Nearly 30,000 foreigners receive Kazakh citizenship through simplified procedure

Kazakhstan's Ministry of Internal Affairs said the simplified procedure is primarily available to individuals with historical, ethnic or family ties to the country. Under Article 16-1 of the Law On Citizenship of the Republic of Kazakhstan, the following categories are eligible:

• Kandas (ethnic Kazakhs returning to their historical homeland);
• victims of mass political repression and their descendants;
• ethnic Kazakhs studying at universities in Kazakhstan;
• foreign nationals married to Kazakh citizens, as well as widows and widowers of Kazakh citizens;
• citizens of Kazakhstan, Russia, Belarus, and Kyrgyzstan under intergovernmental agreements between the four countries.

The ministry emphasized that promoting Kazakh culture abroad, as well as receiving state awards, letters of appreciation or other forms of recognition, does not qualify an applicant for the simplified citizenship procedure.

"In 2025-2026, a total of 29,800 foreign nationals obtained Kazakh citizenship under the simplified procedure, including 24,800 ethnic Kazakhs. Specifically, 20,600 people acquired citizenship in 2025 and 9,200 in 2026," the ministry said.

According to the ministry, an applicant's period of permanent residence is calculated from the date their permanent residence permit is issued, with the information verified through the Ministry of Internal Affairs' information systems.

As decisions on granting Kazakh citizenship are made by the President of Kazakhstan under the law, any review of those decisions also falls within the President's authority.

Earlier, Qazinform News Agency reported that Kazakhstan's population stood at 20,547,909 as of April 1, 2026, up 48,087 people, or 0.23%, since the beginning of the year.