Amendments to the Regulations on Provision of Public Services for Legal Entity Registration

2025-10-17 10:00 Legal Digest

Order of the Minister of Justice of the Republic of Kazakhstan dated September 12, 2025 No. 505 "On Amendments to the Order of the Acting Minister of Justice of the Republic of Kazakhstan dated May 29, 2020 No. 66" (hereinafter - the "Order") introduces significant changes aimed at simplifying the procedure for registration of legal entities. These amendments to the regulations governing the provision of public services in the sphere of state registration of legal entities and registration of branches and representative offices are designed to consolidate and optimize existing digital processes, as well as streamline all document submission procedures through the electronic portal.

Key amendments introduced by the Order:

Enhanced Digitalization of Application Submission and Result Issuance

The Order formally establishes the "single window" [1] principle via the "e-government" portal (egov.kz) as the primary and exclusive channel for interaction with the registration authority. Outdated provisions allowing for paper-based document submission have been eliminated, except for specifically stipulated statutory cases (e.g., submission of notarized documents verifying authority of foreign legal entities). This measure has achieved the following registration timelines:

Category of Entity	Registration Timeline (business days)
Small Business Entities	Within 1 business day following submission
Commercial Entities with Foreign Participation	Within 5 business days
Non-Commercial Entities and Joint-Stock Companies with Non-Standard Charters	Within 1 month
Political Parties	5 business days
Public and Religious Associations	10 business days
Commercial Entities with Foreign Participation	Within 1 business day following submission

[1] The "single window" principle represents an approach to public service delivery where the applicant is not involved in collecting documents from various institutions. Instead, the applicant submits a minimal required set of documents once at a single location, while the relevant authority conducts all approval and registration procedures independently.

Expansion of Service Delivery Formats and Process Digitalization

To implement process digitalization, the Order optimizes document request procedures. The registration authority establishes the following service delivery formats:

Electronic (partially automated) format as the priority method. Application submission through the e-government portal ensures 24/7 access and reduces corruption risks.
Paper-based format remains available to ensure service accessibility for all citizen categories.
The "single application" principle for small and medium enterprises represents an advanced mechanism enabling simultaneous business registration, bank account opening applications, and social insurance fund registration within one procedure.

This measure eliminates the need for personal presence and paper documentation preparation, significantly accelerating the process.

Financial Aspects and Service Delivery Outcomes

A significant innovation for small businesses is free state registration. Other commercial organizations pay fees according to State Corporation pricing, while non-commercial entities pay state duties pursuant to the Tax Code.

Successful registration results in issuance of a certificate of established form, which serves as documentary evidence of state registration. Refusal of service must be justified and based on an exhaustive list of grounds, consistent with principles of legal certainty and adversarial proceedings.

Grounds for Refusal

The updated exhaustive list of grounds for refusal of state registration includes:

Violation of established legal entity formation procedures
Non-compliance of constituent documents with legislation
Founder's status as a "dormant legal entity"
Incapacity of founder/executive or unresolved convictions for specified crimes (corruption, economic)
Failure to submit required documentation for foreign founders

This detailed list limits the registration authority's discretion for arbitrary refusals.

In conclusion, the Order represents a logical and anticipated step within Kazakhstan's ongoing administrative reform. It consolidates established practices of digitalizing state registration processes and elevates public service delivery in business registration to a new level conforming with international standards.

Acsour possesses extensive experience in business support in Kazakhstan and provides comprehensive services for company registration and subsequent legal maintenance in compliance with new legislative requirements. Our experts will help minimize risks and effectively leverage the advantages of the simplified registration procedure.

Author:
Ilya Starostin
Junior Associate at Acsour
Ilya.Starostin@acsour.com