Foreign Direct Investment Regime

Kazakhstan has no general screening mechanism for foreign investment and few sectoral restrictions. The Constitution of Kazakhstan provides the same rights and obligations to foreign entities and individuals as to Kazakhstani citizens, unless specified elsewhere in legislation. In terms of the typical statutory restrictions on FDI found in other emerging economies, Kazakhstan is relatively open to foreign investment. Foreigners may invest in any sector, with equity limits in only a handful of sectors. But at the same time, a number of measures introduced in the past decade to diversify the economy and create greater local value added from foreign investments, particularly in the subsoil sector, have increased operational restrictions on foreign investment and added greater uncertainty for investors.