# Kazakhstan Tightens Rules for Repeated Complaint Referrals Under Resolution 953

> MKNIRALO — World — KAZAKHSTAN · PUBLIC ADMINISTRATION

- Published: 2026-11-08
- Estimated reading time: 6 minutes
- Byline: Ayan — Central Asia Policy Observer
- Byline disclosure: Ayan is a house editorial byline maintained by the publication, not a claim of an independently verified individual. It does not imply personal credentials, independent identity verification or on-the-ground reporting.
- Author profile: https://mkniralo.com/authors/ayan/
- Tags: Kazakhstan, Central Asia, Public Administration, Administrative Law, Citizen Appeals, Governance, Public Services
- Cover image: https://mkniralo.com/images/kazakhstan-resolution-953-repeated-complaint-referrals-2026.svg

Kazakhstan's Resolution 953 now requires legal reasons when agencies forward an appeal for a third or subsequent time; the law does not prohibit lawful transfers.

A regulation effective November 8 requires Kazakhstan's administrative bodies to justify the forwarding of a submission that is being redirected for a third or subsequent time. The change, in Government Resolution No. 953, also clarifies how agencies answer messages, proposals, feedback and requests under a simplified procedure. It is not an absolute ban on transferring complaints—and it does not mean a complainant is automatically entitled to a favourable decision.

## A rule takes effect, but it is not a blanket referral ban

Kazakhstan's Government Resolution No. 953 took effect on November 8, 2026, adding a chapter to rules designed to make administrative procedures more consistent. Adopted on October 23, it amends Resolution No. 111 of February 28, 2025. The measure addresses the handling of messages, proposals, feedback and information requests under the simplified administrative procedure, as well as a specific problem that can arise when authorities repeatedly pass an appeal between offices. Its legal text matters more than a shorthand headline suggesting referrals have been outlawed.

The new provision does not say an administrative body must retain every submission, even when another authority has legal responsibility for it. Instead, it imposes a heightened explanation requirement when an appeal, or a particular request within it, is redirected for a third or subsequent time under Article 65 of the Administrative Procedural and Process-Related Code. The government resolution specifies that it enters into force ten calendar days after its first official publication; legal reporting identifies November 8 as the effective date. The rule is now in force, not merely proposed.

Sources:
- [On supplementing Government Resolution No. 111 of February 28, 2025 (Government Resolution No. 953 of October 23, 2026)](https://old.adilet.zan.kz/rus/docs/P2600000953/compare) — Adilet — Information and Legal System of the Republic of Kazakhstan
- [On approval of the rules for administrative bodies to promote uniform administrative procedures (Government Resolution No. 111)](https://old.adilet.zan.kz/rus/docs/P2500000111/info) — Adilet — Information and Legal System of the Republic of Kazakhstan
- [Чиновникам Казахстана станет сложнее «футболить» жалобы граждан между госорганами](https://kz.kursiv.media/2026-11-06/rlzh-chinovnikam-kazahstana-stanet-slozhnee-futbolit-zhaloby-grazhdan-mezhdu-gosorganami/) — Kursiv

## From the third transfer, the referral needs legal grounds

Paragraph 18 of the newly added chapter places the duty on the administrative body or official making the referral. The covering letter must explain why that sender lacks authority to examine the relevant issue, why the chosen recipient is competent, and which specific provisions of Kazakhstan's law establish the powers of both offices. The trigger is the third referral itself; the more demanding explanation applies from the third referral onward. It can concern one request embedded in a longer submission, rather than necessarily the entire document.

This builds on Article 65 of the administrative code, which already requires an authority receiving a matter outside its competence to forward it to the appropriate body within three working days and notify the participant. That pre-existing obligation is not cancelled. An agency still has to direct a matter to the right place; after repeated handoffs, it must put its reasoning and statutory references on paper. The change therefore targets unaccountable circulation between offices, rather than eliminating lawful transfers. Nothing in the resolution itself sets a universal maximum number of referrals.

