SIM card and eGov for foreigners in Kazakhstan: registering your number, the 30-day IMEI rule, eGov Mobile, EDS and banking

A foreigner in Kazakhstan should get a local number in their own name within the first few days after arrival. Without it, eGov Mobile, one-time passwords for public services, most banking apps and Kaspi will not work. Since 3 January 2026, SIM cards are issued only after biometric identification, with no more than 10 numbers per person. If your phone was bought abroad, you have 30 days from its first connection to a Kazakhstan network to confirm it was imported lawfully; otherwise the device is cut off. Here is the order to do things in, and the common traps.

The right sequence

Almost every problem comes from doing the steps out of order. The best sequence:

1. IIN. Get your individual identification number at a Public Service Centre (CON) or through a consulate. Without it there is no eGov, no electronic signature and no bank account. Details in IIN for foreigners.
2. A SIM card in your own name, from an official operator, with biometrics.
3. Phone registration (IMEI), if the phone was brought from abroad, within 30 days.
4. The mobile citizens database and eGov Mobile, linking the number to your IIN.
5. EDS, the electronic digital signature, for signing applications, registering a company and signing contracts.
6. Bank and Kaspi, once your number and IIN match in every database.

If you buy a SIM before getting an IIN, the number may be linked only to your passport and will later have to be re-registered for eGov and the bank.

SIM cards: what changed in 2026

• Biometrics. According to the Ministry of Artificial Intelligence and Digital Development, since 3 January 2026 a SIM card can only be issued after biometric identification. It is mandatory when buying online. A SIM bought in a shop should not work until the owner completes biometrics in their own name, in the operator's app or at its office.
• Limit. Up to 10 SIM cards per person for personal and family use; more only with a justified need.
• Only in your own name. A number registered to someone else, such as a friend or a real estate agent, is a direct route to blocking and to problems with the bank, which will send SMS codes to them rather than to you.

For foreigners. Operators register foreigners' numbers on a passport, for example through a USSD command with your passport number or at a store with an identity document. Some operators and tariffs require an IIN, and in-app biometrics may not work with a foreign passport; in that case go to the operator's official office. Requirements change, so check with your chosen operator before buying.

A phone from abroad: the 30-day rule

The Rules for Registering Subscriber Devices (Order No. 226, as amended on 31 October 2025) require devices using SIM cards from Kazakhstan operators to be registered by their identification code (IMEI).

• Roaming is exempt. If you use your foreign SIM in roaming, you do not need to register the phone; the Rules expressly exclude devices in roaming.
• A local SIM requires registration. The owner provides their IIN, the IMEI and the numbers used in the device. Registration is free of charge.
• 30 calendar days. A device whose lawful import has not been confirmed goes onto a "grey" list and gets temporary network access for 30 calendar days from its first connection. If no confirmation is provided, a re-check moves it to the "black" list and mobile service to the device stops.
• How to confirm import. For a phone brought in for personal use, you need border-crossing data and/or documents confirming import under tax and customs rules. Verification is done through the kz-imei.kz service, and you can check your IMEI status in eGov Mobile.
• Two IMEIs. Dual-SIM phones have two identification codes; register both.

It is the device that is blocked on Kazakhstan networks. Abroad, the phone works as usual.

eGov Mobile and the mobile citizens database

eGov Mobile is the e-government app: certificates, application status, IMEI checks and some services for host parties. For a foreigner there are two conditions:

• An IIN. Login and services are tied to the individual identification number.
• A number in the mobile citizens database (BMG). One-time passwords go only to a number registered in the BMG to your IIN. You can register in the BMG at a CON or on egov.kz with an EDS.

Foreigners can use fewer services than Kazakhstan citizens, and issuing an EDS inside the app with video identification may not work with a foreign passport. The reliable route is an EDS obtained through a CON.

Electronic signature (EDS)

An electronic digital signature from the National Certification Authority is needed to sign applications on egov.kz and the visa and migration portal, register an LLP, and sign electronic contracts and reports. To get one you need an IIN and an identity check at a CON with your passport.

If you host other foreigners or register a company, you will also need the EDS for an arrival notification and for registering an LLP.

Bank and Kaspi

Banks, including Kaspi, open accounts and cards for foreigners under their own internal rules. They usually ask for:

• an IIN;
• a passport (with a notarised translation if it is not in Kazakh or Russian);
• a Kazakhstan number registered in your name and to your IIN, for SMS confirmations and app login;
• proof of lawful stay: a visa, an entry stamp, a temporary residence permit or a residence permit.

Banks may offer some products (instalments, loans, certain transfers) only to residents or residence permit holders. The bank makes the decision.

Timeline and costs

A realistic plan for a newly arrived specialist or founder: on the first working day, the passport translation and the IIN; on the second, a SIM card linked to your IIN and the phone registration; then the BMG, the EDS and the bank. If weekends or queues at the CON get in the way, allow a week. Above all, do not delay the IMEI step: the 30 days run from the first network connection, not from the date the number was registered.

Common mistakes

• A SIM in someone else's name. The bank and eGov send codes to the number's owner, not to you, and you lose access if the owner changes.
• Missing the 30-day IMEI deadline. The phone stops working on the network just when you need an SMS from the bank or the CON.
• Different passport details in the IIN record and at the operator. After replacing your passport, update the details at a CON first, then with the operator and the bank.
• Expecting eGov Mobile to work without an IIN. Without the identification number the app gives no access to services.
• Confusing a phone number with your right to stay. A SIM card, eGov and a bank account do not extend your stay, which is counted under your visa or visa-free regime. See how days of stay are counted.

How Visa Navigator can help

We help foreigners in Almaty go through the "digital start" in the right order: getting an IIN, preparing document translations, obtaining an EDS, filing the arrival notification, and preparing documents for a bank or a company registration. The number is issued by the operator and the account is opened by the bank; those decisions are theirs. More on the arrival notification and company registration service pages.

This material is for information only and does not constitute legal advice. Rules and practice change — verify the current requirements as of the date you apply.