Company registration in the Astana International Financial Centre (AIFC), Kazakhstan. Service offer

Company registration in the Astana International Financial Centre (AIFC) offers a fast and efficient way to launch your business in a jurisdiction based on English common law. We provide full support throughout the registration process — from preliminary checks to obtaining the Certificate of Incorporation and opening a bank account. The entire procedure can be completed without the client's personal presence and is delivered on a turnkey basis, fully compliant with AIFC regulations and practices. AIFC registration provides access to various tax incentives and a streamlined regulatory environment, making it an attractive option for international investors and entrepreneurs.

Major advantages of establishing a company in the AIFC

The AIFC is a separate jurisdiction within the Republic of Kazakhstan, with legal and regulatory framework based on English law. Using such a jurisdiction has a number of advantages:

Quick company registration without having to visit the country;

No work permit, or temporary residence permit, or C5 visa required;

Registration of a company in the leading financial centre in Central Asia;

Chance to form a company with full substance and a bank account in one country;

English law regulating the company’s business and transactions with investors;

Low taxes, with tax benefits for certain types of activities;

Operations arranged in the familiar “turnkey” mode.

Time frame for establishing a company in the AIFC:

Company registration: 5 to 20 working days;
Bank account opening: 2 to 4 weeks (from the signing of bank forms by the director).

The most commonly used structure for doing business in the AIFC is a private company. These companies have management bodies and decision-making procedures traditional for English law jurisdictions. A private company has the right to engage in any activity not subject to additional approval or prohibited by the laws of the Republic of Kazakhstan.

Company structure

Shareholders in a private company can be individuals and legal entities. The number of shareholders is at least 1. There are no requirements for their nationality or residency.

A private company is not required to have a minimum authorized capital.

A director in a company can only be an individual. The number of directors is at least 1. There are no requirements for their nationality or residency.

If a foreigner is appointed as director of a company, they must obtain an individual identification number (IIN). In some cases, it is possible to get an IIN without visiting Kazakhstan.

Company registration

1. Preliminary check

Documents and information required for company registration:

several company names to be checked for availability; Requirements for the company name:
- it must not include words that may suggest a relationship with the AIFC and its bodies, government authorities of Astana or the Republic of Kazakhstan;
- it must not include the following words (unless permitted by the Registrar): ‘bank’, ‘insurance’, ‘trust’ or their derivatives, or other words suggesting that the company is conducting licensed activities;
- it must not be similar to the name of any other company or partnership;
- it must have the words ‘Limited’ or ‘Ltd.’ at the end; the name can only use the English alphabet, numerals or other characters acceptable to the Registrar.
detailed description of the company’s business;
geography of business;
originals or notarized copies of passports and proofs of address for the directors and shareholders;
occupation of the directors / shareholders / attorneys / beneficial owners;
source of funds for doing business.

If these documents are missing, a new list will be agreed separately with your GSL consultant.

2. Payment of fees for company registration

3. Preparation and filing of documents for company registration

Documents and forms are prepared and filled out in English. The company’s articles can be drafted using the AIFC standard template.

Registration is considered complete once the Certificate of Incorporation is issued, containing the company name, company number and the date of incorporation.

No registration time frame is currently set by the AIFC regulations, but in practice it can vary from 5 to 20 working days.

Address rent

Every AIFC company is required to have its registered address within the Centre. There are currently no vacancies in the AIFC main complex, but it is possible to rent an office (including a virtual office) in any business centre located in the part of Astana occupied by the AIFC.

Company administration

Taxation

Until 2066, AIFC companies are exempt from corporate income tax and VAT on income received from providing the following financial services in the territory of the AIFC:

Islamic banking services;
reinsurance and insurance brokerage services;
investment management services for assets of investment funds, accounting and safekeeping services for investment funds, as well as services related to issuing, offering, trading, purchase and redemption of securities of investment funds;
brokerage, dealer and/or underwriting services;
any other financial services determined by an Act jointly approved by the AIFC, the central authorized body on state planning and the state authority responsible for collection of taxes and other obligatory payments to the budget.

Any other income is subject to tax in Kazakhstan at standard rates: 20% corporate income tax and 12% VAT.

Financial statements and audit

Financial statements must be submitted within 6 months of the end of the financial year if:

the company has a turnover of more than USD 500 000;
the company has an average of more than 20 shareholders in the financial year;
the company has not previously applied for an annual confirmation of information instead of an annual report.

Financial statements need not to be audited unless the company’s annual turnover exceeds USD 5 000 000.

Renewal

There is currently no annual fee for renewing a private company registration. The only expenses are office lease renewal and annual compliance check.

IMPORTANT: Companies must notify the Registrar of all changes in their registered information. Each type of notification has its own deadline (for most notifications, it is 14 days from the date of the change).

Fees*

Services	Fees
Registration of a Private Company, including preparation of standard corporate documents, first year of administration and payment of registration fee	USD 4 950
Obtaining an IIN (individual identification number) for one applicant	USD 1 320
GSL fee for finding a company office**	10% of the annual office rent (one-off fee)
Assistance with opening a local bank account	from EUR 3 000***
Compliance fee Payable in the cases of: - incorporation of a company, - renewal of a company, - liquidation of a company, - transfer out of a company, - issue of a power of attorney to a new attorney, - change of director / shareholder / beneficial owner, except the change to a nominee director / shareholder, - signing of documents.	USD 385 (standard rate, includes the check of 1 individual) + USD 165 for each additional individual (director, shareholder, or beneficial owner) or legal entity (director or shareholder) if such legal entity is administered by GSL + USD 220 for each additional legal entity (director or shareholder) if such legal entity is not administered by GSL USD 495 (rate for high-risk companies, includes the check of 1 individual) USD 110 (signing of documents)

*The fees are valid as of September 2025.

**The cost of renting a virtual office in the AIFC starts at USD 1 000 a year.

***The final fee is determined on a case-by-case basis, depending on the complexity of the project.

Are you interested in the offer?

from USD 5 335

Download offer in PDF

Поиск консультанта...

+44 0 207 822 85 93

Share on social media: