How to onboard and manage teams hired via Employer of Record (EOR) in Kazakhstan
- Natia Gabarashvili
- Sep 8
- 9 min read
Updated: Sep 26
Table of contents:
What specific onboarding documents does a Kazakh EOR require?
Onboarding remote employees: processes, tactics, and expert advice
Which compliance risks should I monitor with EOR hires in Kazakhstan?
What costs and fees change as I scale EOR hires in Kazakhstan?
Who provides equipment & workspace? (avoiding laptop custody battles)
Conclusion: Kazakhstan + EOR = Growth Without Compliance Headaches
Introduction: Onboarding without the chaos
Onboarding has a reputation for turning even the best HR departments into part theater, part obstacle course. Think about it: a laptop that never shows up, a contract typed in Comic Sans, and a new hire staring blankly at Slack channels because nobody remembered to add them. It’s less “smooth integration” and more “circus without a ringmaster.”
Now, drop that circus into a new country, say, Kazakhstan. Suddenly, it’s not just missing laptops; it’s navigating tax filings, social insurance contributions, and employment contracts that must hold up under local law. Add the complexity of multiple cities, remote work arrangements, and occasionally confusing labor regulations, and onboarding can feel like you’re building a plane while flying it.
Here’s the good news: Kazakhstan isn’t a nightmare waiting to happen. It’s an emerging Central Asian talent hub with highly skilled professionals in tech, finance, and other sectors. The workforce is young, ambitious, and increasingly remote-ready. Labor costs are competitive compared to Western markets, and the market is opening up fast. The real challenge isn’t finding talent, it’s integrating it cleanly, quickly, and compliantly.
This is exactly where an Employer of Record (EOR) comes in. Instead of establishing a local entity, interpreting complex tax and social security law, and praying your payroll filings are accurate, an EOR handles all the legal, administrative, and compliance-heavy tasks. You focus on people and performance, your EOR ensures compliance, and your team in Almaty, or anywhere in Kazakhstan, can get to work without bureaucratic headaches.
In short, onboarding in Kazakhstan doesn’t have to be chaos. With the right structure, process, and EOR partner, it can be smooth, predictable, and even enjoyable for HR, leadership, and your new hire.
What specific onboarding documents does a Kazakh EOR require?
If you thought onboarding could be handled with a grainy WhatsApp photo of a passport, think again. In Kazakhstan, proper documentation isn’t optional; it’s required to comply with labor law and tax regulations. An EOR ensures that all paperwork is collected, verified, and submitted to the appropriate authorities, so your hire is legally employed and fully compliant from day one.
Here’s the standard documentation your EOR in Kazakhstan will request from each new hire:
Valid passport or national ID – Proof of identity is non-negotiable. No LinkedIn profiles, no blurry scans—official, government-issued documents only.
Bilingual employment contract (Kazakh + English) – The contract must comply with Kazakhstan’s labor code. English-only templates aren’t enforceable in local courts. Contracts must cover job responsibilities, compensation, termination clauses, intellectual property rights, confidentiality, and compliance with local labor laws.
Taxpayer registration forms – Filed with the Kazakhstan tax authority to ensure proper income tax deductions. Salaries without registration are illegal and expose both employer and employee to penalties.
Social insurance/pension enrollment forms – Mandatory contributions are submitted to the State Social Insurance Fund (SSIF). This includes pension, health insurance contributions, and unemployment benefits.
Bank account details – Required to ensure salaries are transferred on time. Without proper banking details, your payroll could get stuck in limbo.
Proof of address – Typically, a rental contract, utility bill, or other legal document confirming the employee’s residence.
Emergency contact information – Not strictly required by law, but highly recommended. It ensures quick communication in case of accidents, health emergencies, or urgent HR issues.
The EOR provider in Kazakhstan handles all registration filings with the tax office and SSIF, including reporting for social contributions and payroll. That means HR teams don’t need to spend weeks learning Kazakh tax codes or deciphering social insurance regulations.
By ensuring these documents are complete and compliant, the EOR creates a clean, legally secure onboarding process, giving your employees confidence that their employment is legitimate and protecting your organization from costly mistakes.
Onboarding remote employees: processes, tactics, and expert advice
Kazakhstan’s workforce is increasingly remote-ready. Professionals in tech, finance, marketing, and operational roles are accustomed to collaborating across cities, time zones, and sometimes borders. But remote onboarding has its own unique challenges that require deliberate processes to ensure engagement, productivity, and compliance.
