Electronic government of the Republic of Kazakhstan

The Electronic Government of the Republic of Kazakhstan is an information and registration web- and mobile-based app that provides all citizens of Kazakhstan with access to government services for such purposes as the issuance of documentation and the submission of payments, while also facilitating the interactions of government agencies and the general public. The site can be used to access over 350 services and projects, including registration systems, databases and documentation, online queues at service centres and systems for the validation of payment receipts. For example, the project “E-licensing” automates and simplifies the procedure for obtaining a business licence or permit, while the “E-notary” system facilitates the registration of notary activities and document validation. The other services offered are certifications for real estate, disabilities, pensions, and healthcare.  Actors in the agriculture value chain can use the tool to register such inputs as farm equipment, veterinary drugs and feed additives, to obtain agricultural production, processing, livestock and fishery subsidies, to access phytosanitary certificates to facilitate the export of quarantinable products, and to obtains various licences, such as those required by veterinarians and for the import of pesticides, and for work in environmental protection. The app also contains information about subsidy application procedures, regulations and applicable taxes. Furthermore, the app can be used to make state tax payments and for the payment of state fees related to the issuance of identity documents and certificates, for mobile and other communication services, and to pay fines and utility bills. The e-Government portal contains a register of government services with details of submission processes, the relevant authorities and the applicable laws. The portal serves further as a line of communication between citizens and the government, allowing feedback on the services undergoing development through “service testing”, as well as an “Open Government” system for poll responses, participation in the drafting of laws and interactions with government officials. Finally, a “Smart Bridge” project has been developed to connect government systems with the private sector that serves also as a business registration app. e-Government services can be accessed via a mobile application that also contains a database of connected citizens . Another mobile app named “Saqbol” facilitates coronavirus tracking. The app was developed with the help of the “National Information Technologies” Joint-Stock Company, and the state-owned Government for Citizens corporation supported the integration of services into a single portal, and now manages the external perimeter and portal technologies. Before 2022, the implementation of the e-Government digitalization project was led by Zerde National Infocommunication Holding, and the digitalization implementation program is currently being managed by the Ministry of Digital Development, Innovation and the Aerospace Industry.

• Mobile app
• Artificial intelligence (AI)
• Social media
• Desktop/web-based application

The Kazakhstan e-Government application is available online and via a mobile. Users can register with their personal identification number, giving them access to the certification and registration services, among others. The mobile application runs on both the Android and iOS operating systems, and features an embedded QR code scanner that allows the user to log into the e-Government Portal. The app has a feature that allows users to digitally sign documents that binds the digital signature of the user to a 4-digit PIN code and built-in biometrics of the user’s device (Face ID, Touch ID). Services can be requested from the integral service catalogue, expenses can be calculated and deliveries can be tracked. Among the services available are “Digital documents”, the “Electronic labour exchange”, the personal “Health passport” and a “Pension calculator”. The online app is laid out under the following tabs: Payments, Open Government, Personal Account, Service Testing, Register of States Services, About Portal and Help. The main page displays a list of services from which users can select the required personal or enterprise service types, although users can also navigate from the list of services, or from services grouped by the administering government authority. For example, agricultural value chain actors selecting “For Businesses” on the main page will be given access to such categories as “Agricultural Sector” and “Natural Resources and Ecology”. Selecting a category leads the user to a list of the relevant services available, as well as helpful information from which users can select to complete the necessary actions, or to access detailed information. The main page of the portal includes news and contact links through which they can provide feedback. The Personal Account tab and Service Testing tab require the user to log in using a password, QR code, biometric data or online signature. From the Payment tab, which requires no log in, users can make payments based on their ID number. The About Portal tab provides information about the goal of the app, as well as examples of projects and app use statistics, and details of the mobile application. The data of various government agencies is integrated to ensure consistency and to ease operations, as well as to optimize the processes. Information can also be accessed through artificial intelligence (AI) chatbots integrated with the portal, and through social media app chats, included those integrated with Telegram, Facebook and Vkontakte.

• Smallholder farmers
• Medium size farms
• Large size farms
• Public sector
• Private sector

The users of the portal are primarily citizens and business owners in Kazakhstan requiring access to government registration, certification, payment or documentation services. Farmers can use the portal to access services related to production (equipment registration, access to seed, pesticide and fertilizer subsidies, other production supports, access to geodesic data for planned work sites), livestock (access to breeding and production subsidies and useful information), phytosanitary control (issuance of phytosanitary certificates) and veterinary control (licenses, drugs, and supplement registration and documentation). According to the International Communication Union, the portal has over 7 million registered users, and the mobile app had been downloaded more than 5 million times as of February 2023. The app is available in the Kazakh, Russian and English languages.

• Fully free

The app is maintained from the government budget of the Republic of Kazakhstan. The app is free and can be accessed without cost.

The e-Government app of Kazakhstan was developed with the goal of increasing transparency, efficiency and participation in government activities. It decreases the time taken for documentation processing, helps reduce corruption, and increases the transparency of government activities. It provides easy access to government services by citizens of Kazakhstan. Making such services easy to access online has reduced the need for physical visits to government offices, leading to savings in time and resources. For those involved in the agriculture sector, it supports the quick and efficient provision of services related to production activities. The digitization of these processes has brought greater clarity and reliability to the system, and has increased the confidence of users.

Joint Stock Company "National Information Technology"; Joint Stock Company “National Infocommunication Holding Zerde”; Government for Citizens