Kazakhstan is an upper-middle-income country with per capita GDP of nearly US$13 thousand in 2013. Kazakhstan’s real GDP growth slowed from 6 percent in 2013 to 3.9 percent during the first half of 2014, due to internal capacity constraints in the oil industry, less favorable terms of trade, and an economic slowdown in Russia. 

Kazakhstan’s economic freedom score is 63.3, making its economy the 69th freest in the 2015 Index. Its score has decreased by 0.4 point since last year

Tables of economic indicators for Kazakhstan.

All the same, faced with the economy in crisis, Kazakhstan is choosing to open up to the international business community as never before. To do this successfully, Kazakhstan must offer potential investors transparency, rule of law, and a fair way to settle business related disputes. 

The legislation in Kazakhstan provides for rather wide range of organizational forms of business entities. Limited liability partnerships (LLP), joint stock companies (JSC), and branches of foreign legal entities, however, remain the most popular

Republic of Kazakhstan web portal for businesses.

Below is a detailed summary of the bureaucratic and legal hurdles faced by entrepreneurs wishing to incorporate and register a new firm in Kazakhstan. It examines the procedures, time and cost involved in launching a commercial or industrial firm with between 10 and 50 employees and start-up capital of 10 times the economy’s per-capita gross national income.

Republic of Kazakhstan website that provides what you should know to start a business in Kazakhstan.

The most popular forms of business dealing in Kazakhstan are Limited Liability Partnership (LLP), Joint Stock Company (JSC), and Representative/Branch office

Below is a detailed summary of the bureaucratic and legal hurdles faced by entrepreneurs wishing to incorporate and register a new firm in Kazakhstan. It examines the procedures, time and cost involved in launching a commercial or industrial firm with between 10 and 50 employees and start-up capital of 10 times the economy’s per-capita gross national income.

The Corporate Tax Rate in Kazakhstan stands at 20 percent. Corporate Tax Rate in Kazakhstan averaged 23.64 percent from 2005 until 2015, reaching an all time high of 30 percent in 2006 and a record low of 20 percent in 2009. 

Below is a detailed summary of the taxes and mandatory contributions that a medium-size company must pay or withhold in a given year, as well as administrative burden in paying taxes.

The Personal Income Tax Rate in Kazakhstan stands at 10 percent. Personal Income Tax Rate in Kazakhstan averaged 11 percent from 2006 until 2015, reaching an all time high of 20 percent in 2006 and a record low of 10 percent in 2007.

Republic of Kazakhstan website for taxes.

The Sales Tax Rate in Kazakhstan stands at 12 percent.

VAT applies to taxable sales of goods and services within Kazakhstan and to imports of goods into Kazakhstan. Contributions to the authorized capital are not regarded as a taxable turnover for VAT purposes.

In general, all foreign nationals are required to have business or tourist visas to enter Kazakhstan. To obtain a Kazakhstan visa foreign citizens should apply to a Kazakhstan diplomatic/consular institution in their country of residence.

All nationalities must apply for a visa to enter Kazakhstan. Depending on the nature of your stay, Visa First can organise either for a Kazakhstan Business Visa or a Kazakhstan Tourist Visa for you.

Foreign work license or Work permit in Kazakhstan is a standard document granted by the authorized body to an employer for attracting foreign employee to the Republic of Kazakhstan within quota distributed by the Central authorized body, except as stipulated by current legislation.

Got a job in Kazakhstan and headed there for work? You will need to get the Work Visa for Kazakhstan. A lot of people call this visa the Work visa (ЖЕВ).

With a highway system that includes some 103,272 kilometers (64,123 miles) of paved highways, Kazakhstan ranks favorably in terms of miles of road per inhabitant. Many quite developed countries in the world have much less roadway per inhabitant. Kazakhstan’s main form of transport infrastructure for haulage and freight is rail. Kazakhstan’s main railway system includes 14,400 kilometers (8,948 miles) of track.

