Unofficial translation
This Constitutional Law determines the procedure for the formation, transformation, and abolition of administrative-territorial units, the establishment and alteration of their boundaries, as well as the assignment of names and renaming of administrative-territorial units.
Chapter 1. GENERAL PROVISIONS
Article 1. Basic concepts used in this Constitutional Law
The following basic concepts are used in this Constitutional Law:
1) district — an administrative-territorial unit consisting of towns of district significance (towns of district significance) and/or rural districts, settlements, villages, with a total population of no more than 300,000 people, in which public administration is carried out by local representative and executive bodies;
2) town of district significance — a populated locality in whose territory there are enterprises, housing stock, a developed network of educational and healthcare organizations, cultural, educational, and commercial facilities, with a population of at least 10,000 people;
3) village — a populated locality with a population of at least 50 people;
4) rural district — an administrative-territorial unit consisting of two or more settlements and/or villages, with a total population of at least 500 people;
5) administrative-territorial unit — a part of the territory of the Republic of Kazakhstan within whose boundaries local state administration and local self-government are carried out in the manner established by the legislation of the Republic of Kazakhstan.
Administrative-territorial units include a region, district, town, district in a city, rural district, settlement, and village;
6) boundary of an administrative-territorial unit — the outer line of the territory of an administrative-territorial unit that separates it from the territories of other administrative-territorial units;
7) populated locality — a part of the compactly inhabited territory of the Republic of Kazakhstan intended for permanent residence, with a population of at least 50 people;
8) settlement — a populated locality with a population of at least 500 people, formed on the basis of industrial, transport, energy, recreational, or other economic activity, provided with basic social and engineering infrastructure intended to serve the population of the settlement and adjacent territories;
9) district in a city — an administrative-territorial unit created in the capital, a city of republican significance, as well as in a town of regional significance with a population exceeding 400,000 people.
The population of a district in a city must be at least 200,000 people;
10) region — an administrative-territorial unit consisting of cities of regional significance (cities of regional significance) and districts, in which public administration is carried out by local representative and executive bodies;
11) city of regional significance — a populated locality that is a major economic and cultural center with a developed industrial and social infrastructure, with a population of more than 50,000 people, in which public administration is carried out by local representative and executive bodies.
A town with a population of less than 50,000 people may also be classified as a town of regional significance, taking into account the historical circumstances of its formation;
12) isolated settlements — permanently or temporarily inhabited settlements or an isolated economic facility intended for agricultural or other activity, with a population of no more than 50 people, which are administratively or territorially connected with populated localities and are taken into account for statistical purposes.
Isolated settlements include railway stations or sidings, forestry stations or foresters’ houses, buildings (structures) for seasonal work, remote livestock breeding and/or agricultural production, solitary houses, outposts, winter shelters, and other settlements;
13) region — a part of the territory of the Republic of Kazakhstan including several populated localities, formed and governed in the interests of the Republic of Kazakhstan;
14) city of republican significance — a populated locality of special state importance or with a population of more than one million people, in which public administration is carried out by local representative and executive bodies.
Article 2. Legislation of the Republic of Kazakhstan on the administrative-territorial structure
1.The legislation of the Republic of Kazakhstan on the administrative-territorial structure is based on the Constitution of the Republic of Kazakhstan and consists of this Constitutional Law and other regulatory legal acts of the Republic of Kazakhstan.
2.The specific features of the functioning of the administrative-territorial structure system in the city of Alatau, and the establishment and alteration of its boundaries, are determined by the Constitutional Law of the Republic of Kazakhstan “On the Special Legal Regime of the City of Alatau”.
Article 3. Purpose and objective of this Constitutional Law
1.The purpose of this Constitutional Law is to ensure the rational territorial organization of the Republic of Kazakhstan for effective public administration.
2.The objective of this Constitutional Law is to regulate the procedure for the formation, transformation and abolition, change of status, establishment and alteration of boundaries, naming and renaming, as well as the accounting and registration of administrative-territorial units.
