APOSTILLE AND CONSULAR LEGALIZATION OF DOCUMENTS IN KAZAKHSTAN

When planning a trip abroad for work or permanent residence, citizens of Kazakhstan will need to legalize a number of personal documents on the territory of the RoK.

Here you can get acquainted with the main stages of consular legalization and apostille of documents for use abroad.
Legalization
There are two types of legalization of the official documents:
  • apostille
  • consular legalization

Consular legalization of documents is required in those countries which have not joined the Hague Convention. For example, Canada, China, UAE, Qatar, Egypt, Saudi Arabia, etc.

The process consists of two stages:
  1. document legalization at the Department of Consular Service of the KZ MFA
  2. document legalization at the Embassy / Consulate of the destination country in the territory of Kazakhstan

If there is no Embassy or Consulate in Kazakhstan, you can legalize the document at the nearest Embassy, which is located in Moscow, Russia.
Apostille
Apostille is a simplified procedure for the legalization of documents between countries which have joined the Hague Convention of October 5, 1961.

In Kazakhstan, a standard quadrangular stamp in the Kazakh, English and French languages with the seal of the authorized state body is affixed to the apostilled document.

According to the current legislation, the following state bodies have the authority to affix an apostille in Kazakhstan:
  • Ministry of Justice
  • Ministry of Education and Science
  • Ministry of Internal Affairs
  • Committee of Information and Archives of the Ministry of Culture and Information
  • Committee on Judicial Administration under the Supreme Court
  • Ministry of Finance
  • General Prosecutor's Office
  • Ministry of Defense
  • National Security Committee (KNB)
      What documents are subject to legalization and apostille procedures?
      You can legalize or apostille the following Kazakhstan documents for submission abroad:
      • diploma (bachelor degree, MBA)
      • archival certificate from the university
      • certificate of general secondary education
      • certificate of marriage, child birth
      • certificate of marital legal capacity
      • police clearance certificate,
      • certificate of tax residency
      • other official documents
        Key note
        According to the rules, only the original or the notarized copy of a document can be legalized and apostilled. The documents must be in proper condition with a clearly visible seal and signature, without extraneous inscriptions and marks.

        Please note that electronic versions of documents (with QR code) without a signature and seal are not accepted for the process.

        If the original document is lost or you are already outside Kazakhstan, WPK consultants can accompany you with obtaining a duplicate and submitting documents in Kazakhstan. In this case, we carry out all actions on your behalf remotely under the notarized power of attorney.
        Which countries do not require legalization and apostille?
        Legalization and apostille of the Kazakhstan documents is not required if they will be used on the territory of one of the countries participating in the Convention on Legal Aid and Legal Relations in Civil, Family and Criminal Cases (Chisinau, October 7, 2002).

        Currently, Armenia, Azerbaijan, Belarus, Kyrgyzstan, Moldova, Russia, Tajikistan, Uzbekistan, and Ukraine are parties to the Chisinau Convention.

        Documents are accepted in these countries without any mark of consular legalization or apostille stamp. It is sufficient to provide the original or the notarized copy of a document with the translation into the appropriate language.
        Processing time and fee rates
        • Process of document apostilling at TSON takes up to 5 business days, excluding the date of submission.
        • Standard period for document legalization at the Department of Consular Service is 3 business days.
        • Processing time at the foreign consulate may take an average of 5 to 15 business days, depending on the type of document and requirements of the consulate.
        • Amount of the consular fee (state fee) for document legalization at the Department of Consular Service or document apostille at TSON is 0,5 MCI (1,531.5 tenge).
        Our cases
        Check out our cases on the legalization of documents for use abroad and in Kazakhstan
        Order the legalization of documents
        at WPK
        Our consultants will take over the whole process, (on the basis of power of attorney) represent and protect your interests at the Foreign Consulates, Kazakhstan Ministry of Foreign Affairs and other government agencies.
        Our contacts
        If you need a service or have any questions, please contact us.

        We work Mn-Fr from 9:00 till 18:00 (lunch 13:00-14:00).
        Please call during working hours.
        ASTANA
        Talan Towers BC, 12th floor,
        16, Dostyk str.
        010000, Kazakhstan
        Location 2gis

        Nazerke Mukhtarkyzy
        Business development specialist
        Tel.: +7 (701) 981-28-40
        E-mail: nazerke.m@wpk.kz
        ALMATY
        Kadam Invest BC, 9th floor
        150, Bogenbai batyr str.
        050012, Kazakhstan
        Location 2gis

        Anel Saulen
        Head of the office
        Tel.: +7 (771) 786-80-25
        E-mail: anel.s@wpk.kz
        ATYRAU
        Isker BC, 7th floor
        23, Kulmanov str.
        060011, Kazakhstan
        Location 2gis

        Aisana Akimbayeva
        Head of the office
        Tel.: +7 (701) 951-27-69
        E-mail: aisana.a@wpk.kz
        Our contacts
        If you need a service or have any questions, please contact us.
        We work from Monday till Friday from 9:00 till 18:00 (lunch 13:00-14:00)