Estimated reading time: 10 minutes

Key Takeaways

  • A Kazakhstan work permit and residence permit for Pakistani founders follows a fixed order: C5 business immigrant visa to enter and found the LLP, then a temporary residence permit (TRP) through the migration police, then a work permit obtained by the LLP for its foreign director or employee.
  • Work permits are issued by the regional labour authority to the employer, in categories by seniority (heads and deputies, heads of structural units, specialists, skilled workers), within regional quotas and subject to a local-staff ratio; fees are paid per permit and scale by category.
  • The TRP is issued on a work, business or family basis and is the document that lets a Pakistani stay beyond the visa; it is renewed with the underlying permit.
  • Exemptions exist for heads of branches and representative offices of foreign companies, certain AIFC roles and a list of professions; SME directors should assume no exemption unless a lawyer confirms one.
  • Managing remotely through a local director avoids the TRP and work permit entirely; the founder can hold the LLP from Pakistan and visit on B-series business visas.

Table of Contents

A Kazakhstan work permit and residence permit for Pakistani founders is the second half of a process that begins with the C5 visa, and it is where founders who registered their LLP successfully discover they still cannot legally manage it. This guide sets out the sequence from C5 to TRP to work permit, the categories and quotas that govern work permits, the exemptions, and the remote-management alternative that many Pakistani owners choose instead.

It draws on egov.kz and Kazakh legal sources; it is general information, and a Kazakh lawyer should confirm current rules. Read it with our Kazakhstan business setup guide and business visa guide.

The order of operations

  1. C5 business immigrant visa, issued abroad, to enter and found the LLP within two to three months, per KD Legal.
  2. IIN, EDS and LLP registration on eGov, per egov.kz.
  3. Temporary residence permit through the migration police, per egov.kz.
  4. Work permit obtained by the LLP for the founder as director.

Each step depends on the previous one; a founder on a tourist visa cannot start the chain.

Step one: C5 and founding

Article 40 of the Law on Migration requires a foreign founder to hold a C5 visa; it is single-entry for up to 90 days, and the company must be registered and capital paid within two to three months of entry, per KD Legal. The IIN is obtained in person, then the EDS, then eGov registration in one working day with KZT 0 capital for small business, per egov.kz. See our C5 guide.

Step two: the temporary residence permit

Foreigners staying beyond their visa apply to the migration police for a temporary residence permit on a defined basis, per egov.kz; for a founder the basis is business activity through the registered LLP, and later employment once the work permit exists. The TRP requires proof of address, the LLP’s registration, medical certificates and a fee, and is issued for up to a year, renewable. It is the document that keeps you legal after the 90-day C5 expires.

Working abroad legally in Kazakhstan

Step three: the work permit

The LLP applies to the regional labour and social protection department for a permit to employ a foreign worker in a named position; the permit is issued to the employer, tied to that worker and role, for up to a year (longer for senior categories) and renewable. A foreign director of an LLP needs one unless exempt. Until it is issued, day-to-day management should be by a local director or from abroad.

Work permit categories and quotas

  • Category 1: heads of organisations and their deputies.
  • Category 2: heads of structural units.
  • Category 3: specialists.
  • Category 4: skilled workers.

Permits are issued within regional quotas set annually by the government; fees and durations scale by category, with category 1 and 2 permits typically longer and dearer. A founder-director applies in category 1.

The local-staff ratio

Employers holding foreign work permits must maintain a minimum share of Kazakh citizens in the workforce, generally 70% for categories 1–2 and 90% for categories 3–4, with exemptions for small businesses and certain sectors. A one-person LLP employing its foreign founder should confirm with a lawyer how the ratio applies; hiring local staff early solves it.

Exemptions

Work permits are not required for heads and deputy heads of branches and representative offices of foreign legal entities, certain AIFC participants and employees under the AIFC’s own regime, EAEU citizens, and a government list of professions and categories; see our AIFC guide. A Pakistani-owned LLP outside the AIFC should assume its director needs a permit.

The permit has to come before the job

Documents

  • LLP registration certificate, charter, tax registration.
  • Justification for the foreign hire and the draft employment contract with position and salary.
  • Worker’s passport copy and photos.
  • Education and experience documents, MOFA-apostilled and translated with notarisation; Kazakhstan is an Apostille Convention member; see our attestation guide.
  • Medical certificate confirming absence of barred diseases, per WPK.
  • Proof of local-staff ratio compliance or exemption.
  • State fee receipts.

Fees and timelines

Work permit fees are set in monthly calculation indices and scale by category and sector, from tens to a few hundred MCI; the TRP carries a smaller fee. The work permit typically takes 7–15 working days once the file is complete; the TRP two to three weeks. From C5 entry to a working director with TRP, allow three to four months, inside which the C5 expires, so the TRP must be filed early.

Renewal and changing status

Work permits are renewed by the employer within the new year’s quota; TRPs are renewed with the underlying basis. A change of employer needs a new permit. File renewals a month or more ahead; an expired TRP is an overstay with fines and possible bans.

Permanent residence

Permanent residence in Kazakhstan requires proof of solvency, a clean record and, in practice, a period of lawful temporary residence; investor routes exist for larger sums. Most Pakistani founders operate on renewed TRPs; see our residency by investment guide.

The employer applies, not the worker

Managing remotely instead

A Pakistani founder who appoints a Kazakh citizen or resident as director can hold the LLP from Pakistan, sign resolutions by apostilled documents or EDS, and visit on B-series business visas without a TRP or work permit; remote management without tax residency is possible, as noted in our setup guide. This is the lower-friction model for a trading company; the on-site model suits a founder relocating.

Taxes

A director’s salary bears individual income tax and social contributions withheld by the LLP; a foreigner becomes tax resident after 183 days. See our Kazakhstan tax guide.

Common mistakes

  • Founding on a tourist visa.
  • Letting the C5 expire before the TRP is filed.
  • Managing the LLP as director without a work permit.
  • Ignoring the local-staff ratio.
  • Assuming an AIFC exemption applies to a non-AIFC LLP.

FAQ

What is the order: visa, residence or work permit?

C5 visa, then LLP registration, then TRP, then the work permit obtained by the LLP.

Does a founder-director need a work permit?

Yes, in category 1, unless an exemption such as AIFC applies.

How long does the whole chain take?

Three to four months from C5 entry.

Can I avoid the TRP and work permit?

Yes, by appointing a local director and managing from Pakistan on business visas.

Bottom line

A Kazakhstan work permit and residence permit for Pakistani founders is a chain: C5 to found, TRP to stay, and an employer-obtained category 1 work permit to direct, all within quotas and a local-staff ratio, with AIFC and branch-office exemptions for the few. File the TRP before the C5 runs out, apostille your qualifications early, hire local staff, and if you do not intend to relocate, appoint a local director and manage from Pakistan.