Kazakhstan is one of the most popular countries for emigration among Russians. We have prepared instructions on how to open a bank account and card in Kazakhstan in 2024
Why do you need an account and card of Kazakhstan banks?
Kazakhstan has become one of the most popular travel destinations among Russians: it is chosen for emigration or as a transit country for relocation to other states.
At the same time, Russians face problems when trying to pay abroad. From March 11, 2022, Visa and Mastercard cards issued in Russia do not work abroad; foreign currency can only be withdrawn from deposits that were opened before March 9, 2022, in the amount of no more than $10 thousand. The same amount can be taken with you in cash when leaving abroad for each family member, if the limit has not yet been exhausted. But if you buy currency online now, you will not be able to withdraw it; restrictions have been extended until March 9, 2024.
You can pay with a Mir card in Kazakhstan and withdraw cash from it only through VTB Bank (Kazakhstan) devices, the payment system support service told an RBC Investments correspondent at the end of December 2023.
At the beginning of 2023, Mir was accepted by ATMs and payment terminals of Bereke bank (formerly SB Sberbank JSC). Halyk Bank (People’s Bank of Kazakhstan) suspended their acceptance from September 21, 2022; CenterCredit Bank previously accepted Mir cards only from those Russian banks that are not under sanctions.
For any official transactions in the country, a foreigner will need a local individual identification number (IIN). IIN allows you to obtain a SIM card from a Kazakh telecom operator, make financial transactions, open bank accounts and cards, and contact government agencies.
“An individual identification number (IIN) is a unique combination of 12 digits that is generated for an individual upon initial registration in the document production information and production system. It is issued to both residents and non-residents, it takes two to three business days,” explained financial consultant Igor Fainman.
In case you are planning to open an account and a bank card in Kazakhstan, we have put together a guide: what documents will be required, how to prepare them, and which banks most often open accounts for Russians.
How to get an IIN
At the country’s embassy in Russia, you can apply for the issuance of an IIN (analogous to the Russian TIN), and it can also be issued at the Public Service Center (PSC) of Kazakhstan. In the first case, the IIN is issued before the trip through an online registration on the embassy website. When processing a document in Russia, you will have to wait ten working days, the embassy of the republic told RBC Investments.
To obtain an IIN at the Public Service Center, you will need a foreign passport and a Kazakh phone number. IIN is issued once for life for all government and financial transactions in Kazakhstan. Depending on the workload of the public service center, the procedure may take different times, but the IIN can be completed even in one day.
How and where to open an account and get a card in Kazakhstan
In November 2023, in Kazakhstan, a draft resolution of the National Bank was submitted for public discussion, according to which banks cannot issue Visa and Mastercard cards to Russians without a temporary residence permit (TRP) in the country or a residence permit (RP). But this requirement ultimately did not come into force, and the project itself is now in the archives of the state portal of Kazakhstan.
What documents do banks de facto require as of the end of December – in the RBC Investments review.
Freedom Bank
To open an account in the Kazakh branch of Freedom Finance Global Bank, you will need a foreign passport, IIN (issued at the Public Service Center) and a Kazakh phone number (or any SIM card with code +7). A multi-currency card is available to non-residents. Four accounts are opened using it – in Kazakhstani tenge, US dollars, euros, rubles. The press service reported that the card is produced within ten working days, it is impossible to open an account remotely, only in person, and only the applicant himself can pick up the plastic card at the bank branch where the application was submitted.
Kaspi Bank
Non-residents can open a bank card in Kazakhstan in person at any Kaspi Bank branch. However, an account for non-residents is opened only in the national currency – Kazakhstani tenge. To open, you must provide an IIN, a document confirming the right to be on the territory of the republic (a certificate of temporary registration or a work permit), and a mobile phone with a Kazakhstani number. In addition, the Kaspi Gold card cannot be opened by proxy; personal presence is required.
According to RBC Investments’ interlocutors who opened accounts in Kazakhstan, the procedure for issuing a card occurs on the same day and takes less than 30 minutes. On weekday afternoons, the registration procedure may take longer, because at this time a large number of immigrants arrive from the Public Service Center with freshly received IINs.
A certificate of temporary registration (not to be confused with a temporary residence permit, TRP) can be obtained quite simply at a hotel, the RBC Investments correspondent was convinced.
Home Credit Bank
Home Credit Bank Kazakhstan issues accounts for Russians using a foreign passport and IIN. But there are limitations in the financial product itself – by default, an account is opened in the national currency (tenge). You can additionally open an account in US dollars, but transfers from and to it will only be available within the banking system of Kazakhstan. The call center operator of this credit institution also spoke about the need to provide a translation of a foreign passport into Kazakh, certified by a notary, but in the end it was not useful to the RBC Investments correspondent.
