checks the materials received from the regions and passes the list of applicants to the State Legal Department of the Presidential Administration, and for information to the National Security Committee.
5
Examination by the Commission on Citizenship Matters and the President's decision
up to six months under the general procedure, up to three months under the simplified one
The Commission under the President assesses the documents and the opinions of the state bodies and makes a recommendation, after which the President takes the decision to admit the applicant to citizenship or to refuse by decree.
6
Receiving the certificate of admission to citizenship and obtaining a passport
up to ten calendar days after the decree
The Ministry of Internal Affairs notifies the regional police departments within five calendar days, and they, through the city and district bodies, notify the applicant within a further five days and issue the certificate of admission to citizenship, which serves as the basis for obtaining an identity card and a passport of a citizen of Kazakhstan.

Who you can bring with you

A change of citizenship by an adult automatically changes the citizenship of children under 14; for older children and for spouses the law sets separate conditions.

A spouse who is a citizen of Kazakhstan

Gives the right to apply for admission to citizenship under the general procedure after three years of continuous marriage instead of five years of permanent residence

Children under 14

Their citizenship changes automatically together with the parent's citizenship; no separate application for the child is needed

Children aged 14 to 18

Their citizenship changes only with the child's own written, notarised consent

Widows of citizens of Kazakhstan

They may apply for admission under the simplified (registration) procedure regardless of the length of residence in the country

Guardians and custodians of children under 18

They file the application on the child's behalf with notarised documents; for children aged 14 to 18 the child's own notarised consent is additionally required

Renewal and the grace period

Citizenship acquired through admission has no term of validity and requires no renewal. If the President refuses admission, a repeat application on the same matter will be examined no earlier than a year after the refusal — sooner only where there are new circumstances that the applicant could not have known of in advance. It is also worth keeping an eye on the term of the electronic certificate of knowledge of the language, the Constitution and the history of Kazakhstan: under the testing rules it is valid for two years from the date of issue, and if the documents are not filed and a decision obtained within that time, the testing has to be taken again.

What comes next: permanent residence and citizenship

Route to citizenship

Acquisition of citizenship of the Republic of Kazakhstan

Frequently asked questions about Admission to citizenship

Does Kazakhstan allow dual citizenship on admission?

No. Under the law you may not hold citizenship of Kazakhstan and of another state at the same time — the application will be rejected if the applicant does not confirm the renunciation of the previous citizenship. An exception is made for certain categories (in particular for those covered by the second part of sub-paragraph 1 of article 16 and by article 16-1), who file a notarised renunciation of foreign citizenship instead of a certificate of termination of citizenship.

How long does the examination of the documents for admission to citizenship take?

Under the general procedure — up to six months from the day the full set of documents is filed, of which up to a month is taken by the examination at each authority the file passes through: the district office, the regional police department, the Ministry of Internal Affairs. Under the simplified (registration) procedure — up to three months.

What happens to children's citizenship if a parent acquires citizenship of Kazakhstan?

Children under 14 automatically acquire citizenship of Kazakhstan together with the parent — no separate application for the child is required. For children aged 14 to 18 their written, notarised consent to the change of citizenship is needed.

Does everyone have to sit the examination on the Kazakh language and the Constitution?

No. Exempt from the testing are minors, persons lacking legal capacity, those with special merits before Kazakhstan or holding professions on the President's list, ethnic Kazakhs, and those acquiring citizenship under the simplified procedure by virtue of an international treaty. Everyone else has to score at least 50 points out of 100: at least 15 on the Kazakh language, 20 on the fundamentals of the Constitution and 15 on the history of Kazakhstan.

What should you do if admission to citizenship is refused?

A repeat application may be filed no earlier than a year after the refusal — sooner only where there are new circumstances that the applicant could not have known of in advance. It is worth first removing the reason for the refusal: for example, having the conviction removed, settling obligations to the state or executing a formal renunciation of foreign citizenship.

Other ways to move to Kazakhstan

Every route in one list — migration programmes: Kazakhstan.

The terms and the amounts are checked against official sources — the link sits under each section.Last checked on: 7 August 2026.