Article 4. Principles of state regulation in the sphere of the administrative-territorial structure of the Republic of Kazakhstan
State regulation in the sphere of the administrative-territorial structure of the Republic of Kazakhstan is based on the principles of:
1) legality;
2) stability of the administrative-territorial structure of the Republic of Kazakhstan;
3) unity and territorial integrity of the state.
Article 5. Legality
The formation, transformation and abolition, change of status, establishment and alteration of boundaries, naming and renaming of administrative-territorial units, as well as their accounting and registration, shall be carried out on the basis of this Constitutional Law and other regulatory legal acts of the Republic of Kazakhstan.
Article 6. Stability of the administrative-territorial structure of the Republic of Kazakhstan
The stability of the administrative-territorial structure of the Republic of Kazakhstan is ensured by the stable and continuous functioning of the system of administrative-territorial units, under which the formation, transformation and abolition, change of status, establishment and alteration of boundaries, naming and renaming, as well as the accounting and registration of administrative-territorial units, are carried out on the basis of this Constitutional Law and other regulatory legal acts of the Republic of Kazakhstan.
Article 7. Unity and territorial integrity of the state
The administrative-territorial structure of the state is formed and functions taking into account the integrity, inviolability, and inalienability of the territory of the Republic of Kazakhstan.
Article 8. Categories of administrative-territorial units and populated localities
1.For the purposes of public administration, the territory of the Republic of Kazakhstan is divided into regions and populated localities.
2.The regions are oblasts, districts, and rural districts.
3.Populated localities are divided into urban and rural populated localities:
1) urban populated localities include the capital, cities of republican, regional, and district significance;
2) rural populated localities include all other populated localities regardless of their administrative subordination.
4. Populated localities have constituent parts.
The constituent parts of populated localities are districts in a city, microdistricts, blocks, avenues, streets, lanes, residential areas, squares, boulevards, parks, public gardens, bridges, and other parts.
Article 9. Formation, transformation and abolition, naming and renaming of administrative-territorial units, establishment and alteration of their boundaries
The President of the Republic of Kazakhstan and the Government of the Republic of Kazakhstan, as well as local representative and executive bodies, within their powers, make decisions on the formation, transformation and abolition of administrative-territorial units, the establishment and alteration of their boundaries, and their naming and renaming.
Central state bodies and local executive bodies, within their powers, make decisions on assigning names, renaming, clarifying and changing the transliteration of their names, and assigning personal names to state legal entities and legal entities with state participation on the basis of the conclusion of the Republican Onomastic Commission.
Central and local executive bodies, within their powers, ensure work on determining the boundaries of administrative-territorial units, including the formation, updating, and maintenance of state digital systems, digital maps, and spatial data.
Expenses related to the naming and renaming of administrative-territorial units, as well as constituent parts of populated localities, shall be covered from budgetary funds.
Article 10. Onomastic Commissions
Onomastic commissions are created to streamline the work of naming and renaming administrative-territorial units, constituent parts of populated localities, airports, ports, railway stations, metro stations, bus terminals, bus stations, physical-geographical, and other state-owned objects on the territory of the Republic of Kazakhstan, to clarify and change the transcription of their names, and to assign personal names to state legal entities and legal entities with state participation, as well as to restore and preserve historical names as an integral part of the historical and cultural heritage of the Republic of Kazakhstan.
A Republican Onomastic Commission is formed under the authorized body in the field of onomastics, and onomastic commissions for the capital, regions, and cities of republican significance are formed under the local executive bodies of the capital, regions, and cities of republican significance.
Article 11. Accounting and registration of administrative-territorial units and their boundaries, removal from registry data
Populated localities whose permanent population is at least 50 people and which are considered independent populated localities are subject to accounting and registration.
Isolated settlements are accounted for as part of the populated localities with which they are administratively or territorially connected.
Populated localities that have been included in cities, settlements, or villages and have become part of them, as well as populated localities from which all residents have departed or relocated, lose the status of independent populated localities and are removed from the registry data.