Jusan Bank
You can open an account for Visa and Mastercard in Jusan Bank personally or through an authorized representative. In the second case, you will need to issue a power of attorney certified by a notary. When submitting in person, you must provide the following documents: foreign passport, IIN, migration card and application form, which is filled out at a bank branch. The payment card is opened in three currencies: US dollars, euros, tenge. In the mobile application, you can add the Russian ruble for conversion.
The migration card is a form on which marks are placed on arrival and departure from the republic. Registration is possible at checkpoints – air and sea ports, train stations.
Bereke Bank
Non-residents of Kazakhstan will need a foreign passport and IIN to open an account or card, Bereke Bank customer support service reported. When opening, you need to select one of the proposed account currencies: tenge, Russian rubles, US dollars or euros. The card is issued immediately upon personal application by the client to the bank branch.
Eurasian Bank
At the Eurasian Bank of Kazakhstan, you can apply for a multi-currency card (in US dollars, euros and tenge) in person through a bank branch. To do this, you will need a foreign passport, IIN and a Kazakh mobile phone number, the credit institution’s customer support service reported.
At the end of December 2023, with some restrictions, Halyk Bank, ForteBank, CenterCredit Bank and Altyn Bank can also open accounts for foreigners.
Halyk Bank (People’s Bank)
The bank will require a foreign passport and IIN from a non-resident, according to the organization’s website. Clients also fill out an application form at the branch, in which they must indicate:
the purpose of opening an account with Halyk Bank;
local phone number;
source of origin of funds (when opening a savings account);
registration address in the country and other information.
The bank also reserves the right to additionally request other documents (for example, an employment contract). At the same time, issuing cards or opening an account is possible only upon personal application, as indicated on the organization’s website.
ForteBank
To open an account, a non-resident must have an IIN, a foreign passport, as well as one of the following documents confirming activities in the country:
employment contract with a Kazakh legal entity;
confirmation of completion of training from Kazakhstani educational institutions;
other documents confirming activities in Kazakhstan.
Opening cards and accounts at Forte Bank for non-residents of Kazakhstan is carried out only through a bank branch with the presence of the account holder. Opening an account, card, deposit or other product online is not available, the bank’s customer support service reported.
Bank Center Credit
To open a Visa or Mastercard card, you need the following documents: foreign passport, IIN registration certificate, personal number of a cellular operator in Kazakhstan, place of residence or registration in Kazakhstan. Additionally, you must provide the original of one of the following documents:
an employment contract and/or a certificate of employment in an organization registered in Kazakhstan;
student card or certificate from an educational institution in Kazakhstan;
document issued by a medical institution in Kazakhstan.
Account currencies: US dollars, euros, Russian ruble and tenge. The production time for a card is: premium – from two to five working days, regular – up to ten days. You can open an account only in person.
Altyn Bank
The Altyn Bank support service reported that non-residents of the country can issue a card upon presentation of the following documents: foreign passport, tax identification number and residence permit. Employees of an organization that is a participant in the bank’s salary project can also receive a card. An account is opened in one of three currencies: US dollars, euros, tenge. The card is issued on the day of application, the bank’s support service told an RBC Investments correspondent.
A resident of Russia, when opening a bank account abroad, is required to notify the tax service about this within 30 days. The data required for notification is usually contained in the account opening agreement. In addition to them, the Russian should request a certificate for subsequent declaration to the Federal Tax Service. When opening one account card, there may be several associated with it (multi-currency card) – a notification will need to be submitted for each of them.
Also, for a foreign account, it will be necessary to file a tax statement of cash flows (CFDS) annually before June 1. This rule applies to those accounts whose turnover during the reporting year exceeded ₽600 thousand translated into rubles.
Is it possible to get a Kazakhstan card remotely?
Against the background of tightening anti-Russian sanctions, non-residents can now open an account and get a card in Kazakhstan only in person, by contacting one of the branches of Kazakh banks, reports the Kazakhstan news portal Express K. For example, at Halyk Bank it is currently impossible to remotely open a card by power of attorney, according to its website: “You can only issue a card or open an account at Halyk Bank by visiting a bank branch in person.”
Forte Bank also informed RBC Investments that it would not be possible to open an account online: “Opening cards and accounts at Forte Bank for non-residents of the Republic of Kazakhstan is carried out only through a bank branch with the presence of the account holder. Unfortunately, opening an account, card, deposit or other product online is not available.”
Of the banks surveyed in Kazakhstan, only Jusan Bank can open an account and receive a card through an authorized representative, the customer support service told an RBC Investments correspondent. In this case, you will need to provide a power of attorney certified by a notary.
The conditions for opening an account or card for Russians in Kazakhstan may change; check with the bank for details immediately before your trip.
