Yes, marking advertising in bloggers' posts is mandatory in Kazakhstan: the requirement has been in force since March 2, 2024, under the law 'On Online Platforms and Online Advertising', signed on July 10, 2023 (according to kursiv.media). In practice this means one thing: every paid post, story or Reel must contain one of the approved phrases - for example 'реклама' (advertising) or 'на правах рекламы' (as advertising) - and a blogger who regularly earns from ads must register as a sole proprietor. The fine for a violation reaches 30 MCI.
Below is a practical breakdown for marketers, brands, agencies and creators themselves: which phrases are legal, who is responsible, why Russia's ORD system and erid tokens do NOT apply in Kazakhstan, and how to put ad disclosure into the contract so you avoid a fine.
Do you have to mark advertising in Kazakhstan, and from when?
You must mark any online advertising placed for payment or other benefit. The law 'On Online Platforms and Online Advertising' introduced the very concept of 'influencer' and fixed their obligation to disclose the commercial nature of posts. The obligation took effect on March 2, 2024 - from that date, according to kursiv.media, bloggers in Kazakhstan must label posts that contain online advertising.
The requirement covers Instagram, TikTok, YouTube, Threads and other open platforms. One important exception: social advertising for charitable and public-benefit purposes, as well as private messaging in messengers, does not require marking. But if you received money, barter or a free product for a post, that is advertising, and it must be labeled.
Which ad disclosure phrases are approved in Kazakhstan?
The law does not ask you to invent wording - there is a closed list of approved phrases in two languages. It is enough to clearly state one of them at the beginning of the post or in the first lines of the text, so the audience instantly understands it is advertising.
- Russian: 'реклама' (advertising)
- 'рекламный материал' (advertising material)
- 'партнерский материал' (partner material)
- 'спонсорский материал' (sponsored material)
- 'на правах рекламы' (as advertising)
- 'оплачено спонсором' (paid by sponsor)
- 'на правах PR' (as PR)
- Kazakh: 'жарнама' (advertising)
- 'жарнамалық материал' (advertising material)
- 'серіктестік материал' (partner material)
- 'демеушілік материал' (sponsored material)
- 'жарнама құқығында' (as advertising)
- 'демеушімен төленген' (paid by sponsor)
- 'PR құқығында' (as PR)
How to mark advertising on Instagram in Kazakhstan in practice: the label must be visible and readable - in the first lines of the caption, as text over a story, or at the start of the video description. Hiding the word 'реклама' at the end of a long text, in a pile of hashtags, or in tiny font is a direct path to a complaint: formally the post is labeled, but the requirement that 'advertising must be recognizable' is broken.
The core rule is simple: an ordinary person must understand at first glance that this is advertising, not a personal recommendation. If you have to hunt for the label, then in practice there is no disclosure.
Why do ORD and erid tokens not work in Kazakhstan?
This is the most common and most expensive mistake. Out of habit, many marketers and agencies transfer Russia's rules to Kazakhstan: registering the creative in the ORD (advertising data operator), getting an erid token, and adding the label 'Реклама. erid: XXXX'. Kazakhstan has NO such system - the law provides for neither ORD, nor erid, nor any unified advertising registry.
Kazakhstan's model is simpler: a text label with one of the approved phrases is enough, without tokens, operator dashboards or filing data into a registry. Inserting an erid 'the Russian way' does not violate Kazakh law, but it creates a false sense of compliance and confusion inside the team. And the absence of the required Kazakh phrase while an erid is present does NOT satisfy the law's requirement.
- Russia: ORD + erid token + the label 'Реклама' + advertiser data filed into a registry.
- Kazakhstan: a text label with one of the approved phrases ('реклама', 'на правах рекламы', 'жарнама', etc.). No tokens, no registry.
- Takeaway: do not confuse jurisdictions - for Kazakhstan you need the Kazakh phrase, not an erid.
Who is responsible - the blogger or the advertiser?
Primary responsibility for marking lies with the distributor of the advertising, that is, the blogger: they publish the content and are obliged to label it. But this does not remove risk from the brand. The advertiser can also be held liable, so smart companies and agencies do not rely on the creator's good faith and instead fix the marking obligation in the contract.
For brands and agencies this is a question of managed risk. If you launch a campaign with dozens of creators, checking every post by hand is hard - so disclosure requirements should be set in advance and made part of accepting the work. You can read more about how this works in our process.
Does a blogger need a sole proprietorship and to pay taxes?
Yes. If a blogger systematically earns income from advertising, they must legalize the activity - usually by registering as a sole proprietor and paying taxes on ad revenue (according to kursiv.media / kt.kz). Marking and tax status go hand in hand: the state sees an influencer as a full participant in the advertising market, not a private person sharing an opinion.
For a brand this is another practical filter when choosing creators: working with a registered sole proprietor means transparent documents, correct acts and proper closing paperwork. For marketers and agencies this lowers the risk that a campaign ends up in a gray zone.
What is the fine for missing ad disclosure?
The fine for breaking the rules on online ad marking reaches 30 MCI. The amount is recalculated every year along with the size of the MCI, so in absolute tenge it keeps growing. For a blogger this is a direct financial hit; for a brand it is a reputational risk and a potential complaint if it turns out the advertising ran without a label.
The cost of one approved phrase in a post caption is zero tenge. The cost of its absence is a fine up to 30 MCI plus an investigation. Ad disclosure is the cheapest insurance in any campaign.
How to run blogger ads without breaking the law?
A systematic approach to marking is not a one-off edit to a post but part of the campaign launch process. To keep creator advertising legal and stress-free, a brand should lock in a few simple rules.
- Put the marking obligation and the exact phrase into the contract or the creator's brief.
- Require the label in the first lines of the post, not at the end of the text or among hashtags.
- Use the Kazakh approved phrases, not the Russian erid.
- Work with creators registered as sole proprietors - it is easier for documents and taxes.
- Check that the label is present when accepting the post, before payment.
The ORA advertising platform helps close exactly this process: we connect brands with a network of real, verified creators and take on campaign organization - from selecting creators to accepting publications, where the marking requirement is built into the brief. This removes manual control of every post from the marketer.
Takeaway: marking is cheap, the fine is expensive
Ad disclosure for bloggers in Kazakhstan is a simple requirement with a costly mistake. Since March 2, 2024, every paid post must contain one of the approved phrases ('реклама', 'на правах рекламы', 'жарнама', etc.), the blogger needs a sole proprietorship, responsibility lies with the distributor, and the fine reaches 30 MCI. Russia's ORD and erid do not apply in Kazakhstan - do not transfer them mechanically. Fix marking in the contract, check posts before payment, and entrust the campaign launch with verified creators to a dedicated product like ORA.