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Category II license for construction and installation works

26.11.2021

A category II license for construction and installation works allows a company to work on facilities of the second and third levels of responsibility, as well as on facilities of the first level under subcontract agreements. Since July 1, 2026, licensing in construction has been governed by the Construction Code: the Law “On Architectural, Urban Planning and Construction Activities” is no longer in force. Requirements for licensees are set by the new qualification requirements (Order of the Acting Minister of Industry and Construction No. 197 of 22.04.2026); the previous Order No. 136 of 09.12.2014 has been repealed. Below is what category II gives, what it requires and how to obtain it. We have prepared and filed the documents for this license.

What category II allows

For design and construction and installation works, licensees are divided into three categories (paragraph 2 of Article 55 of the Construction Code):

  • Category I — construction facilities of all levels of responsibility;
  • Category II — facilities of the second and third levels of responsibility, as well as work on facilities of the first level under subcontract agreements;
  • Category III — facilities of the third level of responsibility, as well as work on facilities of the first and second levels under subcontract agreements.

The licensor determines the category when issuing the license, based on the qualification requirements, and states it in the special conditions of the license. A “category II LLP” means a company holding a license of this category.

The license is issued for subtypes of construction and installation works: the profile of the specialist’s certificate and the equipment required depend on the subtype requested.

Requirements for a category II licensee

Chapter 5 of the qualification requirements (rows 22–26):

  • A specialist on staff — at least one attested (certified) engineering and technical worker with an attestation (certificate) in the profile of the requested subtype, working for the applicant on a permanent basis in one of the following positions: chief engineer, head of the production and technical department, site manager, works supervisor, foreman. Such a specialist may not work part-time for other organizations engaged in the same activity (paragraph 3 of Article 55 of the Code). Until July 1, 2028, attestations are equivalent to certificates (paragraph 8 of Article 147 of the Code); from that date the requirement will mention only a certified worker (subparagraph 5 of paragraph 5 of Order No. 197).
  • A production base — owned, held under economic management or operational management and (or) leased for at least one year with state registration in the legal cadastre. The base must have administrative and production buildings or premises for the declared works and workplaces organized according to working conditions.
  • Material and technical equipment — a minimum set of equipment, measuring instruments, machines and mechanisms under Annex 3 to the qualification requirements. The set depends on the declared subtypes of works.
  • Experience — at least five years as a licensee from the date the construction and installation license was obtained (for foreign persons — an equivalent permit), or at least five years as a category III licensee. If the license ceases to be valid, the experience is cancelled. Proof — a copy of the license or of the foreign permit, certified under the Law “On Notaries”.
  • Completed facilities — at least five facilities of the second and (or) third levels of responsibility built as the general contractor (copies of commissioning certificates), or at least ten facilities of the first and (or) second levels where the licensee performed works under subcontracts (copies of certificates of completed works).

If you have experience both as a general contractor and as a subcontractor, you may submit both commissioning certificates and certificates of completed works, but their total must equal the number required for subcontracts, that is, at least ten. Facilities that the license category did not allow you to build as the general contractor count only if the works were performed under contracts that entered into force before January 30, 2012.

How category II differs from III and I

  • Category III (rows 19–21) requires the same specialist, base and equipment, but no experience or completed facilities. Five years as a category III licensee count towards the experience for category II.
  • Category I (rows 27–31) — the base only owned or held under economic or operational management, without a lease; experience of at least ten years (seven for works on offshore oil and gas projects in Kazakhstan) or at least five years as a category II licensee; at least ten facilities of the first and (or) second levels as the general contractor or at least twenty under subcontracts.

How to obtain the license

  1. Check the specialist, base, equipment, experience and facilities for each subtype of works against Chapter 5 of the requirements.
  2. Prepare the application, the document confirming payment of the license fee (unless paid through the “digital government” payment gateway) and the forms of information on compliance with the qualification requirements (paragraph 3 of Article 29 of the Law “On Permits and Notifications”). Since 2026, a registration certificate and a copy of an identity document are not attached: these items have been removed from the law.
  3. File the application electronically (Article 48 of the same Law) with the local executive body exercising state architectural and construction control and supervision — of the capital, a region or a city of republican significance (paragraph 5 of Article 55 of the Code), at the company’s place of registration (subparagraph 1 of paragraph 2 of Article 29 of the Law).
  4. Receive the license or a reasoned refusal — within fifteen working days (paragraph 1 of Article 30 of the Law). The term does not depend on the category.

What matters after you obtain it

  • The qualification requirements must be met not only when the license is issued but throughout its validity (subparagraph 2 of Article 1 of the Law “On Permits and Notifications”). If your only attested specialist leaves or the lease of the base ends, the company no longer meets them.
  • Compliance is checked by the automated register. If it finds a violation, it sends a notice to remedy it; failure to remedy leads to suspension of the license, failure to comply with the suspension leads to revocation, and violations two or more times within a year lead to revocation straight away (Article 51 of the Code).
  • The license is reissued in the cases set by the Law “On Permits and Notifications” and, in addition, when the composition of the licensee’s founders changes. When the founders change, the licensor checks compliance with the qualification requirements again (paragraphs 6 and 7 of Article 55 of the Code).
  • If the license ceases to be valid, the experience for categories II and I is cancelled.

How we help

We will check whether your experience and completed facilities are enough for category II, prepare the forms of information on specialists, base, equipment and facilities, file the application and support you until the license is issued. A category III license, annexes to the license and other subtypes of works — see the service “Registration of licenses for construction and installation works”. Reissuing a license and appealing against a refusal, suspension or revocation — see “Obtaining licenses and permits in Kazakhstan”.

The first consultation is free. Call us: +7 700 500 05 53 or write on WhatsApp.


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