Kazakhstan has begun mass fining of citizens for wearing clothing that covers the face. Since the beginning of the year, more than 1,600 people have been fined. This was reported by the Ministry of Internal Affairs. This was reported by Qazaqyia.kz citing Kursiv Media.
The Ministry of Internal Affairs explained that the ban on wearing clothing that prevents face recognition is dictated by security requirements. This norm is officially enshrined in the Law "On Prevention of Offenses."
The corresponding law was signed by President Kassym-Jomart Tokayev and came into force in June of last year.
To date, 1,613 citizens have been brought to administrative responsibility for this offense — they have been issued warnings and fines.
The law also provides for exceptions. Law enforcement control does not apply if the face is covered for objective reasons. For example:
- 01For health reasons
- 02During professional activities
- 03For religious beliefs (only in traditional religious associations)
According to Article 434-3 of the Code of Administrative Offenses, a warning is issued for the first violation, and a fine of 10 MCI (43,250 tenge) is imposed for a repeated violation within a year.
Similar and even stricter rules apply in neighboring Kyrgyzstan. There, the ban on wearing niqabs in public places officially came into force at the end of 2025.
The police even regularly conduct raids to enforce the new law. The fine in Kyrgyzstan is significantly higher than in Kazakhstan — violators must pay 20,000 soms (111,700 tenge), almost twice the Kazakh fine.
Earlier, Kursiv reported that Kazakhstan officially banned clothing that covers the face.