Core onboarding elements
Legal and payroll setup – Handled by your EOR, this ensures taxes, pensions, and mandatory social contributions are calculated and filed correctly. The new hire doesn’t need to worry about legality—they can focus on their role.
Welcome call and company orientation – Introduce the employee to leadership, team members, and company culture. First impressions matter, and remote workers can feel isolated without a structured welcome.
Tools and access setup – Ensure all accounts for Slack, Jira, GitHub, email, VPNs, and other systems are ready on day one. This prevents wasted time and early frustration.
Role-specific training – General company orientation is helpful, but new hires need training targeted to their role. Developers need access to repositories and staging environments; finance hires need access to reporting systems; customer service staff need ticketing tools. Tailored onboarding accelerates productivity.
Human connection – Assign a mentor or buddy to answer daily questions, introduce team rituals, and ensure the employee feels integrated into the company culture. Without this, remote onboarding can feel like solitary confinement in a Slack channel.
Remote vs office onboarding
Zoom fatigue vs in-person orientation – Remote sessions should be shorter and more interactive to maintain attention. Avoid cramming full-day workshops over Zoom.
Scheduled bonding vs casual office chats – Remote hires miss spontaneous conversations. Schedule informal check-ins, virtual coffee breaks, and team bonding sessions.
Local EOR leasing vs international shipping – Instead of shipping laptops and monitors internationally (which can take weeks and incur customs issues), the EOR can lease equipment locally to ensure new hires are fully operational from day one.
With a structured remote onboarding plan, Kazakh employees feel connected, confident, and productive from the start.
Step-by-step guide to remote onboarding in Kazakhstan
To make remote onboarding actionable, here’s a step-by-step process you can implement:
1. Start with a welcome call
Introduce the new hire to the team and leadership. Provide context on the company vision, values, and how their role fits into the bigger picture. Day one sets the tone for engagement.
2. Run a virtual orientation
Deliver company policies, workflows, and culture in short, digestible sessions. Record the sessions for reference so that repeating onboarding for future hires doesn’t feel like a full-time job.
3. Assist with technical setup
Ensure laptops, software, VPN, email, and other necessary tools are ready before the employee starts. Your EOR can handle local equipment procurement, avoiding customs delays or misdeliveries.
4. Provide role-specific training
Customize onboarding to the employee’s role. Developers need environment access; finance hires need reporting templates; marketing employees need campaign management systems. The more relevant the training, the faster the employee contributes.
5. Integrate into team workflows
Remote ≠ disconnected. Add the employee to Slack, Jira, Notion, and sprint boards. Assign a mentor or buddy for early questions. Integration is cultural as much as operational.
How do Kazakh leave and probation rules affect onboarding?
Kazakhstan’s labor laws set clear rules for probation, annual leave, sick leave, and maternity leave, rules that shape onboarding timelines.
Probation
Standard: up to 3 months, must be included in the employment contract.
Purpose: structured evaluation of performance and cultural fit.
Termination: easier during probation, but employees are still entitled to full salary and protections.
Leave entitlements
Paid annual leave: minimum 24 days, increasing with tenure.
Public holidays: ~15 per year.
Sick leave: covered by employer and state contributions.
Maternity leave: 126 days paid.
Effect on onboarding: Probation creates a structured ramp-up window. Leave laws set realistic expectations for time off during early employment.
Which compliance risks should I monitor with EOR hires in Kazakhstan?
Even with an EOR, certain risks need attention:
Misclassification: contractor vs employee. Misclassifying leads to fines, back taxes, and legal disputes.
Weak/non-localized contracts: unclear IP, termination, and confidentiality clauses.
Payroll/tax errors: income tax and pension contributions must be correct.
Data protection gaps: ensure compliance with Uzbek data privacy laws.
Immigration compliance: foreign hires require proper work permits and visas.
Using an EOR reduces the likelihood of these issues occurring, but awareness and proactive monitoring are key.
What costs and fees change as I scale EOR hires in Kazakhstan?
Scaling your team in Kazakhstan through an EOR requires an understanding of both base costs and scaling extras.
