How can a Russian citizen open a bank account in Kazakhstan?

Today a little about the banks of Kazakhstan.

With each month of 2022, the requirements of banks from the post-Soviet republics are tightening, which have become extremely popular among Russians due to the wide possibilities of replenishment, including in the ruble.

The advantages of Kazakhstan as a jurisdiction are the wide spread of the Russian language, go to the bank of Kazakhstan = go to the bank of the Russian Federation. Also in Kazakhstan, the MIR card of the Russian payment system works, you can pay and withdraw cash from the cards of many Russian banks. Cards of Kazakhstani banks can still be replenished from the Russian Federation via swift, money transfers and transfers to a partner bank.

The most significant advantage is the minimum requirements for applying for opening an account.

When opening an account in Armenian banks, they often require documents related to residence: a lease agreement, a social card, a residence permit, an employment contract in the RA, a residence permit.

When opening an account in the Banks of Georgia, having an address of residence in Georgia improves the likelihood of opening an account and, accordingly, complicates it for those who are not from there + there are many cases of refusal, especially for Russians working for state-owned companies and banks under sanctions.

Banks in Kazakhstan still open accounts for Russians with minimal requirements and only a few documents.

The design process looks something like this:

  • come to the Republic of Kazakhstan on a foreign passport with a stamp;

  • it is desirable to issue a local mobile phone number;

  • get an IIN at the PSC;

  • wait three days;

  • visit the selected bank;

  • wait for the card.

The first thing you need to do to open an account in a bank of the Republic of Kazakhstan is to come, preferably with a passport, so that they put an entry stamp. This is necessary to confirm the legal presence on the territory of the Republic of Kazakhstan, which in turn is required to open an account.

The next document that is required to open an account in a Kazakhstani bank is the IIN, an analogue of the Russian TIN, but with a wider application. It is used not only in tax, but also in other areas to communicate with government agencies of Kazakhstan.

It is issued at the Public Service Center – Public Service Center. Registration takes, as a rule, one day, you only need a passport with an entry stamp. After visiting the PSC, you need to wait two or three days for the IIN to become visible in the general database.

Next comes the moment for a visit to the bank in order to open an account. But before that, you need to decide not only on the bank, but also on the card product, as well as study the reviews so as not to make a mistake with the choice.

Websites of Kazakh banks are full of profitable offers on cards.

The main declared options are:

  • banking support in Russian;

  • most banking applications are Russified (which is not typical for banks in Georgia and some banks in Armenia)

  • the ability to open an account in rubles, ease of replenishing an account from the Russian Federation

  • accept funds to the account from abroad;

  • from the banal: book hotels, pay for air tickets around the world; pay for services, make purchases in foreign online stores;

  • the ability to make online transfers and other payments from a mobile application;

  • save on conversion, some cards support up to 18 currencies;

  • Apple/Samsung Pay, withdrawal from crypto exchanges, etc. etc.

  • the ability to open an account remotely

Also in Kazakhstan there are no problems with withdrawing from PayPal. For example, PayPal has not yet arrived in Armenia, they are looking forward to it, but so far it works only for payments.

Among the most popular banks are: Kaspi Bank, JUSAN Bank, BCC, Freedom Finance Bank and others.

There are also “subsidiary” banks of major players in the financial market of the Russian Federation in the Republic of Kazakhstan. However, now their fate is not very predictable, although many of them work, and they can be recommended for financial transactions through the MIR payment system.

Kaspi Bank (Bank Kaspi)

A popular bank in the Republic of Kazakhstan, associated with the large marketplace kaspi.kz, provides 2% cashback when paying for purchases on it. A lot of people have cards of this bank, including because almost all monthly payments for utilities, etc. are paid through it. If you live in the Republic of Kazakhstan – this is a “must have” card. Among the minuses, one can note the lack of multi-currency accounts.

JUSAN Bank (Zhusan Bank)

A bank with extensive experience, operating since 1994. It offers multi-currency cards with the ability to connect up to 18 world currencies, which allows you to pay profitably while traveling. Cashbacks, Lounge Key, etc., etc.

Freedom bank (Freedom bank)

Formerly associated with the Russian Federation, the bank is focused on investors and provides an opportunity to work with financial instruments on the world’s stock exchanges. Offers multi-currency cards with the possibility of free service.

Altyn bank (Altyn Bank)

Offers a full range of banking services, card products characterize the possibility of free service and cash withdrawal.

Eurasian bank (Eurasian bank)

A popular bank with more than 28 years of history, among card products there are special ones for car enthusiasts with cashback and discounts when paying for spare parts and gasoline.

Bank CenterCredit (Bank Center Credit)

It is very common among non-residents from the Russian Federation, it has several card products: Kartakarta, TravelCard, IronCard. Among them are a card for travelers with increased cashback on hotels, flights and car rentals.

Halyk Bank, RBC Bank and some others are also popular among Russians.

memo

  • it is better to pass the border with a foreign passport (you can also use an internal passport, but then an additional task will arise – to get a migration registration on crossing the border)

  • cards in banks are issued only on a passport

  • when traveling to Kazakhstan, take care of roaming, you will need it until you buy a local SIM card (a SIM card is needed to open bank cards)

  • notification of your arrival in Kazakhstan is made by the receiving party within three days (hostel, hotel, relative, friend, etc.), it can be requested by the bank.

  • some banks have started to request a Russian TIN (it’s better to take it with you)

  • if you were refused in one branch of the bank (if you have all the necessary documents), then there is every chance that the same bank will make a positive decision only in another branch)

  • getting a bank card does not mean the end of the problem. Communication with Russian accounts or a Russian IP address may cause cards and accounts to be blocked. Alternatively, change the device, create new accounts, use the VPN without ever turning it off.

Opening an account and getting a card in Kazakhstan is not super difficult, the main thing is to get there. Everything can be done independently by arriving and filling out the documents on the spot. All information on tariffs and conditions can be previously studied on the websites of banks.

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