Do I need a fishing licence in Kazakhstan?

Not for up to 5 kg per trip on waters in the reserve fund: that is free and needs no permit. Above 5 kg you need a paid permit from the local authority. On a water assigned to a user, you need that user’s pass. We found no separate rule for foreigners.

When is fishing banned in Kazakhstan?

There is no single date. Kapshagay closes 5 April to 20 May, Balkhash from 15 or 25 April to 1 or 10 June, Alakol 15 April to 1 June, and the Astana and Akmola waters 10 April to 20 May. These come from Agriculture Ministry Order No. 78 of 3 March 2026.

Can I fish in a national park?

Strict nature reserves ban it. National parks organise amateur fishing in their limited economic activity zone and allow it in buffer zones, so ask the park office about your spot.

What is the fine for illegal fishing?

10 MRP under Art. 383 of the Code of Administrative Offences, 20 MRP for a repeat within a year. Part 3 on gross violations expressly excludes amateur fishing, and criminal liability is a separate matter.

Fishing in Kazakhstan: spawning bans, rules and fines

If you plan to bring a rod to Kazakhstan, check two things before anything else: the date and who controls the water. Spawning bans run by basin and by lake under a new order from 2026. It replaced the 2015 order, so older guides and forum tables may be wrong. Everything below is read from the text of the law, in Russian.

Permits, gear and what to carry

Amateur fishing means catching fish one at a time. All kinds of rods with lures, spinners, wobblers and flies are allowed, along with ledger lines and pike rigs. Crayfish traps are capped at three per angler, and a speargun is allowed only in designated spots outside recreation areas.

Water	What you need	Carry
Reserve fund, up to 5 kg per outing	nothing, free	passport
Reserve fund, above 5 kg	paid permit from local authority	permit and passport
Water assigned to a user	that user’s pass	pass and passport

The rules don’t say how to tell a water’s status from the shore. Ask at the local akimat (the local government office), or ask your host before you set out.

Banned methods include spears, traps, set lines, electricity, explosives, poison, firearms and snagging, and fish below the minimum size must go back. Sizes differ by basin. In some basins, pike has a 25 cm amateur minimum.

We found no separate rule for foreign anglers. The law on hunting has a section just for foreigners, and the fishing rules have none.

Closed seasons by water

Water	Closed
Kapshagay reservoir and inflows	5 Apr – 20 May
Balkhash, western part	15 Apr – 1 Jun
Balkhash, eastern part	25 Apr – 10 Jun
Alakol, Sasykkol, Koshkarkol and inflows	15 Apr – 1 Jun
Ile, Kapshagay dam to Aral-Tobe, amateur gear	5 Apr – 5 Jun
Ile delta, amateur gear	15 Apr – 1 Jun
Ile, Sharyn mouth to the Chinese border, amateur gear	25 Mar – 5 Jul
Zaisan and upper Bukhtarma	16 Apr – 30 May
Bukhtarma, deep-water part	1 May – 15 Jun
Ust-Kamenogorsk reservoir	10 May – 10 Jun
Astana, Akmola, North Kazakhstan waters (Esil basin)	10 Apr – 20 May
Nura and Sarysu basin	1 May – 10 Jun
Shardara reservoir	1 Apr – 20 May
Turkistan Region	15 Apr – 31 May
Small Aral Sea	1 May – 10 Jun
Northern Caspian	25 May – 31 Aug
Mangyshlak islands and coast	15 Nov – 15 Mar
Ural River, West Kazakhstan, amateur gear	10 Apr – 15 Jun
Ural River, Atyrau Region, amateur gear	15 May – 15 Jun
Shu above Tasotkel, and Talas	15 Apr – 30 Jun

In short, plan rod time for summer and autumn. April and May close most popular waters, and the Ile above Kapshagay stays shut until early July.

Order No. 78 was published on 13 March 2026 and takes effect 60 days later, which the press reports as 13 May 2026. The order states its dates as annual.

Closed all year

Zhalanashkol lake, next to Alakol. It stays closed after 1 June.
The Arys and Keles rivers.
The backwater zone of Kapshagay, from the Utyugi hill up to the Sharyn mouth.
The Kara Ertis delta and north-western Zaisan.
Sturgeon, everywhere.
Night fishing with amateur gear in the Ural and Caspian basin, 22:00 to 06:00. Crayfish there are off limits from 1 April to 15 June.
Wintering pits in winter and spawning grounds during spawning.

Near Almaty, Sorbulak Lake, the city’s treated-wastewater reservoir, is a separate case: it is not on the official list of fishery waters, so fishing there is banned all year.

National parks and reserves

Area	Rule	Protected Areas Law
Strict nature reserve	banned	Art. 40
Reserve’s buffer zone	may be allowed	Art. 43
National park, limited economic activity zone	the park organises amateur fishing	Art. 45, 47
National park, strict and stabilisation zones	recreation banned	Art. 45
National park’s buffer zone	allowed	Art. 48
Nature reserve (rezervat), buffer zone	amateur fishing possible	Art. 52

So in a national park, the answer depends on your exact spot. Ask the park office and see our guides to protected area categories and permits. Waters such as Alakol, Zaisan and Markakol are also near the border, so read border zones and carry your passport.

Fines

Offence	Fine	Article
Breaking the fishing rules	10 MRP	Code of Administrative Offences, Art. 383(1)
Repeat within a year	20 MRP	Art. 383(2)
Breaking a protected area’s regime	10 MRP, 20 for a repeat	Art. 380-1

These apply where the act isn’t a crime. Part 3 of Art. 383, on gross violations with confiscation, expressly excludes amateur fishing. To convert to money, see what an MRP is. How fines work for visitors, including at departure, is on our fines page.

Not verified yet We found no norm on fishing by foreigners specifically. We checked Order No. 78 against adilet on 6 November 2026. It bans fishing without a wildlife-use permit (annex 1, para 2), while the Fishing Rules (para 20) let anglers take up to 5 kg in the reserve fund with no permit; we found no explanation of how the two fit together, so ask the fisheries inspectorate if in doubt. We have not copied the minimum sizes by basin. The order’s exact start date comes only from a press summary.