Retiring in Kazakhstan: Right of Stay, Tax on Your Pension and Access to Healthcare

Since 1 January 2022, French nationals are exempt from a visa for short stays: 30 calendar days per visit, with an unlimited number of visits, within a limit of 90 days in any 180-day period. Extensions are requested from the immigration police at least a week before the 30-day limit, and overstaying is severely punished. A stay of 31 to 90 days requires a short-stay visa. Long-stay visas, valid from 91 days to 3 years with multiple entries, are applied for at the Kazakh embassy in France; extensions and changes of category can be requested from within Kazakhstan. The host or hotel declares the arrival to the immigration police within three working days.

The permanent residence permit is for people already present on a basis listed by the investment portal: permanent residence visa, multiple-entry investor visa, visa for a sought-after profession, or arrival from a State bound by a visa exemption agreement. Processing takes 45 calendar days, the fee is 4 monthly calculation indices, and the file includes a passport valid for more than 180 days, proof of solvency, a criminal record certificate, a medical certificate, a photograph and proof of accommodation. No official page read details a category dedicated to retirees or the resources required of a pensioner: have the scheme in force confirmed by the Kazakh embassy in France before any settling project. The guide to receiving your pension abroad completes this overview.

France and Kazakhstan signed in Paris, on 3 February 1998, a convention to avoid double taxation, with a protocol that forms an integral part of it. It entered into force on 1 July 2000 and was approved by Law No. 2000-335 of 14 April 2000; it applies, for withholding taxes, from 1 January 1996 (BOFiP). The French tax administration also publishes a consolidated version of the convention amended by the multilateral convention: this is the one to read. The doctrine recalls the general rule of treaties: private retirement pensions are taxable in the beneficiary’s State of residence, whereas public pensions are in principle taxable by the State that pays them, with exceptions depending on nationality and residence. The article on pensions is authoritative: check it for your scheme.

• State pensions: the State pensions portal lists the countries where withholding tax does not apply because of a treaty; Kazakhstan is not on it. The withholding scale is 0%, 12% then 20% according to thresholds revised every year, applied to the gross amount reduced by the health insurance contribution (COTAM, 3.2%), then by the 10% allowance.
• Private and social security pensions: taxation falls to France or Kazakhstan depending on the article of the convention. Where a convention reserves taxation to the State of residence, BOFiP describes, for certain conventions, a tax residence certificate and proof of taxation handed to the payer before payment to set aside French withholding: confirm the applicable procedure with the tax office for non-resident individuals.
• Social contributions: a retiree whose tax residence is outside France is not liable for the CSG and the CRDS (French social levies), but a health insurance contribution is still taken from their French pensions (CLEISS, the French Social Security Centre for European and International Liaison).
• Taxation in Kazakhstan: the government investment portal gives an income tax of 10% for employees, without specifying tax residence rules; check with the local tax administration whether a foreign pension is taxable for a resident.

To avoid a double burden, report your departure to your pension fund and to the French tax administration, and have your situation validated by a professional who knows both systems.

Form S1 is reserved by the CLEISS for retirees of the French scheme who settle in the European Union, the European Economic Area or Switzerland. In Kazakhstan, no social security agreement exists: the retiree arranges their cover alone. The State-guaranteed package covers legal residents, according to the European Observatory, but the conditions that apply to a foreign retiree who is not an employee are not described. See the glossary entry on form S1 and the guide form S1: how to use it.

• CFE: the offer intended for retirees, with no medical questionnaire, requires a pension from a French basic scheme; it covers only care received abroad. Waiting period: none if you join before departure or within three months of settling; otherwise three months before age 45 and six months beyond.
• International insurance: to be chosen on the ceiling, evacuation, the handling of medical history and chronic care; see CFE or private insurance.

The breakdown by status is on the page on healthcare reimbursement in Kazakhstan, and the local offer on the page on the healthcare system in Kazakhstan.

For a retiree, several topics weigh more. First, winter: temperatures can approach -40 °C, which calls for well-heated housing and careful travel. Next, ticks: tick-borne encephalitis has no treatment, and vaccination is recommended for stays in rural or wooded areas; after a bite, a free immunoglobulin injection is possible within 3 days. Finally, the road: accidents are frequent and rescue can be slow on secondary roads, which argues for a driver and insurance with assistance.

Before settling, take stock of your medical history and how it is covered, because a medical questionnaire can lead to exclusions: see the guide to the medical questionnaire and medical history.

Assurance retraite asks every retiree living abroad to prove they are alive once a year, whatever their nationality. The proof-of-life certificate is completed by the local authority of the country of residence or validated through the “Mon certificat de vie” application; it must be returned within two months, failing which payment is suspended until it is received. Also report your address and bank details to your fund. The guide to quarters worked abroad and the page on retirement insurance abroad help you prepare the settlement of your rights.

To drive, the French licence accompanied by an international licence is enough at first; beyond six months of stay or with a residence permit, exchange for a Kazakh licence is compulsory, with a theory test possible in English, Kazakh or Russian. Speed limits are 120 km/h on motorways and 70 km/h on country roads, speed cameras are numerous in Astana and Almaty, and local insurance is recommended. A driver or official taxis are preferable to public transport, which France Diplomatie does not recommend.

Narcotics are strictly prohibited, photography of sensitive sites and drones are regulated, and proselytism is strongly discouraged in this secular State. Register with Fil d’Ariane to receive travel alerts, and on the list of French people living abroad with the embassy or the consulate general in Almaty.

No official source read sets a standard budget for a foreign retiree in Kazakhstan; inflation and the exchange rate appear in the economic benchmarks block of this page. France Diplomatie reports inflation that is sometimes high, which invites you to allow a budget margin.

Astana (about 1.5 million inhabitants) and Almaty (about 2.3 million) concentrate the consular services and healthcare establishments; Almaty is the city most exposed to seismic risk. Foreigners can own land intended for construction, including residential, but neither agricultural land nor land in a border zone (KAZAKH INVEST). See the page on living in Kazakhstan. For a retirement project, Expavy helps you compare expat health insurance contracts suited to your age and medical history.