Article 1. The basic concepts used in this Law are the Law on Military Service and the Status of Military Personnel

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Article 1. The basic concepts used in this Law of the Law on Military Service and the Status of Military Personnel

The following basic concepts are used in this Law:

1) an adjunct is a military personnel officer or non‑commissioned officer studying at a foreign military educational institution that implements postgraduate education programs;

1-1) civilian personnel (employees) – citizens of the Republic of Kazakhstan who are in state service or are in employment relations with the Armed Forces of the Republic of Kazakhstan, other troops and military formations (hereinafter referred to as the Armed Forces, other troops and military formations);

2) variable composition – a category of military personnel of the Armed Forces, other troops and military formations who are studying at military and specialized educational institutions and are not included in the authorized strength of the Armed Forces, other troops and military formations;

3) conscripted military personnel – citizens of the Republic of Kazakhstan who are conscripted for military service in the Armed Forces, other troops and military formations for the period stipulated by this Law;

4) deferment – the postponement of the deadline for conscripting citizens for military service on grounds provided for by this Law;

5) pre‑conscripts – male citizens of the Republic of Kazakhstan who are undergoing training for military service before reaching the conscription age.

6) conscripts – male citizens of the Republic of Kazakhstan who are registered with the local military authorities and are subject to conscription for compulsory military service;7) military rank – a sign of military distinction assigned to a servicemember and a person subject to military service;8) military ID – a single, indefinite personal military registration document of a citizen, which determines their affiliation with military service and their attitude towards military duty.

9) The staffing of a military unit (institution) is a document that defines the composition, organizational and staffing structure, the number of personnel, and the quantity of assigned main armaments and military equipment in accordance with the inventory of armaments and military equipment of the Armed Forces, other troops, and military formations;

10) Military registration is a system for recording and analyzing quantitative and qualitative data on conscripts, military personnel, and mobilization resources.

11) military training camps – events conducted by military command bodies and authorized state bodies responsible for military training, aimed at acquiring and improving military knowledge by persons liable for military service and citizens, as well as in other cases provided for by the laws of the Republic of Kazakhstan.

Military training exercises are divided into:

training exercises – a type of military training exercises conducted for the purpose of training and retraining persons liable for military service;

inspection exercises – a type of military training exercises conducted to verify the readiness of military units intended to carry out tasks within the organizational and staff structure of wartime;

special exercises – a type of military training exercises conducted to carry out measures related to the introduction and maintenance of a state of emergency, the elimination of emergency situations and their consequences, and in other cases determined by the President of the Republic of Kazakhstan.

12) a military intern is a service member studying in a military internship;13) a military internship is a form of training for service members in clinical specialties within the framework of basic higher medical education to obtain permission to engage in clinical practice, carried out by a structural unit of a higher military educational institution.

14) a military department (military faculty) is a structural unit of an organization of higher and (or) postgraduate education in the Republic of Kazakhstan that provides military training under reserve officer and (or) reserve sergeant programs and conducts military‑patriotic education of students;

15) military uniform is the uniform with insignia and distinctions (uniforms) and equipment approved by the President of the Republic of Kazakhstan, which indicates the affiliation of military personnel with the Armed Forces, other troops and military formations.

16) military service is a special type of state service performed by members of the Armed Forces, other troops and military formations, aimed at directly ensuring military security related to the armed protection of the sovereignty, territorial integrity and inviolability of the State Border of the Republic of Kazakhstan;

17) the term of military service is the entire period during which a person serves in the status of a military personnel in the Armed Forces, other troops and military formations, unless otherwise established by this Law.

18) a contract for military service is an agreement between an authorized body and a citizen of the Republic of Kazakhstan on voluntary military service, which establishes the rights, obligations, and responsibilities of the parties during the period of the citizen’s military service;

19) dismissal from military service is the removal of a servicemember from the lists of a military unit (institution) with transfer to the reserve or retirement on the grounds provided for in this Law;

20) military personnel are citizens of the Republic of Kazakhstan who are serving in the Armed Forces.

21) a military position is a staffing unit of the Armed Forces, other troops and military formations, which is entrusted with official powers, official and special duties to perform the functions of military service;

22) persons liable for military service are citizens of the Republic of Kazakhstan who are registered for military service and remain in the reserve until they reach the maximum age for being registered for military service.

23) the reserve of persons liable for military service (hereinafter referred to as the reserve) – persons liable for military service who are of the age established by this Law and are registered with the local military authorities in districts and cities of regional significance; they are used for the purpose of additional recruitment, mobilization deployment, and replacement of losses in the Armed Forces, other troops, and military formations during the period of mobilization, martial law, and wartime.

24) military duty – the constitutional duty of citizens of the Republic of Kazakhstan to defend the Republic of Kazakhstan.

25) a military educational institution is an educational organization subordinate to the Ministry of Defense, the National Security Committee, and the National Guard of the Republic of Kazakhstan, and it implements educational programs of various levels;

25-1) the teaching staff of military educational institutions consists of military personnel and civilian staff of the Armed Forces engaged in educational, scientific, and methodological activities;

25-2) military training practice is a type of educational activity aimed at consolidating theoretical knowledge and skills, as well as acquiring and developing practical skills under the relevant military training program.

