Russians may have stricter rules for obtaining bank cards in Kazakhstan

Astana cannot ignore European requirements

After almost all payment systems left Russia, Russians went en masse to neighboring republics to issue bank cards there. This allowed me to pay for my usual purchases on the Internet and generally feel at ease abroad. Now this loophole can be closed – Kazakhstan is going to ban the issuance of cards to residents without a residence permit. What is the reason for this decision and whether it will lead to an outflow of Russians from the country, MK looked into it.

The Board of the National Bank of Kazakhstan plans to prohibit Russians who do not have a residence permit from obtaining bank cards. It is explained that this is necessary “in order to minimize the risks of issuing payment cards for these persons to carry out illegal transactions, including drug trafficking and gambling.” Discussion of the project will last until November 9.

After payment systems left Russia, Russians began to issue cards in neighboring republics. And Kazakhstan has become one of the popular destinations for such tourism.

“I received a card from Caspian Bank. This is the most popular bank in Kazakhstan among both locals and visitors. Then, a year ago, it was very easy for a foreigner to get a card. Actually, everyone fell in love with this bank for this reason. It was enough to have a TIN – this is the Kazakh analogue of our TIN, which all immigrants were required to do in half an hour in an analogue of the MFC using a foreign passport and a local SIM card,” Russian Veronica told MK. According to her, a bank card was issued immediately after filling out the documents: there was a special machine in the branch that printed it in a minute in your presence.

According to the new rules, the issuance of a bank card will be possible in person and on the basis of documents that confirm the validity of stay on the territory of Kazakhstan. This could be an employment contract, a residence permit or a training contract.

Most Russians who remain in Kazakhstan most likely have the necessary documents. Earlier this year, the government abolished visaran, the ability to legally extend one’s stay in the country by traveling abroad and returning to the country. Many then returned to Russia or left for other countries. Others tried to get a job or find ways to stay in the country to study, which is the basis for obtaining a residence permit.

About the reasons for the possible tightening of the rules, MK spoke with political scientist Chingiz Lepsibaev:

“This situation arose because of the demands that the Americans and Europeans put forward to our financial regulator. The banking system of Kazakhstan has become a place that allows you to circumvent sanctions. Kazakhstan cannot afford to ignore this. The reason is that the population of the country is different from the population of Russia. About 20 million people live in Kazakhstan, while Russia has more than 150 million. The economy of Kazakhstan cannot afford to abandon international integration and fall under secondary sanctions. Our economy is much more dependent on international structures.

— Could restrictions provoke an outflow of Russians from Kazakhstan?

— No, if you have a residence permit, then there is no problem opening a bank account. The country has a well-developed banking system and it takes literally a few minutes. Foreigners can get cards even easier than in their home country. Plus, there are still options to open an account if you put a deposit on it. In this case, both Russians and anyone else will probably be able to get the card. The only question is the amount of money.