Foreign Electronic Digital Signatures in Kazakhstan: How to Confirm Authenticity - FCHAIN

Foreign Electronic Digital Signatures in Kazakhstan: How to Confirm Authenticity

Starting from September 27, 2026, new Rules for confirming the authenticity of electronic digital signatures (EDS) by the Trusted Third Party of the Republic of Kazakhstan will come into effect in Kazakhstan. The Rules take effect 10 calendar days after their first official publication on September 16, 2026, and were adopted in accordance with paragraph 3 of Article 57 of the Digital Code. The new procedure regulates the confirmation of the authenticity of foreign electronic digital signatures, as well as electronic digital signatures issued in Kazakhstan and used in cross-border interactions. For companies involved in international electronic document exchange, the new Rules establish the conditions and procedure for such verification.

 

What Is the Trusted Third Party of the Republic of Kazakhstan?

The Trusted Third Party of the Republic of Kazakhstan (TTP RK) is a digital system designed to confirm the authenticity of electronic digital signatures in cross-border interactions. It will be used for both foreign electronic digital signatures and signatures issued in Kazakhstan. Participants in information exchange with the TTP RK will include Kazakhstan certification authorities, foreign certification authorities, trusted third parties of foreign states, as well as users of digital systems integrated with the TTP RK.

 

How Will a Foreign Electronic Digital Signature Be Verified?

The authenticity of an electronic digital signature created using a certificate issued by a foreign certification authority will be verified by the TTP RK upon requests from users or digital systems. To conduct the verification, an electronic request in VSD or XML format must be submitted to the system. Verification will be possible if two conditions are met. The electronic document must be signed by an individual or a legal entity, and the foreign certification authority or trusted third party of a foreign state that issued the relevant certificate must be registered with the TTP RK. The verification service will be provided free of charge.

 

Confirmation of Electronic Digital Signatures When Interacting with Foreign Digital Systems

If an electronic document is sent to a digital system of a foreign state, the TTP RK will, upon request from a Kazakhstan digital system, generate a receipt confirming the authenticity of the signature for cross-border interaction. Before issuing the receipt, the system will verify the authenticity of both the signature and the relevant certificate. The issued receipt will be sufficient to confirm the authenticity of the electronic digital signature in Kazakhstan.

 

What Verification Results Are Provided?

Following the processing of a request, the TTP RK will generate a receipt with one of three statuses:

1. “Verified” (“Confirmed”) — the verification has been completed with a positive result;
2. “Not Verified” (“Not Confirmed”) — a negative result has been received, and the user will be notified through the digital system;
3. “Unable to Verify” — the request structure does not meet the established requirements, or the foreign certification authority or trusted third party of the foreign state is not registered with the TTP RK.

The authenticity of an electronic digital signature will be considered confirmed only when a receipt with the status “Verified” is issued.

 

Retention Period for Verification Information

Information about submitted requests, their processing, and generated receipts will be stored by the TTP RK for five years using unique transaction identifiers. However, the electronic documents themselves and their contents submitted for verification will not be stored in the system. After the five-year retention period expires, the information will be transferred to archival storage.

 

What Will Change Under the New Rules?

Once the new Rules take effect, the 2015 procedure that previously regulated the confirmation of the authenticity of electronic digital signatures by a trusted third party will cease to apply. For businesses, the new procedure is particularly relevant to cross-border electronic interactions involving certificates issued by foreign certification authorities or documents sent to digital systems of other countries. Companies should take into account the established conditions for verifying foreign electronic digital signatures and the possible verification results.

 

FChain Business Support

Companies operating in Kazakhstan and interacting with foreign counterparties may face various legal and corporate matters, including those related to cross-border document exchange. FChain provides comprehensive professional services to support businesses in Kazakhstan.

• Legal Services — professional legal support for matters arising in the course of a company’s business activities.
• Legal Support for Business — comprehensive support for ongoing legal and corporate matters.
• Legal Audit — review of the legal aspects of a company’s activities and documentation for compliance with applicable requirements.
• Drafting Contracts — preparation of contracts taking into account the nature of the company’s activities and the terms of cooperation with counterparties.
• Registration of Companies — support throughout the process of establishing and registering a business in Kazakhstan.
• Market Entry in Kazakhstan — Comprehensive Business Support — support for foreign companies establishing and developing their business activities in the Kazakhstan market.
• Accounting and Tax Services — maintenance of accounting and tax records and preparation of the company’s required reports.
• HR Services — support for HR processes and maintenance of personnel documentation.

FChain’s professional services combine legal, corporate, accounting, and HR support, enabling companies to systematically organize their business processes in Kazakhstan and take into account regulatory changes affecting their operations.

 

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Prepared by: Anel Kosmaganbetova

Assistant to the Director

FChain Kazakhstan

 📩almaty@f-chain.com
WhatsApp: +7 771 214 1820