25-3) a military resident physician is a service member who is studying as part of a residency educational program under the supervision of a mentor from a medical organization.

Note: IZPI! The effect of subclause 26) is suspended until 01.09.2026 by Law of the Republic of Kazakhstan dated 16.07.2025 No. 211‑VIII; during the suspension period, this subclause is in force in the following version.

26) Initial military and technological training is a mandatory subject of study (academic discipline) covering the basics of military affairs, robotics and IT technologies in secondary, technical and vocational education institutions, as determined by the authorized body in the field of education.

26-1) competitiveness indicator (digital rating) – a formalized numerical expression of a military personnel member’s professional potential (excluding military personnel of a special state body of the Republic of Kazakhstan), formed through a digital personnel management system, based on professional competencies, as well as key indicators for the military position and objective data on professional achievements (criteria).

26-2) crisis response training – activities conducted with military personnel serving in the reserve, aimed at participating in the containment and elimination of a crisis situation, as well as in other cases provided for by the laws of the Republic of Kazakhstan.

26‑3) field payments – payments made from budget funds to military personnel (with the exception of those serving compulsory military service, cadets and cadets of military educational institutions, persons liable for military service called up for military training, and military personnel serving in the reserve) for the period of field exercises, sea voyages, participation in exercises or ship voyages lasting more than one day.

27) field training – classes conducted under combat, mobilization, and operational training programs in field conditions, as well as the performance of special field work in the interests of the Armed Forces, other troops, and military formations;

28) doctoral student – a military personnel member studying in a doctoral program;

29) length of service – the duration of a citizen’s service in the military, in special state and law enforcement agencies, in civil protection bodies, in the courier service, as well as in other cases provided for by the laws of the Republic of Kazakhstan, calculated both on a calendar basis and on a preferential basis;

30) universal military training – mandatory military training for citizens of the Republic of Kazakhstan during the period when martial law is in effect.

Note from IZPI! Subclause 30-1) is provided for in the wording of the Law of the Republic of Kazakhstan dated 16.07.2025 No. 211-VIII (entered into force on 01.01.2026).

30-1) combat training exercises – activities conducted with military personnel performing military service in the reserve, in accordance with combat training programs;

Note from IZPI! Article 1 is to be supplemented with subparagraph 30-2) in accordance with the Law of the Republic of Kazakhstan dated 16.07.2025 No. 211-VIII (entered into force on 01.01.2026).

30-3) combat training exercises – activities conducted with military personnel serving in the reserve under combat training programs;

31) personnel – military personnel and civilian staff (employees);

32) cadet – a military personnel member studying at a military educational institution that implements educational programs in technical and vocational or post‑secondary education;

33) military personnel serving under a contract – citizens of the Republic of Kazakhstan who voluntarily enlist in military service in the Armed Forces, other troops and military formations for a period determined by this Law;

34) cadet – a military servicemember studying at a military or specialized educational institution that implements educational programs.

41) officers – military personnel who have been awarded the appropriate military ranks of officers;

42) psychophysiological and polygraphological examinations – a set of verification measures aimed at a comprehensive assessment of the individual psychological and psychophysiological qualities of military personnel and citizens of the Republic of Kazakhstan, carried out during selection for military service in positions, the list of which is approved by the head of the authorized body;

42-1) military personnel serving in the reserve (hereinafter referred to as military reservists) are citizens of the Republic of Kazakhstan who voluntarily entered military service in the reserve in the Armed Forces, other troops and military formations.;

43) rotation – the transfer of military personnel to equivalent and other positions in the Armed Forces, other troops and military formations;

44) excluded by the Law of the Republic of Kazakhstan dated 07/16/2025 No. 211-VIII (effective sixty calendar days after the date of its first official publication);

45) sergeants (foremen) – military personnel who have been awarded the appropriate military ranks of non-commissioned officers;

46) excluded by the Law of the Republic of Kazakhstan dated 07/16/2025 No. 211-VIII (effective sixty calendar days after the date of its first official publication);

47) going to sea – the exit of the crews of ships, boats and vessels, military personnel at sea to perform tasks;

48) authorized official – an official who has been granted the right to conclude a contract for military service or a contract for military service in the reserve in accordance with the procedure established by the Rules of Military Service.;

49) authorized body – a state body, the structure of which provides for military service;

50) organizational and staff measures – measures carried out in the Armed Forces, other troops and military formations to create, liquidate, reorganize, redeploy, reassign, change the staff of state institutions and their structural divisions, as well as to change the composition and staffing of the Armed Forces, other troops and military formations;

51) ulan – a person studying in the first or second year at a military educational institution that implements educational programs of technical and vocational education on the basis of basic secondary education;

52) a freelance military position is a full–time unit of the military department (military faculty), which is entrusted with official powers for military training and military-patriotic education of students.

The Law of the Republic of Kazakhstan dated February 16, 2012 No. 561-IV SAM.

This Law regulates public relations in the field of military service by citizens of the Republic of Kazakhstan and defines the foundations of the state policy on social security for military personnel.

President

Republic of Kazakhstan

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