Basic Facts

Situated in Central America, Kyrgyzstan is bound by Kazakhstan on the northwest and north, China on the east and south, and by Tajikistan and Uzbekistan on the south and west. The chief industries are the manufacture of machinery and electronic components, but food processing and light industries are also important.

 

*Please note that the official currency is the currency of remuneration when employed through WorkMotion in Kyrgyzstan.

Capital :
Bishkek
Currency :
Лв, Kyrgyzstani Som
Languages spoken :
Kyrgyz, Russian
Population :
6,691,800 (2021 est.)
Minimum wage 2023 :
KGS 1970 (monthly)
Cost of Living index :
$ (132 of 139 nations)
Payroll Frequency :
Monthly
VAT - standard rate :
12%
GDP - real growth rate :
+3.6% (2021 est.)

Statutory Holidays

The national holidays mentioned below are valid for the year 2024.

Date
Holiday Name
Extra Information
January 1-2
New Year’s Day
January 7 & 8
Orthodox Christmas Day
January 9 given as substitute
February 23
Homeland Defenders' Day
March 8
International Women's Day
March 21
People's Holiday of Nooruz
April 7 & 8
People's April Revolution Day
April 10
Orozo Ait
Movable, Depends on the Islamic Calendar
May 1
Labor Day
May 5 & 6
Constitution Day
May 9
Victory Day
June 16
Kurman Ait
Movable, Depends on the Islamic Calendar
August 31
Independence Day
September 2
Independence Day Holiday
November 7-8
Days of History and Commemoration of Ancestors

Contract Sharing Time


The approximate time for sharing the contract with an employee in Kyrgyzstan is 14 business days assuming no special requests or changes to our standard employment contract. Any such requests or changes would need to undergo internal and external review, directly leading to a time delay.

NOTE: This number is subject to change and is only an estimation of the Contract Sharing Time. The estimated Contract Sharing Time begins from the moment that WorkMotion has received all required information from both the client and the employee.

What You Need To Know


  • Remote work legislation was enacted in January 2023 setting down discussion points for the employer and employee for working conditions.
  • The employer is obliged to write and fill out workbooks for all employees who have worked in the organization for more than five days. The employment book includes information on employment, transfer to another permanent job and dismissal of the employee, as well as the grounds for termination of the employment contract.
  • The working conditions between the employer and the remote worker are defined in the labor contract.

Labor Conditions


Working Hours

The normal length of working time should not exceed 40 hours per week. By agreement, labor contracts may provide for shorter working hours. 

Overtime

Involvement in overtime work is carried out only at the employer’s proposal, order, or with the written consent of the employee. Working outside of normal working hours should not exceed four hours per day and 20 hours per week. Overtime is paid at least one and a half times for the first two hours, and at least twice for the remaining hours. 

Probation Period 

The probationary period should not exceed three months, and for heads of organizations and their deputies, chief accountants and their deputies, heads of branches, representative offices and other conditioned structural units of organizations, it should not exceed six months.

 

Termination Notice Period

If termination is initiated by the employer, the length of the notice period is determined by the termination reason as follows:

 

Termination Reason Notice Required
Unsatisfactory results of the probation period At least 3 days before the end of the probation period
Liquidation, employee reduction or changes in the organization At least 1 month notice is required 
Position or health related work or insufficient qualifications  At least 2 weeks notice

 

An employee has the right to terminate an indefinite-term employment contract or fixed-term employment contract by submitting a written application to the employer two weeks in advance (14 calendar days). 

Leave / Time Off

Annual Leave

Annual paid basic leave is granted to employees for 28 calendar days. Additional paid annual leave is given to:

  • Employees working in hazardous work conditions, employees working in special jobs;
  • Employees working irregular working days;
  • Employees working in mountainous conditions and remote and hard-to-reach areas, as well as in other cases provided by law.

Sick Leave

There is no statutory sick leave in Kyrgyzstan.

Parental Leave

Upon application, an employee is granted additional unpaid leave to take care of a child up to the age of three. By agreement of the parties, parental leave can be granted at any time and for any duration until the child reaches the age of three. Parental leave may be used in whole or in part by the child’s father, grandmother, grandfather, other relative or guardian who is taking care of the child.

