Can Foreigners Own Property in Kazakhstan? The 2026 Legal Guide

Yes, with a critical qualification: foreign individuals can own residential property in Kazakhstan only if they hold a permanent residence permit. Foreign legal entities with foreign investment can acquire residential property without this restriction. This is the single most important rule to understand before structuring any transaction.

This guide covers the residential and commercial regime, the agricultural land moratorium, the buying process, and how foreign buyers structure ownership in practice.

The headline rule

Under the Land Code of the Republic of Kazakhstan and supplementary legislation:

- Foreign individuals without permanent residency cannot acquire residential real estate in their own name.

- Foreign individuals with permanent residency can acquire residential real estate on the same terms as Kazakhstani citizens.

- Legal entities with foreign investment, registered in Kazakhstan, can acquire residential real estate without restriction.

- Commercial real estate is more open to direct foreign ownership.

The practical effect is that most foreign buyers establish a Kazakhstani limited liability partnership (LLP or TOO in Russian/Kazakh) or use an existing affiliated entity to take title. The cost of setting up a TOO is modest, but the entity carries ongoing tax and accounting obligations.

Agricultural land

A separate moratorium prohibits foreigners, stateless persons, foreign legal entities, and Kazakhstani legal entities with more than 50% foreign participation from owning or using agricultural land until December 31, 2026.

After the moratorium expires on December 31, 2026, these categories of buyers will be able to acquire agricultural land only on temporary land use under a lease of up to 25 years, not in ownership.

For most foreign residential buyers in Almaty or Astana, the agricultural restriction is not relevant. It matters for investors looking at land outside city limits.

The buying process for residential property

The process below assumes the buyer either has Kazakhstani permanent residency or is purchasing through a Kazakhstani legal entity.

1. Reservation agreement and contract. Off-plan purchases use the standard preliminary sale and purchase agreement (PDSA). Resale purchases use a direct sale and purchase agreement.

2. Escrow account. For residential off-plan construction, payments are routed through an escrow account at a Kazakhstani bank, in line with the country's housing construction protection legislation. The funds are released to the developer in tranches tied to construction completion.

3. Notarization. The sale and purchase agreement is notarized.

4. State registration. The transaction is registered with the State Database of Real Estate (administered by the State Corporation Government for Citizens, the "egov" public services agency). Title passes on registration.

5. Cadastral entry. The buyer is recorded as the owner in the cadastral system.

The process is relatively fast for resale transactions (often completed within two to four weeks) and longer for off-plan purchases that close on completion.

Documentation foreign buyers need

- Passport, original and notarized copy.

- For an individual buyer: permanent residence permit (vid na zhitelstvo).

- For a corporate buyer: certificate of state registration of the Kazakhstani entity, BIN (business identification number), and constitutional documents.