Kazakhstan Adopted New Amendments to Land Code

According to new amendments into Kazakhstan’s Land Code, foreign companies and individuals won’t be able to buy or even rent agricultural lands in the country. The relevant amendments to the Land Code have been approved today on April 7 by the parliament deputies.

The key amendment to the Land Code prohibits the government from providing foreigners and foreign companies with lands. Earlier, local executive bodies had a right to suggest and coordinate the whole process of land transferal to foreigners. Now, this is no longer an option.

As lawmakers have noted, these amendments were necessary because all kinds of deals with agrarian land will be banned for foreigners in Kazakhstan. They won’t be able to buy such land or rent it. Moreover, the agricultural land can’t be bought by ethnic Kazakhs without citizenship either.

The law has changed the term, which is used to describe ethnic Kazakhs and their children, who came back to the motherland over the years since the collapse of the Soviet Union and still have no citizenship. 

The draft law to prohibit the sale and rental of agrarian land was initiated by President Kassym-Jomart Tokayev and transferred to the Mazhilis on March 12.

As Eraly Tugzhanov, deputy vice minister noted, the decision to ban foreigners from land sale was taken by the president on February 25, when the Commission of Land Reform held its second meeting. However, the commission won’t stop its work as it has to develop a bunch of recommendations on how to improve land matters.

The official has also underlined that this legislation is absolutely clear – no foreigner can buy or rent agricultural land. 

«Despite rumors and speculations, there should be no doubts – our land won’t be transferred to any foreigners. The president has drawn a line under this issue,» he stated.