Tax residency in Kazakhstan for crypto investments: how to obtain it through the MFCA program

The International Financial Center “Astana” has expanded its Investment Tax Residency Program — foreign investors can now apply for an investor visa and tax residency in Kazakhstan by investing not only in shares and charter capital of companies, but also in digital assets. We explain how the program works, how much needs to be invested, and how this mechanism differs from the familiar “golden visa.”

What has changed in the IFCA program

The Investment Tax Residency Program (ITRP) has been operating in the IFCA for several years, allowing foreigners to obtain a long-term investor visa and tax residency in Kazakhstan through a simplified procedure. Until recently, program participants had access to four instruments — shares, participation interests and fund units registered in the IFCA, securities listed on the Astana International Exchange, and contributions to the charter capital of center participant companies. The minimum non-withdrawable investment amount for these instruments is $60,000.

Now a fifth instrument has been added to the list — digital assets, available through operators licensed by the IFCA’s Financial Services Regulatory Authority (AFSA). The minimum investment threshold for this option is set at $150,000, and this amount must be maintained throughout the entire period of participation in the program — that is, it is not a one-time contribution, but a constant presence of capital on a licensed platform.

How the Investment Tax Residency Program works

The ITRP mechanism solves two tasks at once for a foreign investor — it provides the opportunity to obtain a long-term investor visa for entry and stay in Kazakhstan, and then to apply for tax residency in the country through a simplified procedure. This is a separate track from standard work visas and temporary residence permits — the status of a program participant is processed through the IFCA administration, not through territorial migration services.

The investor visa as a category is established in Kazakh migration legislation — the Rules for Issuing Visas of the Republic of Kazakhstan, approved by the Ministry of Foreign Affairs. Visas of categories C1 and C2 are issued to recipients traveling to the country for investment purposes, and the procedure for issuing the application itself is regulated by a separate order of the Ministry of Investments and Development.

Who can participate and what are the conditions

The requirements for program participants are the same for all investment instruments, including the new option with digital assets:

— the applicant must be over 18 years old
— the applicant must not be a citizen of the Republic of Kazakhstan
— the applicant must not have been a tax resident of Kazakhstan for the past 20 years.

The program does not impose additional requirements regarding profession, source of capital, or mandatory physical presence in the country — the key condition remains the volume and nature of investments.

Through which platforms to invest in digital assets

Investment within the program is possible only through operators holding an AFSA license — independent trading through foreign exchanges or unauthorized platforms is not suitable for participation in the ITRP. Currently, several licensed platforms for trading digital assets operate within the IFCA jurisdiction, including Binance Kazakhstan, the first in the country to receive a full Digital Asset Trading Facility license, as well as Bybit. The full registry of licensed operators is published directly by AFSA.

How this relates to the “golden visa” A6

In parallel, another investor program operates in Kazakhstan, commonly referred to as the “golden visa” — category A6 visa. It involves investing at least $300,000 in the charter capital of Kazakh companies or in local issue securities, and in the future provides the right to a residence permit for up to 10 years.

The ITRP program and the A6 visa are different mechanisms. ITRP operates within the IFCA jurisdiction, is oriented toward a narrower set of investment instruments, and assumes entry from $60,000 or from $150,000 for digital assets, whereas the A6 visa is administered by the Committee on Investments of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs and requires a larger investment amount in Kazakh business outside the IFCA. Both options ultimately lead to obtaining a residence permit, but differ in entry threshold, set of available assets, and the state body that issues the application.

Why Kazakhstan is developing the digital assets market

The inclusion of digital assets in the IFCA program is part of a broader process of legalizing the crypto market in the country. Since May 1, 2026, systemic regulation of digital asset circulation has been introduced in Kazakhstan — the law divided the market into unbacked digital assets, i.e., cryptocurrencies, and digital financial assets, including stablecoins and tokenized real assets.

In 2026, President Kassym-Jomart Tokayev signed a decree on stimulating and developing the digital assets industry, aimed at improving industry regulation and enhancing the country’s investment attractiveness. The IFCA explains the expansion of ITRP precisely by this course — according to the director of the IFCA Expat Center Aynur Zhumatova, the program has received a new mechanism for attracting investments, which simultaneously supports the development of digital assets as part of the country’s financial technology architecture.

What you need to know before submitting an application

Before submitting an application under the new instrument, several practical points should be considered:

— the minimum amount of $150,000 must be held on the licensed IFCA platform for the entire duration of participation in the program, not just at the time of application submission

— investments are recognized only through operators with an AFSA license — independent storage of assets in a personal wallet or on a foreign exchange is not suitable

— the new instrument has been in effect since the publication of the program act on the official IFCA website, so current conditions should be clarified directly with the IFCA Expat Center

— the program does not replace the A6 visa — when choosing, one should compare the investment amount, available assets, and final goals, whether it is obtaining a residence permit or conducting business in Kazakhstan.