A Russian citizen planning to set up a limited liability partnership (LLP, or TOO) and run a business in Kazakhstan should first check their immigration basis. An employment- or family-based temporary residence permit does not automatically authorise company formation. Article 40 of the Law on Population Migration requires a foreign founder to hold a visa or temporary residence permit specifically as a business immigrant; holders of a Kazakhstan permanent residence permit are exempt from this restriction.
Russian citizens, as nationals of a country with a visa-free regime, have a route through a business-immigrant temporary residence permit. “You must first obtain a C5 visa” is not universal advice. A business permit is not a way to buy a year of residence without genuine business activity: carrying on a business is a mandatory condition of this immigration basis.
This guide covers adult Russian citizens who do not hold a Kazakhstan permanent residence permit. The rules were checked on 16 September 2026. If you are already in Kazakhstan on another temporary residence basis, ask the territorial migration service about changing that basis and calculating the applicable deadlines before registering an LLP.
Choose the correct basis first
| Your situation | What to check | Next step |
|---|---|---|
| You want to establish your first LLP and have no permanent residence permit | Business-immigrant status before incorporation | Prepare the business-permit documents and the local executive authority's petition |
| You already hold an employment- or family-based temporary permit | It does not itself prove business-immigrant status | Agree the procedure for changing the basis; do not assume it is automatic |
| You hold a valid Kazakhstan permanent residence permit | The exemption from the article 40 restriction | Check the LLP registration documents; a business temporary permit is not needed solely to incorporate |
| You want to buy a share in an existing LLP | Joining a company's participants is also covered by article 40 | Check the immigration basis before the transaction |
| You will only work as director of someone else's LLP | Employment as director and ownership are different roles | Check the employment route; do not obtain a business permit merely because of the job title |
This decision table follows articles 39–40 of the Law on Population Migration. The employment route is covered separately in the employment-contract temporary residence guide. This article does not set out licensing requirements or replace a review of the proposed business activity.
Documents to prepare for a business permit
Read both the general list and subparagraph 6 on business activity in appendix 2, paragraph 10 of the rules for temporary and permanent residence permissions. For an in-person application through the police or Government for Citizens, the general package includes:
- the application questionnaire in appendix 1 to the rules;
- a copy of the foreign national's identity document and the original for comparison;
- a copy of medical insurance registered in the Saqtandyry system and the original for comparison;
- notarised consent for the foreign national to live in the accommodation, if the service recipient does not own the accommodation being provided;
- a certificate confirming fingerprint registration.
The business-immigration requirements additionally provide for:
- medical certificate 028/у, confirming the absence of diseases that prevent employment;
- medical insurance covering primary healthcare and emergency specialist inpatient care in accordance with the applicable requirements;
- a petition from the local executive authority;
- confirmation of the presence or absence of a criminal record and of a court-imposed prohibition on business activity in the country of nationality and/or permanent residence, issued by the competent authority; the document must have been issued no more than 180 calendar days before the application date.
Insurance appears in both lists: this does not mean you must buy two policies. Ask the insurer to confirm that one policy meets the coverage requirements and is registered in the specified system. Do not transfer employment-permit exceptions to business immigration without checking.
Arrange the medical certificate close to submission: form 028/у itself states a validity of 3 months. The 180-day limit for criminal-record evidence does not apply to the medical certificate. The criminal-record documentation must also address a judicial prohibition on business activity: if the Russian certificate you receive contains no such information, agree in advance with the receiving authority how to establish it.
Documents in a foreign language must be translated into Kazakh or Russian, with notarised certification of the translation's accuracy. The rules require legalisation of foreign official documents unless an international treaty provides an exception. Do not automatically order apostilles for every Russian document: check the applicable exception for each document. For electronic applications, verify the attachments and signature requirements in the selected government service; the paper checklist above does not mean that everything can be completed remotely.
The akimat petition: what to establish before collecting certificates
The local executive authority's petition is a separate document. Your own note saying “I want to open an LLP” or a contract with an intermediary cannot replace it. A practical starting point is the akimat for the intended business location: ask which department handles these petitions and how to apply.
The national temporary residence checklist reviewed for this guide does not give a single list of attachments for obtaining this petition in every city. We do not present a business plan, office lease or bank statement as universally mandatory across Kazakhstan. Ask the particular local authority whether it needs these documents for your request, in which form and through which channel.
Questions to put to the authority:
- Which department considers petitions for a Russian citizen's business-immigrant temporary residence permit?
- What information about the proposed business and which documents does it request?
- Can I apply before registering the LLP, and how should I describe the planned company?
- How is the petition issued, to whom is it addressed and how long does preparation take?
- How should this step be coordinated with my current permitted stay and any existing temporary residence basis?
This is a situation-checking list, not a statutory application form. Keep the written reply: it can help you avoid paying for unnecessary documents and distinguish an authority's requirements from an intermediary's offer.
