Tax NewsFlash - February 2022

Dear Readers,

The new Uniform Apostille Rules¹ (hereinafter - the Rules) entered into force on 2 January 2022 and introduced an electronic apostillation procedure.

The following concepts were included in the Rules in connection with the introduction of the electronic apostillation procedure:

• Electronic document - a document presented in an electronic digital form and certified by an electronic digital signature;
• Electronic Register - electronic list of apostilled documents;
• E-Apostille information system - a system for the registration of documents and for the issuance of an apostille stamp in an electronic form;
• The Unified Electronic Document Archive information system – a unified automated document recording system of the National Archive Fund of Kazakhstan with a search function.

An electronically apostilled document is a PDF file containing apostille along with an electronic or scanned copy of the submitted document signed by an electronic digital signature of the authorized state officials.

An applicant submits documents for an electronic apostillation in an electronic form or by scanning the original documents. The Rules do not allow scanning photocopies of the original documents.

The Electronic Register is intended to keep an archive of all apostilles issued both in a hard copy or in an electronic form.

As the new Rules entered into force, the previous Uniform Apostille Rules approved by the Ministry of Justice in 2001 become invalid.