The establishment and alteration of the boundaries of populated localities are carried out on the basis of an approved general plan or a development and construction scheme (simplified general plan) of the given populated locality in the manner established by the laws of the Republic of Kazakhstan.
Local executive bodies of the capital, regions, cities of republican and regional significance, and districts, through a digital system intended for creating, accumulating, and processing information about addresses in the Republic of Kazakhstan, carry out the accounting of existing and registration of newly created administrative-territorial units, their naming and renaming, and also perform their removal from registry data.
Article 12. Accounting for the opinion of the population of the relevant territory when naming and renaming administrative-territorial units, constituent parts of populated localities, as well as clarifying and changing the transcription of their names
1.Accounting for the opinion of the population of the relevant territory when naming or renaming administrative-territorial units or constituent parts of populated localities, as well as clarifying and changing the transcription of their names, is conducted by local executive bodies in the manner determined by the authorized body in the field of onomastics.
2.Local representative and executive bodies, based on the results of accounting for the opinion of the population of the relevant territory, submit proposals for the naming and renaming of administrative-territorial units and constituent parts of populated localities, as well as for the clarification and change of the transcription of their names, to the relevant onomastic commissions for consideration through a joint decision.
Chapter 2. POWERS OF THE PRESIDENT OF THE REPUBLIC OF KAZAKHSTAN AND THE GOVERNMENT OF THE REPUBLIC OF KAZAKHSTAN IN RESOLVING ISSUES OF THE ADMINISTRATIVE-TERRITORIAL STRUCTURE OF THE REPUBLIC OF KAZAKHSTAN
Article 13. Powers of the President of the Republic of Kazakhstan
The President of the Republic of Kazakhstan, on the proposal of the Government of the Republic of Kazakhstan and taking into account the opinion of local representative and executive bodies:
1)forms and abolishes regions and districts, establishes and changes their administrative centers;
2) classifies populated localities as cities of republican, regional, and district significance, and establishes and changes their subordination;
3) resolves issues of naming and renaming regions, districts, and cities, as well as clarifying and changing the transcription of their names;
4) makes decisions on transforming cities of republican, regional, and district significance into other populated localities;
5) exercises other powers in accordance with the Constitution and laws of the Republic of Kazakhstan.
Article 14. Competence of the Government of the Republic of Kazakhstan
The Government of the Republic of Kazakhstan:
1) submits proposals to the President of the Republic of Kazakhstan on the formation and abolition of regions and districts, and on the establishment and change of their administrative centers;
2) establishes and changes the boundaries of the capital, regions, and cities of republican significance;
3) submits proposals to the President of the Republic of Kazakhstan on classifying populated localities as cities of republican, regional, and district significance, and on establishing and changing their subordination;
4) submits proposals to the President of the Republic of Kazakhstan on transforming cities of republican, regional, and district significance into other populated localities;
5) approves the rules for assigning names to airports, ports, railway stations, railway stops, metro stations, bus terminals, bus stations, physical-geographical, and other state-owned objects on the territory of the Republic of Kazakhstan, as well as for renaming, clarifying, and changing the transcription of their names and assigning personal names to state legal entities and legal entities with state participation;
6) on the basis of the conclusion of the Republican Onomastic Commission and taking into account the opinion of the population of the relevant territory and its local representative and executive bodies, submits proposals to the President of the Republic of Kazakhstan on the naming and renaming of regions, districts, and cities, as well as on clarifying and changing the transcription of their names;
7) makes decisions on assigning names to airports, ports, railway stations, railway stops, metro stations, bus terminals, bus stations, physical-geographical, and other state-owned objects on the territory of the Republic of Kazakhstan on the basis of the conclusion of the Republican Onomastic Commission;
8) performs other functions assigned to it by the Constitution, this Constitutional Law, other laws of the Republic of Kazakhstan, and acts of the President of the Republic of Kazakhstan.
