What is the AIFC? A plain-English guide for founders

What the AIFC is

The AIFC is a defined area of Astana, with borders set by presidential decree, where a separate legal framework applies to the companies registered there. Its basis is Constitutional Statute No. 438-V of 7 December 2015, and the centre started operating in 2018. At the end of June 2026 it had 6,014 registered participants, 45% of them with foreign participation.

Several bodies run it:

• AIFC Authority develops the centre and sets its strategy.
• AFSA, the Astana Financial Services Authority, regulates financial services and runs company registration.
• AIFC Court hears disputes between participants and AIFC bodies, and disputes that parties refer to it by agreement.
• International Arbitration Centre hears disputes where the parties signed an arbitration agreement.
• Astana International Exchange is the centre's stock exchange.

Is AIFC law the same as English law?

Not quite, and the difference matters when you draft documents. The Constitutional Statute says AIFC law rests on the Constitution of Kazakhstan and consists of AIFC acts, which may be based on the principles, norms and precedents of the law of England and Wales and on the standards of leading financial centres. So the companies, contract and insolvency regulations read like a common law system, while Kazakh law fills the gaps where AIFC acts are silent. The AIFC Court sits outside the Kazakh court system, and its appeal decisions are final. English is the official language, so articles, filings and court work are in English.

Which companies register there, and what it costs

Most founders choose a private company. Other forms include public companies, special purpose and investment companies, partnerships, foundations and the recognised company, which is the AIFC branch of a foreign company.

You file on the Digital Resident portal. Since 1 December 2025 the registrar charges $500 for an online private company application and $1,500 on paper, up from $300 and $500. A complete online application is usually reviewed within 1 hour to 1 day. Paper takes 3 to 5 business days, and an extra assessment can stretch to a month. The paper route works without a visit: scans of the documents plus a video of each person in the structure holding their passport. Changes after registration cost $100 online.

Two rules shape the rest of the plan. The company must keep a registered office within the AIFC at all times, and it must carry on its principal business activity in the AIFC unless the Registrar allows otherwise. We provide an address within the AIFC zone that meets the first rule.

Which taxes an AIFC company pays

This is where most expectations go wrong. Article 6 of the Constitutional Statute exempts from corporate income tax, until 1 January 2066, income from listed financial services: Islamic banking, reinsurance and insurance broking, asset management, brokerage, dealing and underwriting among them. Ancillary services such as legal, audit, accounting and consulting work are exempt only when the clients are AIFC bodies or participants that provide financial services. To claim any exemption, the company must show substantial presence in the AIFC: staff, spending and decision-making there, separate accounts and an annual report.

Everything else falls under the ordinary Tax Code. An IT company or a trading company registered in the AIFC pays 20% corporate income tax, registers for 16% VAT once it crosses the threshold, files Kazakh tax returns and runs payroll like any LLP. Only about a third of participants are financial companies, according to the AIFC's own report for the first half of 2026. Kazakh returns and AIFC registrar filings run in parallel, which is why our accounting for AIFC companies covers both.

AIFC or Astana Hub for an IT company?

For a software business the Hub usually wins on tax. The AIFC makes sense when the business is financial, such as asset management, insurance broking or a licensed fintech, or when shareholders want common law corporate documents and the AIFC Court for their disputes. Read Astana Hub explained before you decide, and see our AIFC company registration page for how we handle the filing.

Staff, visas and the bank account

The Constitutional Statute gives AIFC participants two staffing advantages: they may hire foreigners without a work permit, and employees and their families can get entry visas of up to five years. Both still take paperwork, and the visa is a separate application that we don't handle. Banking works as for any Kazakh company: the bank checks the owners, the source of funds and the business model, then makes its own decision. Before you apply, AFSA requires the company's CEO to have a Kazakh IIN. A foreigner gets a regular IIN in person at a Public Service Centre, and an eResidency IIN, which can't be used for an LLP, is accepted for an AIFC company; see IIN, BIN and EDS for foreigners.

Sources

• Constitutional Statute No. 438-V “On the Astana International Financial Centre”: Art. 4 (applicable law), Art. 6 (tax), Art. 7–8 (visas, hiring), Art. 13–15 (court, arbitration, language)
• AIFC Companies Regulations: registered office and principal activity
• AFSA, application process: online and paper filing, review times; AFSA registration FAQ: the CEO must have an IIN
• AIFC Fees Rules, as amended 13 November 2025: registrar fees from 1 December 2025
• AIFC report for the first half of 2026: number and types of participants