On 3 June 2026, the Mazhilis, the lower chamber of Kazakhstan’s Parliament, approved in the first reading the draft law “On Amnesty in Connection with the Adoption of the New Constitution of the Republic of Kazakhstan” and accompanying legislative amendments.
The proposed legislation introduces the first large-scale administrative amnesty in Kazakhstan’s history and is directly linked to the adoption of the new Constitution in 2026 and the country’s broader programme of political and institutional reforms.
While Kazakhstan has periodically conducted criminal amnesties, administrative amnesty has never previously been applied, despite the legal possibility existing under the Code of Administrative Offences. The new initiative seeks to provide individuals who committed minor administrative offences with an opportunity to resolve outstanding liabilities and move forward.
The administrative amnesty will be conducted alongside a criminal amnesty, marking the first time both measures have been implemented simultaneously. Similar programmes aimed at reducing administrative penalties and outstanding fines have been used in various forms in several countries around the world.
Under the Law of the Republic of Kazakhstan “ On Amnesty in connection with the Adoption of the New Constitution of the Republic of Kazakhstan”
(Law No. 328-VIII of 1 July, 2026) the measures required to implement the amnesty will be carried out from 1 July to 31 December 2026.