Date of publication:
08/21/2025
Kyrgyzstan
Are identity documents issued to forcibly displaced and stateless persons effectively recognized in the private sector (eg. financial services, insurance services, telecoms, mobile money, private employers)?
Assessment by population
Analysis
Although, and the Law on Refugees from March 25, 2002 № 44 establishes that the certificate of registration of the application is a document certifying the identity of the person who filed the application for recognition as a refugee and the refugee certificate is a document certifying the identity of the person recognized as a refugee in the Kyrgyz Republic, it is not possible to give a legal assessment of the recognition of identity documents issued by the authorized body in the private sector, since the legislative framework does not contain established provisions on the obligation to recognize documents issued to asylum seekers and refugees, private organizations providing financial services, telecommunications, private entrepreneurs. As for opening bank accounts, refugees and asylum seekers have the right to open bank accounts. According to the Instructions for working with bank accounts, deposit accounts, approved by the Resolution of the Board of the National Bank of the Kyrgyz Republic dated October 31, 2012 № 41/12, the rights of foreign citizens, stateless persons and residents when opening accounts are equal. This additionally requires the provision of a document confirming the right to stay or reside in the Kyrgyz Republic. Asylum seekers can use an asylum seeker certificate as a document confirming the right to stay in the territory of the Kyrgyz Republic to open an account if they have a valid identity document.
Related provisions of domestic law or policy
The Law of the Kyrgyz Republic on Refugees
- Year: 2002
- Type: Domestic law
- Rights Category: Asylum, Education, Freedom of movement, Health, Housing, land & property, Liberty & security of person, Nationality & facilitated naturalization, Social protection, Work & Workplace rights, Family life, Documentation
- Link to external source: https://www.refworld.org/legal/legislation/natlegbod/2002/en/119852?prevDestination=search&prevPath=/search?keywords=Law+on+refugees&order=desc&page=1&sm_country_name%5B%5D=Kyrgyzstan&sort=score&result=result-119852-en
Legal provision
Article 4 - Procedure for applying for refugee status in the Kyrgyz Republic
A person applying for refugee status must be given a real opportunity to submit such an application. To be recognized as a refugee in the Kyrgyz Republic on the grounds provided for in Article 1 of this Law, upon arrival he/she must apply in person or through his/her authorized representative with an application at the place of his/her stay: - at checkpoints across the state border - to the bodies implementing immigration control; - on the territory of the Kyrgyz Republic - to the Authorized Body. An application for refugee status received by the bodies implementing immigration control at checkpoints across the state border is transferred within ten working days from the date of receipt to the Authorized Body, which registers and carries out the procedure for determining refugee status. In the event of an emergency mass arrival of persons to the territory of the Kyrgyz Republic on the grounds provided for in Article 1 of this Law, the registration of said persons shall be carried out immediately. The procedure for interaction between state bodies in the event of a mass arrival of persons on the grounds provided for in Article 1 of this Law shall be determined by the Cabinet of Ministers of the Kyrgyz Republic.
Article 7 - Procedure for granting refugee status
The decision on recognizing a person as a refugee is made by the Authorized Body within six months from the date of registration of the application for refugee status. If the identification of the person or the establishment of facts requiring verification are not completed, then the final decision is postponed until such are clarified, but for a period of no more than one year, except for cases for which decisions have been made by the Cabinet of Ministers of the Kyrgyz Republic. In the event of an extension of the period for consideration of an application for refugee status, the validity period of the application is extended accordingly for the required period with the provision of documents motivating the reason and justification for the extension period for making the final decision. From the moment of registration of the application for refugee status in the Kyrgyz Republic, the person who applied for refugee status has the right to stay in the territory of the Kyrgyz Republic until the final decision on his application, including the appeal stage. A person recognized as a refugee is issued a refugee certificate, which serves as the basis for registering the refugee with the authorized state body in the field of population registration in accordance with the legislation of the Kyrgyz Republic in the field of population registration. The refugee certificate contains information about his family members who are with him.