On the approval of the Rules for the pre-distribution examination of films
Order of the Deputy Prime Minister - Minister of Culture and Information of the Republic of Kazakhstan dated June 1, 2026 No. 262-NK. Registered with the Ministry of Justice of the Republic of Kazakhstan on June 2, 2026 No. 38868
In accordance with paragraph 5-1 of Article 7 of the Law of the Republic of Kazakhstan "On Cinematography", I ORDER:
1. To approve the attached Rules for conducting a pre-distribution examination of films.
2. The Committee of Culture of the Ministry of Culture and Information of the Republic of Kazakhstan, in accordance with the procedure established by the legislation of the Republic of Kazakhstan, shall ensure:
1) the state registration of this order in the Ministry of Justice of the Republic of Kazakhstan;
2) posting of this order on the Internet resource of the Ministry of Culture and Information of the Republic of Kazakhstan after its official publication.
3. Control over the execution of this order is entrusted to the supervising Vice Minister of Culture and Information of the Republic of Kazakhstan.
4. This order shall enter into force upon the expiration of ten calendar days after the date of its first official publication.
Deputy Prime Minister – Minister of Culture and Information of the Republic of Kazakhstan
A. Balayeva
Approved by the Ministry of Finance of the Republic of Kazakhstan
Approved by the Ministry of National Economy of the Republic of Kazakhstan
Approved by the Order of the Deputy Prime Minister - Minister of Culture and Information of the Republic of Kazakhstan on June 1, 2026 No. 262-NK
Rules for conducting a pre-distribution examination of films
Chapter 1. General provisions
1. These Rules for conducting a pre–distribution examination of films (hereinafter referred to as the Rules) have been developed in accordance with paragraph 5-1 of Article 7 of the Law of the Republic of Kazakhstan "On Cinematography" (hereinafter referred to as the Law) and determine the procedure for conducting a pre–distribution examination of films.
2. The basic concepts used in these Rules:
1) copyright holder – the author (his heirs) in respect of copyrights, the performer (his heirs), the producer of phonograms, the organization of broadcasting or cable broadcasting in respect of related rights, as well as other natural or legal persons who have obtained the exclusive right to use the work and (or) the object of related rights under a contract or other basis, provided for by the Law of the Republic of Kazakhstan "On Copyright and Related Rights" (hereinafter referred to as the Copyright Law);
2) authorized body – the central executive body responsible for the management and intersectoral coordination in the field of cinematography;
3) a film rental certificate (hereinafter referred to as a rental certificate) is a standard document certifying the right of an individual or legal entity to distribute a film on the territory of the Republic of Kazakhstan, which contains technical information about the film, information about the creators, age category and genre of the film.;
4) the film version intended for film distribution is the version of the film that was received to obtain a rental certificate, identical to its rental version.
Chapter 2. The procedure for conducting a pre-rental examination
3. A pre-screening examination is conducted to identify the presence in the film of the features listed in subparagraph 4) of paragraph 6 of Article 7 of the Law, as well as to determine the age category of the film.
4. To conduct a pre-distribution examination, an individual or legal entity provides a version of the film intended for film distribution to the authorized body by linking to the film on an Internet resource/on a tangible medium within 5 (five) business days from the date of receipt of a request from the authorized body on the need to provide a version of the film intended for film distribution sent through the electronic document management system.
The authorized body for conducting a pre–distribution examination within 2 (two) business days from the date of receipt of the film version intended for distribution sends it through the electronic document management system to the Expert Commission for conducting a pre-distribution examination of Films (hereinafter referred to as the Commission).
The Commission is an advisory body consisting of representatives of government agencies, experts and specialists, established under an organization determined by the authorized body, which carries out a pre-screening examination of the version of the film intended for film distribution.
The procedure for organizing the work of the Commission and its composition are determined by the authorized body in accordance with paragraph 5-1 of Article 7 of the Law.
5. The pre-rolling examination includes:
1) Watching a movie;
2) Film content analysis;
3) discussion of the film at the Commission meeting;
4) voting of the members of the Commission to make a decision of the Commission;
5) preparation of a protocol containing an expert opinion.
6. When conducting a pre-rental examination, the following factors are taken into account:
1) the general meaning and artistic intent of the film;
2) The nature and function of individual scenes;
3) presence or absence of illegal content;
4) the age of the intended audience.
Chapter 3. The Commission's decision
7. The pre-distribution examination is carried out within 10 (ten) business days from the date of receipt of the film version intended for distribution to the Commission.
The decision of the Commission is made by a simple majority of votes from the number of members present at the meeting of the Commission and is formalized by a protocol signed by the chairman and secretary of the Commission. If the votes are equal, the chairman's vote is decisive.
A member of the Commission who does not agree with the Commission's decision has the right to express a dissenting opinion in writing within 10 (ten) business days from the date of receipt of the film version intended for distribution.
8. The protocol must contain: information about the film (the name of the film, the country of production, the studio of production, the year of production, the timing of the film, the author(s) of the script, the director(s)-director(s), the operator(s)-director(s), the artist(s)-director(s)-director(s)-director(s)-director(s)-director(s)-director(s)-director(s)-director(s)-director(s)-director(s)-director(s)-director(s)i), the author(s) of the musical work, the producer (s), the genre of the film, the language of the film), the conclusion about the presence or absence of illegal content and recommendations on assigning the appropriate age category to the film, on issuing or refusing to issue a rental certificate.
9. The Commission's decision is advisory in nature and is used by the authorized body when deciding whether to issue or refuse to issue a rental certificate.
The Secretary of the Commission sends the protocol to the authorized body via an electronic document management system within a period not exceeding 10 (ten) working days from the date of receipt of the film version intended for film distribution.
10. The reason for refusing to issue a rental certificate is if the content of the film is aimed at propaganda or agitation of a violent change in the constitutional order, violation of the integrity of the Republic, undermining the security of the state, inciting social, racial, national, religious, class and clan discord, the cult of cruelty and violence, non-traditional sexual orientation, pedophilia, as well as pornography in accordance with with sub-item 4) paragraph 6 of Article 7 of the Law.
Chapter 5. Confidentiality and information protection
11. The members of the Commission shall ensure the confidentiality of the film version intended for distribution, information about the film, scenario materials, expert opinions, as well as documents submitted and received during the pre-distribution examination.
12. Reproduction, transfer to third parties or other use of the film version intended for film distribution, information about the film and scenario materials provided for pre-distribution examination without the consent of the copyright holder is prohibited in accordance with paragraph 2 of Article 16 of the Copyright Act, and also entails liability in accordance with paragraph 1 of Article 48 of the Copyright Act..
13. Documents and materials related to the pre-distribution examination, including the film version intended for distribution on tangible media and the minutes of the Commission's decisions, are kept in the organization where the Commission is created for at least 3 (three) years.
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