Can foreigners open a bank account in Kazakhstan? Personal and corporate accounts in 2026

Personal and corporate accounts: what's different

Foreigners usually need one of two things: a personal account to live and get paid, or an account for the Kazakh LLP they have set up. Banks treat them differently.

Personal account: what banks ask a foreigner for

The two largest retail banks publish their rules, and they show the pattern.

Halyk Bank. A foreigner without a residence permit is served only in person at a branch. Accounts are not opened by power of attorney, and the Halyk app doesn't accept a foreign passport. You bring your passport, your IIN, a document showing the reason for your stay (an employment contract or a study document, for example) and proof of your address in Kazakhstan. A non-resident gets one card, valid for 12 months.

Kaspi. The Kaspi Gold card is issued at a branch. You need a smartphone with a Kazakh number, your passport, your IIN and one document confirming legal stay, such as a visa, a stay notification or a residence or work permit. Citizens of Russia and China, and of OECD countries such as Turkey, also give their home tax number and home address. US citizens go through the FATCA questionnaire.

Both routes start with an IIN; our guide on IIN, BIN and EDS shows how to get one in 2026. An eResidency IIN is not a regular IIN: it lets you open an account remotely only at the programme's partner banks, which still make their own decision, and the list changes, so check current terms before you rely on it.

Corporate account for an LLP with foreign owners

The account is opened to the LLP after it is registered and has a BIN. The bank wants to know who owns the company, who runs it, where the money comes from and what the business does. Expect to give the director's IIN and EDS, details of every beneficial owner and a short description of the business with its first contracts. If a foreign company is a founder, its documents go with an apostille or legalisation and a notarised translation.

Freedom Bank opens LLP accounts remotely even when the beneficial owner or the director is a non-resident, as long as the company and its authorised persons have no active blocks or debts at other banks. The bank pulls data from state databases and the documents are signed online. Other banks serve non-resident directors only at a branch. Terms change, so we compare current conditions before choosing; this is part of our bank account service.

Most corporate accounts hold tenge, US dollars and euros. Export and import contracts above $50,000 need a registration number from the bank before either side starts performing, which our currency control guide covers.

Why banks ask so many questions

Kazakh banks work under the anti-money-laundering law (Law No. 191-IV). A bank must refuse to open an account if it can't identify the client, the beneficial owner or the purpose of the relationship, and it may refuse if it suspects money laundering. A new company is under closer watch: in its first three months, any transaction from KZT 10m is reported to the Financial Monitoring Agency (AFM). The AFM can suspend a transaction for up to 3 business days, and a bank can hold a payment that looks like fraud for up to 5 business days.

The practical answer is a consistent story. Prepare a one-page profile: what you sell, to whom, from which countries money will come, expected monthly turnover and your first contracts or invoices. Give the bank, the tax office and, if asked, the AFM the same facts.

Citizens of Russia, the US and China

• Russia. Several Kazakh banks serve Russian citizens and Russian-owned companies, but the checks are stricter: counterparties, goods and source of funds. We don't arrange payments that work around sanctions.
• United States. US citizens open accounts on the same terms, plus the FATCA self-certification.
• China. Documents from China have been apostilled since 7 November 2023. Chinese banks in Kazakhstan mainly serve subsidiaries of Chinese companies and large business, and ICBC Almaty is the renminbi clearing bank.

Whatever your passport, the account brings currency rules with it. Since 1 March 2026 the National Bank, the tax service and banks exchange contract, customs and invoice data every day, so a contract without a registration number or late export proceeds show up quickly.

What we do and what we can't promise

We choose a bank that fits your structure and assemble the pack its compliance team will ask for:

• an ownership chart down to the individuals behind each foreign company;
• a short business profile with expected turnover, currencies and countries of payment;
• proof of the source of the first funds, such as the charter capital or a loan agreement;
• the first contracts or invoices, translated where needed.

We also prepare answers to follow-up questions. The bank still makes the decision. We don't promise an account, a deadline or a specific bank, and nobody honest can. If the LLP doesn't exist yet, start with company registration: the account always comes after the BIN.

Sources

• Anti-money-laundering Law No. 191-IV, Art. 4 (threshold transactions) and Art. 13 (refusal and suspension).
• Halyk Bank: account opening for foreign citizens, checked 21 Oct 2026.
• Kaspi Guide: Kaspi Gold for foreigners, updated 24 Sep 2026.
• Freedom Bank: remote account opening for LLPs, checked 21 Oct 2026.