The vast territory of Kazakhstan spans across 2.7 million km2. With a low population density, dissociation centers of industry and agriculture, and remoteness from world markets, the need for different modes of transportation in Kazakhstan are vital.

Although there had been a ‘correction’ in the number of mobile subscribers in Kazakhstan in 2013, the overall picture of the telecom market remains one of positive developments.

This article provides an overview of the communications infrastructure of the country of Kazakhstan.

obligations of the employee and the employer, provided by regulatory legal acts of the Republic of Kazakhstan

Government website for state social insurance fund

Mandatory individual accounts, social insurance, and social assistance system.

Labor relations, first of all, provide an employment contract under the laws of RK. Under this contract the employee and employer share responsibility for compliance

While this is expected to propel the economy to higher heights, Asian expats may find the country a bit expensive to live in. But for Westerners and Europeans, it may well be more affordable than the life they had back home.

Guide to Kazakhstan and Kazakh people, culture, society, language, business and social etiquette, manners, protocol and useful information.

Business in Kazakhstan tends to take longer than in most western societies so patience and taking time to establish relationships with Kazakh colleagues is essential.

While the majority of reported crime in Kazakhstan is non-violent, the country does experience a full range of criminal activity, and crime rates during 2012 rose substantially nationwide as compared to 2011. Statistically, crimes occur most often in urban areas. Crimes against foreigners, especially Americans, are uncommon. 

Cost of living in Kazakhstan is 66.33% lower than in United States (aggregate data for all cities, rent is not taken into account). Rent in Kazakhstan is 76.01% lower than in United States (average data for all cities).

Three major factors that affect the Kazakhstan climate are: the remoteness of it from the oceans, its size and its location between two totally different climatic regions, Middle Asia and Siberia – where the impacts of the air masses of the cold north and the hot south meet.

Schooling is mandatory in Kazakhstan and this reflects in a national literacy rate of over 99%. The 5 grades of primary school begin at age 6. Two groups of children attend morning and afternoon shifts respectively per school, in order to share facilities. The ministry of education prescribes the curriculum, and this applies to both private and public schools.

The education system in Kazakhstan, which includes a number of distinct levels, has been very instrumental in helping this former member of the now defunct Soviet Union achieve economic and political success.

Holidays in Kazakhstan

Kazakhstan is a large multinational country which is rich with its both old traditions and new ones acquired for the period of Independence. The Republic of Kazakhstan observes international holidays such as New Year, 8 March but it also has holidays specific only for this country such as Unity Day, Capital Day etc.

Demographic profile of Kazakhstan

When it comes to personal safety in the central Asian country of Kazakhstan, you’ll find there are some problems. Transportation, scams, thieves, and corrupt police are just some of the issues you might fact

The territory of Kazakhstan stretches for more than 3000 km from west to east and almost 2000 km from north to south. Climatic peculiarities are due to the amplitude of the country. Whereas temperature can hit 50 degrees below zero in the north in winter, in summer in the south melons ripen and cotton grow. 

The ethnic majority of the country is the ethnic Kazakhs (63.1%), although there are a large number of other ethnicities present as well, such as ethnic Russians (23.7%), Uzbeks (2.9%), Ukrainians (2.1%), Uygurs (1.4%), Tatars (1.3%) and Germans (1.1%).

Republic of Kazakhstan Customs website

Any goods imported into Kazakhstan and included on the mandatory list of goods are subject to the mandatory procedure of certification under national requirements. PDF

For Kazakhstan to take advantage of global integration and diversification opportunities, the government should consider improving the national trade policy framework, its management, and its regulations.  

Before moving abroad, expats will need to weigh up the pros and cons of living in Kazakhstan to ensure that relocation is the right decision for them.

Rating of housing cost in Kazakhstan cities

Official tourism website of Kazakhstan. Find your best deal, book accommodation, tours to Kazakhstan and other holiday offers.

The best sights, tours and activities in Kazakhstan