The Information to the tourist about visiting Kazakhstan

Public Holidays in Kazakhstan

Offices and factories are closed on public holidays and often also on the preceding day - called pryedpradznikiy (preparation days). Almost all shops remain open. The following public holidays are observed:
1 - 2 January New Year
January Orthodox Christmas
8 March International Women's Day
21 - 23 March Nauryz Bayram, the coming of spring and the Zoroastrian New Year
1 May Day of Unity
May Defenders' Day 6 July Capital Day
30 August Constitution Day
16 - 17 December Zheltoksan, or Independence Day
Kurban Meyram (Kurban Ayt), according to the Hidzhra, the Muslim calendar, falls every year on a different day, pushed backwards each year by 11 - 12 days. In 2010, it falls on 17 November.
Schools in Kazakhstan close for the months of June, July and August. Universities have shorter holidays, and, besides, nearly all of them hold summer courses. Only private educational institutes of various levels have longish winter holidays. Care should be taken in trying to arrange important business meetings in summer, since most business people simply cannot be reached during the hot season.

Banks and Bureaux de Change in Kazakhstan

All banks open from Monday to Friday 9am-6pm, with obligatory lunch breaks lpm-2pm. Some banks in Almaty and a few other cities also open on Saturday mornings, with a few branches (eg in shopping centres) open all day on Saturdays and Sundays as well. Leading local banks are KazKommertsbank, Bank Turan Alem, Halyk Bank, CenterCredit, Caspian Bank, Tsesna Bank (quick and cheap money transfers within the country) and ATF. Their cash machines accept a variety of credit and bank cards. Foreign banks operating in Kazakhstan include RBS (formerly ABN AMRO), HSBC, Sberbank and Citibank. The service charges of foreign banks are high, though.
Most of the better hotels, restaurants, supermarkets, shops and travel agencies accept payment with Visa, MasterCard, American Express, Carte Bleue and others. Be careful not to take more cash out of the country than allowed or than you brought in and showed on your entry declaration form. It is best to keep all receipts for money drawn from ATMs ready for the customs check on departure.
Bureaux de change have extended opening hours. The best rates are offered in Almaty they are significantly worse in provincial towns. Always count your cash at the desk to avoid "misunderstandings". All shops, restaurants and hotels accept cash payment only in tenge. Exchange rates can be obtained through the National Bank's.

Currency and Credit Cards in Kazakhstan

Kazakhstan 's national currency, the tenge, was introduced in 1993, following independence. Originally pegged to the Russian rouble, the rate was floated in the middle of the 1990s, and the tenge made fully convertible. In 1999, following dramatic depreciation, the tenge was pegged to the US dollar at 140 per greenback.
Over the turn of the millennium, exchange rates witnessed an initial slump, following by a significant appreciation during 2005 and into 2006. Since this development followed a similar one in the Russian Federation , these days the Russian rouble is the most reliable benchmark for the exchange rate of the tenge. Devaluation of the tenge by 20 percent in February 2009 again followed the rouble, and the tenge's dependence on the Russian currency gets ever stronger.
"Official" exchange rates based on the Almaty currency exchange are published daily by the National Bank. As of April 2011, US$1 = 145 tenge (2011). Euros, dollars, sterling and roubles are not accepted anymore in hotels, supermarkets or travel agencies.
All currencies can be exchanged without formalities (as opposed to Russia) Credit cards such as Visa, American Express, Carte Bleue and Master Card are also accepted - there are usually labels on the door. Bank cards are accepted by major foreign and some local banks, include EC and Maestro.
Coins are of one, two (almost disappeared), five, 10, 20, 50 and 100 tenge. Banknotes are of 200, 500, 1000, 2000, 5000 and 10 000 tenge. New banknotes in the same denominations were issued in November 2006; old ones are no longer valid but can still be exchanged at the national bank. It is best to always carry some change and small banknotes while shopping, since change for a 5,000 or 10,000 banknote can be a problem.
Prices are usually - and by law - expressed in tenge, with the exception of some upmarket shops with expensive imported goods. Here, goods are priced in "YE" ( uslovniye yedinitsi) - appropriate units or simply US dollars, but to be paid in tenge according to the current exchange rate. Almost all banks in Almaty and other major cities have Western Union for swift transfers to and from the rest of the world. Here, legal formalities are obligatory and the receipt should be retained.

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