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Practising law in Kazakhstan as a foreign lawyer

We could not confirm a routeLimited home-law practice is possible

The Astana International Financial Centre (AIFC) Court is open to lawyers from anywhere in the world who have a professional qualification, and they can register to appear there. We could not confirm the rules for foreign lawyers in the ordinary Kazakh courts.

Updated October 2026. Spotted a mistake? Tell us.

Rules change. This page describes the kinds of route that exist. The regulator listed under “Official sources” publishes the current requirements, fees and dates, so always confirm with them. This is general information, not legal advice.

The routes

Appearing in the AIFC Court

For: Lawyers with a professional qualification and a current licence to practise, from any country.

  1. Register with the AIFC Court Registry, with evidence of your qualification and a letter of good standing from your regulatory body.
  2. Lawyers without a professional qualification can register with a law degree and proof of earlier experience, such as judgments in cases where they acted.

Appearing before the AIFC Court does not by itself require authorisation by the AIFC's financial regulator.

The ordinary Kazakh courts

For: People who want to practise Kazakh law.

  1. Advocates are admitted under the 2018 law on advocates, with admission assessed by commissions set up by the Ministry of Justice. We could not confirm whether citizenship is required or what applies to foreign lawyers.

Practising only your home-country law

The AIFC applies English-style law and has its own court, so foreign lawyers can appear there. For the rest of Kazakhstan, ask a Kazakh advocate.

Understand the legal system first

Kazakhstan belongs to the Civil law family. Knowing how its system works makes the admission route easier to follow.

Read the Kazakhstan legal-system profile in the Legal Families Atlas →
Compare Kazakhstan with another country →

Official sources

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TheLawToKnow Tools’s Bar Admission guide is an educational overview of general rules. It is not legal advice, and it does not replace the regulator’s own information. Report a mistake.