Chapter 3. POWERS OF LOCAL REPRESENTATIVE AND EXECUTIVE BODIES IN RESOLVING ISSUES OF THE ADMINISTRATIVE-TERRITORIAL STRUCTURE OF THE REPUBLIC OF KAZAKHSTAN
Article 15. Powers of local representative and executive bodies of regions
Local representative and executive bodies of regions, by joint decision:
1) submit to the Government of the Republic of Kazakhstan proposals on changing the boundaries of a region, forming and abolishing districts, establishing and changing their administrative centers, and classifying populated localities as cities of republican, regional, and district significance;
2) in agreement with the Government of the Republic of Kazakhstan, establish and change the boundaries of cities of regional significance;
3) establish and change the boundaries of districts, towns of district significance, and rural districts, and resolve issues of transferring settlements and villages from one district to another or into the administrative subordination of a city;
4) taking into account the opinion of the local representative and executive bodies of a district or city of regional significance, classify settlements and villages as settlements or villages, form, transform, and abolish rural districts, settlements, and villages, and also change their subordination;
5) submit to the Government of the Republic of Kazakhstan proposals on transforming cities of regional and district significance into other populated localities;
6) taking into account the opinion of the population of the relevant territory and on the basis of the conclusion of the regional onomastic commission, agreed with the Republican Onomastic Commission, on the proposal of the local representative and executive bodies of districts and cities of regional significance, resolve issues of naming and renaming rural districts, settlements, and villages, as well as clarifying and changing the transcription of their names;
7) taking into account the opinion of the population of the relevant territory and on the basis of the conclusion of the Republican Onomastic Commission, resolve issues of naming and renaming districts in a city and constituent parts of cities of regional significance, as well as clarifying and changing the transcription of their names;
8) submit to the Republican Onomastic Commission proposals on assigning names to airports, ports, railway stations, railway stops, metro stations, bus terminals, bus stations, physical-geographical, and other state-owned objects on the territory of the Republic of Kazakhstan, as well as on renaming, clarifying and changing the transcription of their names and assigning personal names to state legal entities and legal entities with state participation;
9) exercise other powers assigned to local representative and executive bodies by the laws of the Republic of Kazakhstan.
Article 16. Powers of local representative and executive bodies of districts
Local representative and executive bodies of districts, by joint decision:
1) submit to the local representative and executive bodies of regions proposals on classifying populated localities as cities of district significance;
2) submit to the local representative and executive bodies of regions proposals on classifying settlements and villages as settlements or villages, forming, transforming, and abolishing rural districts, settlements, or villages, changing their subordination, and their accounting and registration;
3) taking into account the opinion of the governing bodies of rural districts, settlements, and villages, establish and change the boundaries of settlements and villages;
4) submit to the local representative and executive bodies of regions proposals on establishing and changing the boundaries of districts, cities of district significance, and rural districts;
5) taking into account the opinion of the population of the relevant territory, submit proposals to the local representative and executive bodies of regions on naming and renaming rural districts, settlements, and villages, as well as clarifying and changing the transcription of their names;
6) taking into account the opinion of the population of the relevant territory and on the basis of the conclusion of the regional onomastic commission, agreed with the Republican Onomastic Commission, resolve issues of naming and renaming constituent parts of a city of district significance, as well as clarifying and changing the transcription of their names;
7) exercise other powers assigned to local representative and executive bodies by the laws of the Republic of Kazakhstan.
