Kazakhstan Proposes Lower Language Threshold for Citizenship Exam, Raises Constitutional Knowledge Requirement

Kazakhstan’s Ministry of Science and Higher Education has proposed changes to the citizenship exam rules for foreigners,  Orda.kz reports. 

The Ministry is seeking to lower the required score for Kazakh language proficiency while raising the bar for knowledge of the national constitution.

The draft order has been published on the open regulatory portal and will remain under public discussion until July 25.

In 2024, Kazakhstan passed a resolution requiring prospective or returning citizens to demonstrate knowledge of the Kazakh language “to an extent determined by the authorized body.”

The Ministry suggests reducing the Kazakh language requirement from 36 to 15 points, while increasing the threshold for knowledge of the Constitution from 9 to 20 points. The requirement for knowledge of Kazakhstan’s history remains unchanged at 15 points.

The adoption of the project will ensure the most equal ratio of questions for testing applicants for citizenship of the Republic of Kazakhstan in each discipline and reduce the threshold level by 10%, 

Original Author: Nikita Drobny