Base Costs:
Salaries: The average salary for mid-level developers ranges from $600 to $1,200/month, and for senior developers, it can go up to $2,000/month.
Employer Contributions: Typically, social insurance and pension contributions total around 12–15% of the gross salary.
Flat EOR Fee: With TeamUp, this is typically €199/month, much lower than percentage-based fees charged by other global providers.
Scaling Extras:
Health Insurance: It’s common to provide benefits like health insurance, gym memberships, and training allowances, which can range from €49–€150/month per employee.
Coworking Memberships: For employees in major cities like Almaty or Astana, coworking memberships cost approximately €120/month.
Equipment Leasing: If you lease equipment locally, expect to pay €69/month for things like laptops, monitors, etc.
Scaling employees using the EOR model in Kazakhstan is cost-effective, transparent, and ensures that compliance is always up to date.
Who provides equipment & workspace? (avoiding laptop custody battles)
Let’s be real: nothing says “offboarding nightmare” like a tense standoff over the missing laptop.
"Hey, can you send back the laptop?" quickly turns into a passive-aggressive email exchange, followed by an investigation that involves tracking down missing chargers, lost USB sticks, and who owns the darn laptop anyway.
If that’s the future you’re trying to avoid with your team in Kazakhstan, here’s how to handle equipment and workspace smoothly, without the awkward moments.
Equipment: Your bill, their logistics
When hiring through an EOR in Kazakhstan, the employer funds the equipment, laptops, monitors, ergonomic chairs, and all the gear that makes remote work possible. But you’re not stuck wrestling with shipping companies and praying your device doesn’t get lost somewhere between customs in Almaty and the employee’s doorstep.
The EOR takes care of all the logistics by leasing equipment locally, which costs around €69/month per employee. They’ll have your employee set up with a laptop, monitor, and anything else they need, and you won’t have to wait weeks for delivery (or deal with customs delays).
The key here is local sourcing. No customs drama, no surprise fees, just a hassle-free way to ensure your team has the tools to start working immediately.
Workspace: Remote ≠ Disconnected
Not everyone thrives working from a couch or at a cluttered kitchen table. Sure, remote work is popular in Kazakhstan, but if your hire wants to work in a professional environment, you can provide them with options. Flexibility is the name of the game.
Fully remote setups are standard if your hire is equipped to work from home.
Coworking memberships are around €120/month in major cities like Almaty and Astana, offering fast internet, ergonomic desks, and actual coffee that doesn’t taste like regret. And yes, it’s probably less expensive than renting an office in some parts of the world.
Compliance: Yes, even remote employees need safe working conditions
This is a big one. Kazakhstan’s labor law doesn’t just apply to in-office employees—it extends to remote workers too. You can’t just throw a new hire a laptop and call it a day. There are certain standards of health and safety that must be met, even if your employee is sitting in their home office, drinking coffee in their PJs.
The EOR is responsible for making sure your employees have safe working conditions, whether they’re working from a cozy home office or a buzzing coworking space in Almaty. Ergonomics, proper equipment, and compliance with Kazakhstan’s health and safety laws are all included. No back pain claims, no “I can’t find my charger” complaints. Just happy, productive employees who don’t have to worry about the technicalities.
Conclusion: Kazakhstan + EOR = Growth Without Compliance Headaches
Kazakhstan isn’t just another place on the map. It’s an emerging talent powerhouse. With a well-educated, tech-savvy, and cost-efficient workforce, it's becoming an increasingly attractive location for businesses looking to scale, but navigating local tax codes, labor laws, and payroll systems can feel like solving a Rubik's Cube blindfolded.
But here’s the good news: by partnering with an Employer of Record (EOR), you’re not just bypassing bureaucratic nightmares. You’re ensuring your employees are compliant from the start, and contract management, payroll, tax filings, benefits, and legal issues are handled by experts in-country.
The beauty of an EOR is that it takes the compliance burden off your plate while ensuring a seamless experience for your new hires. The result?
Your company can scale in Kazakhstan efficiently and legally, without getting bogged down by red tape or paperwork. And your team? They get to focus on what really matters, delivering value, not dealing with compliance headaches.
Ready to expand your team in Kazakhstan without the compliance stress?
Explore TeamUp’s Employer of Record services today and start scaling efficiently, safely, and without the legal headaches. Let’s make your entry into Kazakhstan smooth and stress-free!