Article 17. Powers of local representative and executive bodies of the capital, cities of republican and regional significance
1.The powers of local representative and executive bodies of the capital and cities of republican significance are as follows:
1) by joint decision, they submit to the Government of the Republic of Kazakhstan proposals on changing the boundaries of the capital or a city of republican significance, including the inclusion of rural districts, settlements, and villages into their composition;
2) by joint decision, they form and abolish districts in a city, and establish and change their boundaries;
3) taking into account the opinion of the population of the relevant territory, they resolve issues of naming, renaming, as well as clarifying and changing the transcription of the names of districts in a city and constituent parts of the capital and cities of republican significance, on the basis of the conclusion of the onomastic commission of the capital or cities of republican significance, agreed with the Republican Onomastic Commission;
4) by joint decision, they submit to the Republican Onomastic Commission proposals on assigning names to airports, ports, railway stations, railway stops, metro stations, bus terminals, bus stations, physical-geographical, and other state-owned objects on the territory of the Republic of Kazakhstan, as well as on renaming, clarifying and changing the transcription of their names and assigning personal names to state legal entities and legal entities with state participation;
5) local executive bodies ensure the performance of work on naming and renaming constituent parts of the city, and changing the transcription of their names;
6) they exercise other powers assigned to local representative and executive bodies by the laws of the Republic of Kazakhstan.
2. The powers of local representative and executive bodies of cities of regional significance are as follows:
1) by joint decision, they submit to the local representative and executive bodies of regions proposals on classifying a city of regional significance as a city of republican or district significance;
2) by joint decision, they submit to the local representative and executive bodies of regions proposals on changing the boundaries of cities, including the inclusion of rural districts, settlements, and villages into their composition;
3) by joint decision and taking into account the opinion of the governing bodies of rural districts, settlements, and villages, they establish and change the boundaries of settlements and villages;
4) by joint decision, they submit to the local representative and executive bodies of regions proposals on establishing and changing the boundaries of rural districts;
5) by joint decision and taking into account the opinion of the population of the relevant territory, they submit proposals to the local representative and executive bodies of regions on naming and renaming rural districts, settlements, and villages, as well as clarifying and changing the transcription of their names;
6) by joint decision, they form and abolish districts in a city, and establish and change their boundaries;
7) by joint decision, they submit to the local representative and executive bodies of regions proposals on classifying settlements and villages as settlements or villages, forming, transforming, and abolishing rural districts, settlements, or villages, changing their subordination, and their accounting and registration;
8) local executive bodies ensure the performance of work on naming and renaming constituent parts of the city, and changing the transcription of their names;
9) they exercise other powers assigned to local representative and executive bodies by the laws of the Republic of Kazakhstan.
Article 18. Powers of the akim of a town of district significance, rural district, settlement, and village
1. Akim of a town of district significance:
1) taking into account the opinion of the population of the city of district significance, submits to the local representative and executive bodies of districts a proposal on classifying the city of district significance as a settlement or village;
2) submits to the local representative and executive bodies of districts proposals on establishing and changing the boundaries of the city of district significance;
3) taking into account the opinion of the population of the city of district significance, submits proposals to the local representative and executive bodies of districts on naming and renaming constituent parts of cities of district significance, as well as clarifying and changing the transcription of their names.
2. Akim of a rural district, settlement, and village:
1) taking into account the opinion of the population of the relevant populated locality, submits to the local representative and executive bodies of districts and cities of regional significance proposals on classifying settlements and villages as cities of district significance, settlements, or villages, and on their transformation and abolition;
2) taking into account the opinion of the population of the relevant populated locality, submits to the local representative and executive bodies of districts and cities of regional significance proposals on naming and renaming rural districts, settlements, and villages, clarifying and changing the transcription of their names, as well as on naming and renaming constituent parts of rural districts, settlements, and villages, and clarifying and changing the transcription of their names;
3) submits to the local representative and executive bodies of districts and cities of regional significance proposals on establishing and changing the boundaries of rural districts, settlements, and villages;
4) taking into account the opinion of the population of the relevant territory and on the basis of the conclusion of the regional onomastic commission, resolves issues of naming and renaming constituent parts of settlements and villages, as well as clarifying and changing the transcription of their names.
5) ensures the performance of work on naming, renaming constituent parts of settlements, villages, as well as clarifying and changing the transcription of their names.
Chapter 4. PROCEDURE FOR CONSIDERATION OF ISSUES OF THE ADMINISTRATIVE-TERRITORIAL STRUCTURE OF THE REPUBLIC OF KAZAKHSTAN
Article 19. Procedure for changing the categories of administrative-territorial units
1.The status of a city shall be changed if, for five years, it does not meet the requirements established by subparagraphs 2), 11), and 14) of Article 1 of this Constitutional Law.