Steps before and after entry
Before travelling, check criminal-record and judicial-prohibition documents, your future accommodation, the petition procedure and your current immigration status. If you are already in Kazakhstan, do not leave merely to “reset” the clock: re-entry does not by itself resolve lawful-stay issues. For the calculation, see the 90/180 rule guide.
After arrival, check that the receiving party has fulfilled its arrival-notification obligation. Notification does not replace a temporary residence permit. Arrange accommodation, obtain the required medical documents and insurance, complete fingerprint registration, obtain the petition and assemble the general package.
Then apply for the business permit through the territorial police, Government for Citizens or the eGov portal provided for in the rules. Obtain confirmation of receipt and check the result: name, identity document, purpose of stay and dates. For an electronic application, establish in advance who acts as the applicant and which electronic signatures and attachments the particular service requires.
After obtaining the required status, proceed with registering the LLP or joining the company. Legal-entity registration is a separate procedure: the residence permit does not replace it. Corporate documents are covered in the LLP founders, resolution and charter guide.
One working day, one year and two months mean different things
One working day is the state temporary residence service's processing time after submission of the necessary package under appendix 2, paragraph 5. It does not cover gathering certificates, obtaining the petition or opening the company. The state temporary residence service is free; medical examinations, insurance, notarial services, translations and professional assistance may be charged separately.
One year, with the possibility of annual renewal, is the business permit duration for the specified visa-free category under article 39. Exception: article 39(3) provides visas and temporary residence permits for business immigrants who are ethnic Kazakhs for up to three years. Russian citizenship alone does not determine whether someone belongs to that category. Renewal is not automatic. Before the permit expires, check the current documents and continued compliance with the underlying basis; registering a company does not guarantee renewal.
Two months from entry is the period within which article 40 requires a business immigrant to register a commercial organisation or join an existing one, and to deposit the statutory minimum funds for forming its authorised capital. It is not “two months after the permit is issued”. The required capital depends on the organisation's form and category; it must not be confused with payment for an immigration service.
If someone already living in Kazakhstan changes their basis, the law's literal reference to entry requires clarification: before applying, ask the migration service which date it uses in your situation. If the obligations are not fulfilled, article 40 provides for shortening the permitted stay, on the local executive authority's petition, to allow voluntary departure. Do not wait until the two months have passed to address this.
If the application encounters problems
An incomplete package or expired documents were not accepted. Obtain the document stating the reason for refusing intake, fix the specific defect and check your lawful stay again. Preparing an application does not extend your permitted stay.
A reasoned refusal of temporary residence was issued. Request the decision and its legal basis. Appendix 2, paragraph 11 includes, among other grounds, unreliable documents and failure to meet requirements. Distinguish correcting and resubmitting a package from appealing the decision; see the temporary residence refusal guide. Restrictions on repeat applications for permanent residence cannot automatically be applied to this service.
There is a problem with an existing permit. Obtain the written act and establish exactly what the authority decided: to shorten the permitted stay, annul the permit or refuse renewal. Check the legal basis, effective date, remaining lawful stay and appeal procedure. Article 40 specifically provides for shortening stay when a business immigrant's obligations are not fulfilled; this should not automatically be called annulment. Grounds for annulling permanent residence must not be transferred to temporary residence. Do not assume that a complaint by itself preserves the previous period of stay: check that separately for the specific decision.
Your permitted stay or current temporary permit has expired. Opening an LLP or applying for a business permit does not remove an existing violation. Contact the territorial migration service to determine the next steps and obtain legal assistance if necessary. Do not use a fictitious employment contract, backdating or an intermediary's promise to “sort everything out” instead of regularising your status.
Checklist before paying for assistance
- The offer explicitly names temporary residence for business activity, not merely “a one-year permit”.
- Citizenship, the current temporary residence basis, entry dates and permitted stay have been checked.
- It is clear who will obtain the local executive authority's petition and how.
- Criminal-record and business-prohibition documents, the 028/у validity and insurance coverage have been agreed.
- The free state service, third-party expenses, the provider's work and LLP registration are priced and described separately.
- The contract names the provider, work stages, delivery times and refund terms; permit issuance is not promised as a guaranteed outcome.
The next step is to check the immigration basis before spending money on company registration. On KLC's “Visas and residence permits” page, you can proceed to Telegram and describe your citizenship, current status and proposed business. This is contact for an individual review, not submission to a government authority; do not send a passport in your first message.
Official sources
- Law on Population Migration, articles 39–40: requirements, business-permit duration, company formation and post-entry obligations.
- Rules for temporary and permanent residence permissions, Order No. 992, appendix 2, paragraphs 4–5, 8, 10 and 11: application channels, processing time, free service, documents and refusal grounds. The edition incorporating Order No. 454 of 29 June 2026 was checked.
- Order No. ҚР ДСМ-175/2020, form 028/у: medical document form and its three-month validity.