Kazakhstan's language law and restaurant menus: what is required in 2026

Since 2022 the menu of a restaurant, cafe or bar in Kazakhstan must be in Kazakh: this is a direct requirement of Article 21 of the Law of the Republic of Kazakhstan “On Languages”. Russian and other languages are added “where necessary”, texts must be spelled correctly and translated authentically, and the Kazakh version goes on the left or on top in the same font size. This article covers what exactly the law requires, what counts as a menu, how to check your venue, and how to meet the requirement in an hour with a digital menu.

What Article 21 of the Law “On Languages” says

Article 21 regulates “the language of requisites and visual information”. After the amendments introduced by Law No. 94-VII of 29 December 2021, the key paragraph reads (official Russian text):

«Объявления, реклама, прейскуранты, ценники, меню, указатели и другая визуальная информация размещаются на государственном языке, при необходимости также на русском и (или) других языках, если иное не предусмотрено законодательными актами Республики Казахстан».

In English: announcements, advertising, price lists, price tags, menus, signs and other visual information are displayed in the state language and, where necessary, also in Russian and/or other languages, unless the law provides otherwise. Before the 2021 amendments the words “price lists, price tags, menus” were absent — now menus are named explicitly. The same article adds two rules on quality and layout:

• texts of requisites and visual information are written in compliance with spelling norms and with an authentic translation;
• all such texts are arranged in this order: on the left or on top — in the state language, on the right or below — in Russian, in letters of the same size.

Sources: the law on adilet.zan.kz and Law No. 94-VII with the amendments.

What counts as a “menu” under the law

The law speaks of “menus, price lists, price tags and other visual information” — any medium on which a guest sees names and prices. In practice the requirement covers:

| Medium | Covered by Art. 21 | Comment | |---|---|---| | Printed menu on the table | Yes | The obvious case | | Board or chalk menu at the counter | Yes | Visual information with prices | | Digital menu via a QR code | Yes | The guest sees it as the venue's visual information | | Delivery and takeaway page | Yes | A price list in digital form | | Signboard, A-frame, promotion ads | Yes | Listed in the article separately | | Internal kitchen documents | No | Not addressed to consumers |

The Law “On Consumer Protection” applies separately: information about services must be provided in Kazakh and Russian. That is why venues in practice make menus at least bilingual, and tourist venues trilingual. A detailed explainer for restaurateurs is published by Alatau City Bank.

The three rules most often broken

1. No Kazakh version at all. The most common situation in cafes and bars: a Russian-only menu “because everyone understands”. Since 2021 this is a direct violation.
2. Kazakh text smaller than Russian. The law requires “letters of the same size”. A small Kazakh line under a large Russian one is a violation even when the translation exists.
3. Machine translation with errors. The “spelling norms and authentic translation” rule means a dish name cannot be translated word-for-word at random. Names that are not translated (pizza, pasta, latte) are written by the rules of Kazakh spelling, and descriptions are translated by meaning.

What a violation risks

Liability for breaching the language requirements for visual information is set by the Code of Administrative Offences. According to the Alatau City Bank explainer, a first violation results in a warning, and a repeated one within a year in a fine of 5 to 25 MCI depending on business size. Exact amounts depend on the current year's MCI and the category of the business — check the current version of the Code. Beyond the fine there is reputational risk: guest complaints about a missing Kazakh menu regularly end up on social media.

Checklist: check your menu in 10 minutes

• [ ] Every item has a name in Kazakh.
• [ ] Descriptions and ingredients are translated by meaning, not word-for-word.
• [ ] The Kazakh text is on the left or on top and set in the same size as the Russian one.
• [ ] Prices and units (g, ml, ₸) are identical in all language versions.
• [ ] The counter board, the A-frame and the delivery page are bilingual too.
• [ ] Seasonal items and promotions are added in both languages at once.
• [ ] An English version exists if you host foreign guests.

How to comply without reprinting: a QR menu

The main difficulty with a paper menu is not the translation but the updates. Every new price or seasonal dish means a new print run in two languages. In a digital QR menu this is solved once: every item has Kazakh, Russian and English fields, and the guest switches the language with one tap.

On User-QR it works like this:

1. You enter a dish once — name, description and ingredients in three languages.
2. The guest scans the QR code at the table and opens the menu in the browser in the chosen language; Kazakh can be the default.
3. You change a price — it updates in all language versions at once, with no print run.
4. The delivery page and the venue's Taplink page use the same translations.

The Article 21 requirement is met by default, and the paper menu stays only as a backup. See how this works for each format: QR menu for restaurants, for cafes, for coffee shops and for bars.

How to translate a menu into Kazakh: practical tips

• Do not translate brand names and international dishes — write them by the rules of Kazakh spelling (cappuccino → капучино, pasta → паста).
• Translate descriptions by meaning: “juicy”, “crispy”, “homemade” have established Kazakh equivalents; literal translation sounds unnatural.
• Keep units and currency identical: 250 g, 400 ml, 3 500 ₸.
• Ask a native speaker to read the menu aloud: if a phrase “stumbles”, fix the translation.
• Build a term list (steak, sauce, side, serving) once and reuse it across sections.

FAQ

Is a Russian menu mandatory? Under the Law “On Languages” Russian is added “where necessary”, but the Law “On Consumer Protection” requires service information in Kazakh and Russian. The safe minimum in practice is Kazakh and Russian.

Is a QR menu enough if there is no paper menu at all? A digital menu is visual information just the same, and the language rules apply to it. If it is in Kazakh (and Russian), the requirement is met. Keep one or two paper copies for guests without a smartphone.

Can the Kazakh version be smaller to fit? No. The law explicitly requires “letters of the same size”. In a digital menu the problem disappears: the guest sees one version in the chosen language.

Is English required? The law does not require it, but Article 21 allows “other languages” where necessary. For venues with tourists and foreign guests an English version is a matter of service, not law.

Key takeaways

• Since 2022 a menu must be in Kazakh; Russian and other languages are added where necessary.
• The Kazakh version goes on the left or on top in the same font size.
• The translation must be spelled correctly and be authentic, not machine-generated.
• The rule covers printed menus, boards, delivery pages and digital menus.
• A QR menu with three-language fields meets the requirement once and without reprinting.

This article is for information only and is not legal advice. Check the current version of the laws on adilet.zan.kz.

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