2. The status of a settlement or village shall be changed if, for three years, it does not meet the requirements established by subparagraphs 3) and 8) of Article 1 of this Constitutional Law.
3. If, for three years, it does not meet the requirements established by subparagraph 4) of Article 1 of this Constitutional Law, the rural district shall be abolished, and its rural settlements shall be attached to nearby rural districts or other settlements, unless otherwise provided by the laws of the Republic of Kazakhstan.
4. The procedure for changing the category of a settlement shall be carried out in the manner established by this Constitutional Law.
Article 20. List of documents and materials required for resolving issues of the administrative-territorial structure of the Republic of Kazakhstan at the level of regions, districts, and cities of republican, regional, and district significance
To resolve issues of the administrative-territorial structure of the Republic of Kazakhstan at the level of regions, districts, and cities of republican, regional, and district significance, the following are required:
1) a decision made by the President of the Republic of Kazakhstan upon a submission by the Government of the Republic of Kazakhstan, on the formation and abolition of regions and districts, the establishment and change of their administrative centers; the assignment of settlements to the category of cities of republican, regional, and district significance, the establishment and change of their subordination; the transformation of cities of republican, regional, and district significance into other settlements;
2) a submission by the Government of the Republic of Kazakhstan containing the relevant petition and justification for the expediency of the proposed measure, information on the size of the territory to be changed, the population living there, a list of the main legal entities, their production indicators, the number of employees at each of them, information on the structure and staffing of local representative and executive bodies, and changes thereto in connection with the reorganization, issues of naming and renaming, as well as all other information necessary for resolving the issue in accordance with the powers established by this Constitutional Law;
3) a decision (joint) of the local representative and executive bodies in accordance with the powers established by this Constitutional Law;
4) proposals from akims of cities of district significance, rural districts, settlements, and villages on the issue under consideration;
5) a map with a coordinate description of boundaries in the state reference system, indicating the boundaries of administrative-territorial units, geographic data, and other information relevant to resolving the issue. The map shall be signed by the heads of the authorized bodies in the sphere of regional development, geodesy, cartography and spatial data, land relations, as well as by the heads of the local representative and executive bodies transferring and receiving the territories; the signatures shall be sealed.
Article 21. List of documents and materials required for resolving issues of the administrative-territorial structure of the Republic of Kazakhstan at the level of rural districts, cities of district significance, settlements, and villages
To resolve issues of the administrative-territorial structure of the Republic of Kazakhstan at the level of rural districts, cities of district significance, settlements, and villages, the following are required:
1) a joint decision of the local representative and executive body in accordance with the powers established by this Constitutional Law;
2) minutes of meetings of the local community concerning the issue under consideration;
3) an explanatory note containing justification for the expediency of the proposed measure, information on the size of the territory to be changed, the population living there, a list of legal entities, industrial and other facilities, as well as all other information necessary for resolving the issue in accordance with the powers established by this Constitutional Law;
4) a map with a coordinate description of boundaries in the state reference system, indicating the boundaries of cities of district significance, settlements, and villages, geographic data, and other information relevant to resolving the issue. The map shall be signed by the heads of the local representative and executive bodies of the territory being changed;
5) proposals from akims of rural districts, cities of district significance, settlements, and villages on the issue under consideration;
6) a proposal from the akim of the city of district significance on the establishment and change of the boundaries of the city of district significance.
Chapter 5. FINAL PROVISIONS
Article 22. Procedure for the entry into force of this Constitutional Law
1.This Constitutional Law shall enter into force on 1 July 2026.
2. The Law of the Republic of Kazakhstan dated 8 December 1993 “On the Administrative-Territorial Structure of the Republic of Kazakhstan” shall be declared invalid from the date this Constitutional Law enters into force.
| President of the Republic of Kazakhstan K. TOKAYEV |
