Kazakhstan: recognition of a Russian diploma and a residence permit — when neither translation nor apostille is needed

A client moving to Almaty came to us for "the full set": apostilles on every document and translations into Kazakh. We went through the file and found that most of that work was unnecessary. Kazakhstan is a special case for Russian documents.

Why an apostille is often not needed

Russia and Kazakhstan are parties to the 1993 Minsk Convention on Legal Assistance. Under it, official documents issued in one member state are accepted in another without legalisation or apostille. Civil registry certificates, official certificates and notarial documents from Russia are accepted by Kazakhstan as they are.

Why a translation is often not needed

In Kazakhstan, Russian is officially used on a par with Kazakh in state bodies. Most authorities accept documents in Russian without translation. A Kazakh translation may be needed selectively — for particular procedures or at the request of a specific institution.

Diploma

Within the Eurasian Economic Union, diplomas of member states are recognised for employment without a recognition procedure — except for teaching, legal, medical and pharmaceutical specialities. For those, and for further study, recognition through the authorised centre may be required. Check which procedure applies in your case.

Residence permit

A residence permit requires a passport, a criminal record certificate, medical documents and proof of means or of grounds for residence. Kazakhstan also accepts a Russian criminal record certificate without an apostille. If some documents are issued in a third language — a European diploma, for example — they will need translation and legalisation.

Outcome: the client saved on apostilles and translations, and preparing the file took a week instead of a month. Before ordering an apostille, check whether a simplified regime applies between the countries.