RU EN
Home About Us Practice Areas Sectors Publications Contacts

Office 404, 4th Floor, Block 1B, "Nurly Tau" BC, Al-Farabi Av. 19, Almaty, 050059, Kazakhstan

+7 727 311 17 00
+7 727 311 17 32

info@signumlaw.com

About Us
We and Our Mission Our People Our Ratings Career
Practice Areas
Antitrust Regulation Construction and Real Estate Contracts and Business Law Corporate Corporate Investigations Digital, FinTech, IT and IP Dispute Resolution and Litigation Employment and Labour Enforcement Proceedings Mergers and Acquisitions New: inhouser New: Private Client Public-Private Partnership (PPP) Regulatory Compliance and Environment Renewable Energy Subsoil Use Tax
Sectors
Electricity and Infrastructure Energy and Natural Resources Financial Institutions IT, Telecommunication and Transportation Manufacturing Industry, Trade and Services Mining Non-commercial Organizations (Pro Bono) Pharmaceutical Sector

COVID-19 Kazakhstan Update as of 31 March 2020

Published
March 31, 2020
Sofiya Zhylkaidarova
Managing Partner

COVID-19 Kazakhstan Update as of 31 March 2020

Registered cases in Kazakhstan as of 31 March 2020: 325.

President declared national emergency from March 16 to April 2020.

Strict quarantine measured are introduced in Nur-Sultan and Almaty on March 19. These cities are on strict lockdown. Starting on March 22 and March 30, lockdowns are introduced in Shymkent and Aktau/Atyrau respectively.

Restrictions to Public Mobility

Starting on March 28, additional quarantine measures were introduced in Nur-Sultan and Almaty:

•\tAll non-essential businesses will be closed between March 30 and April 5. Exception are government offices, medical facilities, mass media, food supply stores and drugstores;

•\tAll outside public spaces including parks, playgrounds, promenades, waterfronts will be closed to public;

•\tWalking outside in a group of three or more is prohibited.

Travel Restrictions

Strict travel restrictions allow for the national citizens to leave the country in cases of medical emergency. All national citizens travelling overseas are allowed to return and subjected to quarantine and isolation.

In general, foreign citizens are not allowed to enter.

All visas and work permits were automatically extended until April 20. The stay of the visitors who do not require visas was extended were extended for 30 days.

All travelers arriving to Nur-Sultan, Almaty and Shymkent from the countries of Category 1A are subjected to 14 days hospital quarantine (As of March 28 this category included France, Iran, Italy, Spain, Germany, India, Thailand, Malaysia, United Emirates, Shri-Lanka, Egypt).

Transport Restrictions

Starting on March 22, all road and train passenger transit from/to Nur-Sultan and Almaty is ceased.

Starting on March 22, Nur-Sultan and Almaty airports are closed except for cargo and international flights.

Force-majeure Certificate

During emergency, Atameken - Kazakhstan Chamber of Entrepreneurs is issuing force-majeure certificates free of charge. Applications along with supporting documents such as a company registration certificate, scan copy of the contract, and documents issued by the local authorities can be submitted by e-mail at online@atameken.kz. The document should be issued within 5 business days.

Tax Breaks

Deadline for the 2019 tax report was extended until April 30.

Starting on March 20 to December 31, 0% tax rate will be applied for:

  • Property Tax on all major commercial real estate such as shopping malls, movie theaters, exhibitions, sports facilities;

  • Land Tax of the agriculture producers;

  • Individual Income Tax for the individual entrepreneurs.

Starting on March 27, additional tax relieves were introduced:

•\tReduced 8% VAT on essential food supplies until October 1, 2020;

•\tThe producers on gasoline and diesel to be exported are exempted from excise taxes until December 31, 2020;

•\t0% Property Tax on real estate used for tourism, catering, and hospitality services for the year of 2020.

Small and medium businesses were granted the following benefits:

•\tDeadlines for the payment of all taxes were extended until June 1, 2020;

•\tAll tax collection was ceased;

•\tDeadlines on previous notices were extended;

All tax audits are suspended.

Courts

All cases are rescheduled for later consideration.

All motions should be submitted on-line and court hearing are held through tele/video conferences.

No personal visits are allowed.

Penitentiary Facilities

Starting on March 16, all prisons do not allow any visitors including criminal attorneys.

Schools and Universities

Starting on March 16, all university students were switched to remote learning. School children have an extended spring break from March 16 through April 5. Starting on March 6, school children will be studying remotely. Preschools and nurseries are closed as well and students are taught remotely.

Post Services

Post services are continued as usual with additional disinfection imposed. In Nur-Sultan and Almaty post offices are closed.

Public Events

Starting on March 16, all public events are banned. Offenders are subject to administrative prosecution.

All services to public except for food and essentials stores and drugstores are closed.

Restaurants are closed to public. Only deliveries are allowed.

All medical facilities are in quarantine. Only medical personnel is allowed. Video, audio and photo inside medical facilities are prohibited.

Government Services to Citizens

Centers of the Government Services to Citizens are closed. All services are delivered on-line.

Tax Offices operate on-line.

Disclaimer: In this reference, we briefly highlighted on major restrictions and regulations. For your convenience, we omitted some details. If you need any further information, we would be pleased to respond to all your inquiries. 

Blog Post
COVID-19 Kazakhstan Update as of 31 March 2020
March 31, 2020