Sources:
- [On supplementing Government Resolution No. 111 of February 28, 2025 (Government Resolution No. 953 of October 23, 2026)](https://old.adilet.zan.kz/rus/docs/P2600000953/compare) — Adilet — Information and Legal System of the Republic of Kazakhstan
- [Administrative Procedural and Process-Related Code of the Republic of Kazakhstan (No. 350-VI; Articles 65, 87–89)](https://old.adilet.zan.kz/rus/docs/K2000000350) — Adilet — Information and Legal System of the Republic of Kazakhstan
- [Чиновникам Казахстана станет сложнее «футболить» жалобы граждан между госорганами](https://kz.kursiv.media/2026-11-06/rlzh-chinovnikam-kazahstana-stanet-slozhnee-futbolit-zhaloby-grazhdan-mezhdu-gosorganami/) — Kursiv

## Which submissions fall within the simplified procedure?

The broader amendment is about administrative practice, not a new standalone court-complaints process. Article 87 of the administrative code applies the simplified procedure to messages, proposals, feedback and requests. It identifies the entities that handle them, including state bodies, local self-government bodies, state legal entities and companies whose charter capital is wholly state-owned, together with their officials. Although public discussion often calls these submissions citizens' complaints, the legal categories and the range of applicants are more precise than that everyday label.

Under paragraph 17 of the new chapter, administrative bodies must choose among outcomes already established by Article 89: providing a substantive answer, taking a submission into account, or terminating the simplified procedure in legally permitted circumstances. The additions spell out what different types of replies should contain. That is important for applicants who may ask a question, propose a change or alert officials to a failure in public services. The appropriate answer depends on the nature of the submission, not simply whether a civil servant has acknowledged receipt.

Sources:
- [On supplementing Government Resolution No. 111 of February 28, 2025 (Government Resolution No. 953 of October 23, 2026)](https://old.adilet.zan.kz/rus/docs/P2600000953/compare) — Adilet — Information and Legal System of the Republic of Kazakhstan
- [Administrative Procedural and Process-Related Code of the Republic of Kazakhstan (No. 350-VI; Articles 65, 87–89)](https://old.adilet.zan.kz/rus/docs/K2000000350) — Adilet — Information and Legal System of the Republic of Kazakhstan
- [On approval of the rules for administrative bodies to promote uniform administrative procedures (Government Resolution No. 111)](https://old.adilet.zan.kz/rus/docs/P2500000111/info) — Adilet — Information and Legal System of the Republic of Kazakhstan

## What an agency must say in its reply

For a message alleging violations of laws or shortcomings in the work of public bodies or other covered institutions, the reply must describe action taken or being taken. If the stated facts are not confirmed, the authority must provide reasoned explanations and arguments. Proposals require an assessment of whether further examination and use in the body's work are appropriate, subject to the legal exceptions mentioned in the administrative code. Feedback may be noted or answered. These are distinctions drawn directly in Resolution 953, not a promise that every suggestion will be adopted.

Requests for explanations of legislation are handled in light of the separate Law on Legal Acts. For other requests, the new text requires information addressing each question, except where the information has restricted access. The code's Article 89 already provides that answers should be justified, refer to relevant law and explain the right to challenge a decision. Reading the amendment alongside that code shows the intended pattern: an answer should address the actual content of the submission rather than rely on a generic procedural notice or an unexplained handoff.

Sources:
- [On supplementing Government Resolution No. 111 of February 28, 2025 (Government Resolution No. 953 of October 23, 2026)](https://old.adilet.zan.kz/rus/docs/P2600000953/compare) — Adilet — Information and Legal System of the Republic of Kazakhstan
- [Administrative Procedural and Process-Related Code of the Republic of Kazakhstan (No. 350-VI; Articles 65, 87–89)](https://old.adilet.zan.kz/rus/docs/K2000000350) — Adilet — Information and Legal System of the Republic of Kazakhstan
- [Как отвечать на сообщения и предложения: принята единообразная упрощенная процедура](https://www.zakon.kz/pravo/6536746-kak-otvechat-na-soobshcheniya-i-predlozheniya-prinyata-edinoobraznaya-uproshchennaya-protsedura.html) — Zakon.kz

## An authority can still close a case in specified circumstances

Resolution 953 expressly links termination of the simplified administrative procedure to Article 88 of the administrative code. That article allows termination where a repeat submission adds no new arguments or newly discovered circumstances and the earlier record contains necessary examination material and an answer; where the author cannot be identified or required details are missing, subject to important public-safety and criminal-offence exceptions; where the issue is not stated; or where the applicant withdraws the submission. These are statutory grounds, not a new free-standing discretion to reject inconvenient correspondence.

Article 88 also provides for a decision by the head or deputy of the body dealing with the submission, with a narrower delegation possibility for the repeated-submission ground. A termination decision can be appealed under the code. None of this guarantees that a particular complaint will be upheld: an applicant can receive a reasoned refusal, a notice that the facts were unsubstantiated, or a lawful termination decision. The procedural reform is about traceable competence and reasoned treatment, not a legal guarantee of a favourable result.

