EDS for public procurement in Kazakhstan: where to get it, how much it costs and how to use it

Who issues the EDS

EDS certificates for individuals and legal entities are issued by the National Certification Authority of the Republic of Kazakhstan (НУЦ РК), whose functions are performed by National Information Technologies JSC (АО «Национальные информационные технологии»). Since 31 August 2026, the issuance procedure has been governed by the new Rules for the Issuance, Storage and Revocation of NCA Certificates (Order No. 522/НҚ).

This government service is free of charge — for both individuals and legal entities.

Where to get it

• on pki.gov.kz — remotely, with video identification;
• via the eGov portal or app;
• at a Public Service Center (ЦОН, State Corporation “Government for Citizens”);
• abroad — at Kazakhstan's diplomatic missions.

To get it remotely, you need a valid identity card, a phone for SMS, a webcam and the NCALayer application installed. With remote identification the certificate is issued within 1 business day; through the personal account, in about 20 minutes.

Which key an LLP needs and which an individual entrepreneur needs

For legal entities there are templates such as “first head” (первый руководитель), “employee with signing authority”, “organisation employee” and others. An employee's certificate is issued after confirmation by the head or an authorised person — so you can give a manager access to procurement without handing over the director's key.

There is no separate template for individual entrepreneurs: an entrepreneur uses an individual's key and, when logging in to zakup.gov.kz, selects the user type “IE” (ИП).

Previously, the NCA issued a pair of keys: AUTH_RSA for login and RSA/GOST for signing. The current rules describe every template as a key “for authentication and signing”, but if the portal does not accept your key at login, check that you have selected the right file.

How long the signature is valid

Set a reminder a couple of weeks before expiry: an expired key is a common reason why a bid cannot be submitted on the last day.

NCALayer and common problems

NCALayer is an NCA application that lets your browser work with the key. Without it, you can neither obtain a certificate nor sign a document on the portal.

• Keep NCALayer and its modules up to date: since 30 September 2026, the portal blocks price offers submitted with an outdated version of the “crypto socket” (криптосокет).
• Keep a copy of the key file in a safe place and never send it via messengers.
• When the director changes, the former head's key stops working — get a new one in advance, before any contracts need to be signed.