Maternity Leave

Maternity leave for women is granted on their application and on the basis of a medical opinion for 70 calendar days before childbirth and the 56 calendar days after childbirth (in case of difficult childbirth or the birth of two or more children – 70). 

Maternity allowance is paid at:

  •  100% of the insured’s average daily earnings in the three months before the maternity leave began for the first 10 working days;
  • 10 times the basic rate from the 11th day up to 126 calendar days before and after the expected date of childbirth (may be extended to 140 days if there are complications during childbirth; 180 days for multiple births). 

The employer pays for the first 10 days.

Paternity Leave

The right to receive leave for a certain period of the year convenient for the employee is given to employees whose wife is pregnant or on maternity leave – during that leave.

Adoption Leave

Employees who adopt a child are granted 110 calendar days of leave from the date of adoption to 70 calendar days from the date of birth of a child up to the age of three years. 

Other Types of Paid Leave

Employers grant study leave while maintaining the average salary under the following circumstances:

  • 40 calendar days for passing assessments and exams in first and second courses;
  • 50 calendar days for subsequent courses;
  • For preparation and defense of the diploma project (work) and passing the final state exams – Four months;
  • To pass the final state exams – One month.

Unpaid Leave

Based on the employee’s application, the employer is obliged to grant unpaid leave in the following cases:

  • To the participants of the Great Patriotic War and to people who are equal to them in terms of benefits, to those who participated in the elimination of the accident at the Chernobyl nuclear power plant – up to 14 calendar days a year;
  • To parents and spouses of military personnel who fall ill due to injury, contusion, or injury received while defending the country or are due to be at the front – up to 14 calendar days a year;
  • Working people with disabilities – up to 60 calendar days per year;
  • For employees – in cases of birth of a child, registration of marriage, death of close relatives – up to five calendar days.

Statutory Benefits

The Kyrgyzstan State Tax Service regulates the social security contributions in the country. The current contributions are as follows:

 

Benefits Employer Contributions Employee Contributions
Pension 15%* 8%
Compulsory Medical Insurance Fund 2%
Workers’ Health Improvement Fund 0.25%
State Cumulative Pension Fund 2%
Total 17.25% 10%

 

*3% in respect of foreigners temporarily residing in Kyrgyzstan.

Health Insurance

The employer contributes 2% towards the Compulsory Medical Insurance Fund.

There is no minimum qualifying period for cash sickness and maternity benefits. For sickness benefits, a percentage of the insured’s average daily earnings in the three months before incapacity began is paid:

  • 60% for the first 10 working days with less than five years of work;
  • 80% – With five to seven years;
  • 100%- With eight or more years.

After 10 days, the monthly benefit is 50 times the basic rate.

Other Types of Insurances

Accident Insurance

Employees diagnosed with a work injury or occupational disease receive temporary benefits, permanent disability benefits, or workers’ medical benefits depending on the level of the injury or occupational disease.

Unemployment Insurance

There is no employer contribution for unemployment benefits. 

Public Pension

The employer contributes 15% towards the public pension whilst the employee contributes 8%.

Old age pension is paid to men of age 63 with at least 25 years of covered employment or women of age 58 with at least 20 years of covered employment. 

Disclaimer

The information contained in this Country Guide is provided for informational purposes only and should not be construed as legal advice on any subject matter. The contents of this Country Guide contain general information and may not reflect current legal developments or address your situation. You should not act or refrain from acting on the basis of any content included in this Country Guide without seeking the advice or representation of a licensed attorney. WorkMotion Software GmbH disclaims all liability for actions you take or fail to take based on any content included in this Country Guide.

Information provided in this Country Guide is provided “as is” without warranty of any kind, either express or implied, including without limitation warranties of merchantability, fitness for a particular purpose, or non-infringement. WorkMotion Software GmbH periodically adds, changes, improves, updates, or removes information without notice, and assumes no liability or responsibility for any errors or omissions in the contents of this Country Guide. This Country Guide may contain links to other websites. WorkMotion Software GmbH disclaims all liability for the privacy practices or the content of such websites.