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Obtaining IIN and BIN in Kazakhstan for foreigners and non-residents

08.04.2022

A foreigner who opens a company, buys real estate or opens a bank account in Kazakhstan needs an individual identification number — an IIN. A foreign company that operates in Kazakhstan without registering an LLP needs a business identification number — a BIN. KORGAN Law Firm prepares the documents, accompanies foreigners when they obtain an IIN, registers foreign companies with the tax authorities to obtain a BIN and issues digital signatures (EDS).

What IIN and BIN are and how they differ

Both numbers have 12 digits and are formed under the Law “On National Registers of Identification Numbers” (Article 1). The difference is who the number is assigned to:

IIN is a unique number of an individual: a citizen of Kazakhstan, a foreigner or a stateless person. An individual entrepreneur works under their own IIN, no new number is assigned (paragraph 7 of Article 9 of the Law).
BIN is a unique number of a legal entity, its branch or representative office, and of individual entrepreneurs operating as a joint venture.

Government agencies and banks identify a person by the IIN: it is needed to obtain documents, register a marriage, real estate or a car, pay taxes, open an account and register a business. A citizen’s IIN is on the front of the Kazakhstan ID card, a foreigner’s is in the registration certificate or residence permit (paragraph 3 of Article 9). Without a BIN a company cannot operate in Kazakhstan: every government agency, bank and public procurement organizer asks for it.

IIN for foreigners and non-residents

A non-resident needs an IIN to:

register an LLP or become one of its participants;
obtain a business immigrant TRP;
open an account with a Kazakhstan bank, buy or sell real estate, obtain an EDS.

A foreigner’s IIN is first formed when a registration certificate, a residence permit or a stateless person’s certificate is issued. The foreigner must be in Kazakhstan and apply to the registering authority in person, which is how their identity is verified (paragraph 6 of Article 9 of the Law). Only an electronic resident obtains an IIN remotely, under the e-residency programme with biometric identification.

What you need:

the foreigner’s passport;
a notarized translation of the passport if the surname, name and place of birth are not written in Cyrillic.

We check the documents, arrange the translation and notarized copy, book the appointment and accompany the foreigner. An IIN is assigned once and does not change: no new number is formed when documents are reissued.

BIN for a foreign company

A foreign company obtains a BIN in one of two ways (paragraph 8 of Article 9 of the Law):

on record registration of a branch or representative office in Kazakhstan — see “Registration of a branch in Kazakhstan“;
on registration with the state revenue authority as a non-resident taxpayer, without a branch: if the company operates through a permanent establishment or a dependent agent, owns taxable objects in Kazakhstan, opens a current account with a Kazakhstan bank or is a tax agent.

Without a branch, the application is filed at the location of the permanent establishment or the property, and for an account at the location of the bank (paragraph 10 of Article 9). A BIN is also required to take part in tenders and public procurement in Kazakhstan. How a foreign company registers with the tax authorities is described in “Registration of a foreign company with the tax authorities in Kazakhstan“.

Documents we prepare and file under a power of attorney:

constituent documents: charter, decision on incorporation, order or minutes appointing the director;
certificate of state registration or an extract from the trade register of the country of registration with the registration number;
a tax registration document from the country of registration with the tax number, if such a document is issued;
a copy of the director’s passport;
a power of attorney from the company for our staff.

Foreign documents need an apostille or consular legalization; in Kazakhstan they are translated and notarized copies are made. In our practice, a BIN is assigned within 3–5 working days after the application is filed.

EDS for a foreign company

Without an EDS a company cannot sign electronic documents or submit a tender bid. An EDS from the National Certification Authority requires:

the company’s BIN;
the director’s IIN;
a power of attorney in the NCA RK form;
a company seal showing the Kazakhstan BIN;
an application to the NCA RK.

That is why it is convenient to obtain the director’s IIN, the BIN and the EDS together.

From our practice

A state-owned company from Croatia was preparing for a tender in Kazakhstan and needed a BIN and an EDS within a week. In 5 working days we obtained an IIN for the director and a BIN, and issued an EDS for the authorized person. Details are in “Registration of BIN and EDS for the Croatian company KORGAN in one week“.

How the numbers are structured

Under the current Rules for forming the IIN (Order of the Minister of Internal Affairs No. 521 of 29.06.2023), an IIN is a unique combination of 12 digits that is generated automatically and never changes; the last, 12th digit is a check digit used to catch input errors. The Rules do not break the number down into date of birth and gender.

Under the 2023 Rules for forming the BIN, a BIN consists of five parts:

four digits — the year (last two digits) and month of registration;
one digit — the type: 4 — resident legal entity, 5 — non-resident legal entity, 6 — individual entrepreneurs operating as a joint venture;
one digit — the attribute: 0 — head office, 1 — branch, 2 — representative office;
five digits — the registration serial number;
one digit — the check digit.

The fifth digit of a BIN shows whether the company is a resident or a non-resident, the sixth whether it is a head office, a branch or a representative office.

Cost

The cost depends on whether you need an IIN, a BIN or both together with an EDS, and on the number of documents. We agree on it before work starts. Notary fees, translation, apostille and legalization are paid separately. If a foreigner needs their own company in Kazakhstan, we carry out turnkey registration of an LLP with foreign participation together with the founders’ IINs.

Frequently asked questions

What is a BIN?

A BIN is a 12-digit business identification number. It is assigned to a legal entity, its branch and representative office, and to individual entrepreneurs operating as a joint venture (Article 1 of the Law “On National Registers of Identification Numbers”). Without a BIN a company cannot operate in Kazakhstan: every government agency, bank and public procurement organizer asks for it.

Are an IIN and a BIN the same thing?

No. Both have 12 digits, but an IIN is assigned to an individual — a citizen of Kazakhstan, a foreigner or a stateless person — and a BIN to a legal entity, a branch or a representative office. An individual entrepreneur works under their own IIN and gets no new number (paragraph 7 of Article 9 of the Law).

Where is the IIN shown?

A citizen’s IIN is on the front of the Kazakhstan ID card, a foreigner’s is in the registration certificate or residence permit (paragraph 3 of Article 9 of the Law).

How can a foreigner get an IIN in Kazakhstan?

The foreigner must be in Kazakhstan and apply to the registering authority in person, which is how their identity is verified (paragraph 6 of Article 9 of the Law). A passport is needed, plus a notarized translation if the surname, first name and place of birth are not written in Cyrillic. Only an electronic resident obtains an IIN remotely, under the e-residency programme. An IIN is assigned once and does not change.

How does a foreign company get a BIN?

On record registration of a branch or representative office in Kazakhstan or, without a branch, on registration with the state revenue authority as a non-resident taxpayer — for example, when the company opens a current account with a Kazakhstan bank (paragraph 8 of Article 9 of the Law). A BIN is also needed for tenders and public procurement. Foreign documents need an apostille or consular legalization. In our practice, a BIN is assigned within 3–5 working days after the application is filed.

What is needed for a foreign company’s digital signature (EDS)?

The company’s BIN, the director’s IIN, a power of attorney in the NCA RK form, a company seal with the Kazakhstan BIN and an application to the NCA RK. That is why it is convenient to obtain the director’s IIN, the BIN and the EDS together.

To obtain an IIN, a BIN or an EDS, call us: +7 700 500 05 53, or leave a request on the website.

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