Sources:
- [On supplementing Government Resolution No. 111 of February 28, 2025 (Government Resolution No. 953 of October 23, 2026)](https://old.adilet.zan.kz/rus/docs/P2600000953/compare) — Adilet — Information and Legal System of the Republic of Kazakhstan
- [Administrative Procedural and Process-Related Code of the Republic of Kazakhstan (No. 350-VI; Articles 65, 87–89)](https://old.adilet.zan.kz/rus/docs/K2000000350) — Adilet — Information and Legal System of the Republic of Kazakhstan
- [Чиновникам Казахстана станет сложнее «футболить» жалобы граждан между госорганами](https://kz.kursiv.media/2026-11-06/rlzh-chinovnikam-kazahstana-stanet-slozhnee-futbolit-zhaloby-grazhdan-mezhdu-gosorganami/) — Kursiv

## The accountability test comes after the effective date

Local coverage has described the repeated-referral provision as a response to citizens being passed from office to office. That is a plausible practical concern, but the resolution itself does not quantify how often it happens or show that a new requirement has already shortened handling times. November 8 marks the start of a legal obligation; it is not evidence of implementation success. The most useful follow-up evidence would be actual referral letters citing the competencies of sending and receiving agencies, alongside consistent records of repeat transfers and responses.

For someone whose submission is being redirected for a third time, the immediate question is whether the receiving authority gives the specific legal reasoning required by paragraph 18. For officials, it is whether the record identifies both the absence of their own jurisdiction and the basis for the destination office's jurisdiction. Oversight will depend on those reasons being clear and reviewable, and on the code's existing complaint procedures remaining available. Kazakhstan has made repeated referrals harder to leave unexplained; whether it makes public administration more responsive is still an outcome to be assessed.

Sources:
- [On supplementing Government Resolution No. 111 of February 28, 2025 (Government Resolution No. 953 of October 23, 2026)](https://old.adilet.zan.kz/rus/docs/P2600000953/compare) — Adilet — Information and Legal System of the Republic of Kazakhstan
- [Administrative Procedural and Process-Related Code of the Republic of Kazakhstan (No. 350-VI; Articles 65, 87–89)](https://old.adilet.zan.kz/rus/docs/K2000000350) — Adilet — Information and Legal System of the Republic of Kazakhstan
- [Чиновникам Казахстана станет сложнее «футболить» жалобы граждан между госорганами](https://kz.kursiv.media/2026-11-06/rlzh-chinovnikam-kazahstana-stanet-slozhnee-futbolit-zhaloby-grazhdan-mezhdu-gosorganami/) — Kursiv
- [Как отвечать на сообщения и предложения: принята единообразная упрощенная процедура](https://www.zakon.kz/pravo/6536746-kak-otvechat-na-soobshcheniya-i-predlozheniya-prinyata-edinoobraznaya-uproshchennaya-protsedura.html) — Zakon.kz

## About this article

This article reflects the public sources available on the publication and update dates shown above. For developing stories, follow the linked source pages for subsequent statements or decisions.

## Sources and further reading

- [On supplementing Government Resolution No. 111 of February 28, 2025 (Government Resolution No. 953 of October 23, 2026)](https://old.adilet.zan.kz/rus/docs/P2600000953/compare) — Adilet — Information and Legal System of the Republic of Kazakhstan (published 2026-10-28) (accessed 2026-11-08)
- [Administrative Procedural and Process-Related Code of the Republic of Kazakhstan (No. 350-VI; Articles 65, 87–89)](https://old.adilet.zan.kz/rus/docs/K2000000350) — Adilet — Information and Legal System of the Republic of Kazakhstan (published 2020-06-29) (accessed 2026-11-08)
- [On approval of the rules for administrative bodies to promote uniform administrative procedures (Government Resolution No. 111)](https://old.adilet.zan.kz/rus/docs/P2500000111/info) — Adilet — Information and Legal System of the Republic of Kazakhstan (published 2025-03-05) (accessed 2026-11-08)
- [Чиновникам Казахстана станет сложнее «футболить» жалобы граждан между госорганами](https://kz.kursiv.media/2026-11-06/rlzh-chinovnikam-kazahstana-stanet-slozhnee-futbolit-zhaloby-grazhdan-mezhdu-gosorganami/) — Kursiv (published 2026-11-06) (accessed 2026-11-08)
- [Как отвечать на сообщения и предложения: принята единообразная упрощенная процедура](https://www.zakon.kz/pravo/6536746-kak-otvechat-na-soobshcheniya-i-predlozheniya-prinyata-edinoobraznaya-uproshchennaya-protsedura.html) — Zakon.kz (published 2026-10-29) (accessed 2026-11-08)