Astana, 26 October. Monday, 26 October, is a day off in Kazakhstan: Republic Day fell on a Sunday and the holiday was moved, so public service centres, including specialised ones, are closed, the state corporation Government for Citizens said.
Public service centres and specialised centres return to their normal schedule on Tuesday, 27 October. On Saturday, 24 October, only duty centres were open, from 9:00 to 13:00, and specialised centres accepted applications until 12:00. The consular section of the Kazakh embassy in Moscow is also not receiving visitors on 26 October.
The autumn school holidays also began on the same day. The first term has ended, and under the approved calendar for the 2026–2027 school year the holidays last seven days, from 26 October to 1 November inclusive. The Ministry of Education approved the calendar in the summer. Pupils return to school on Monday, 2 November.
The day off was moved because the national holiday on 25 October fell on a Sunday. With a five-day working week, the holiday weekend lasted three days, from 24 to 26 October.
What it means: For most Kazakhs Monday is the last day of the holiday weekend, and for schoolchildren the first day of a week's break. Public services at the centres are unavailable on that day.
Who benefits: Employees and pupils get an extra day off. Those who need documents from a public service centre will have to wait until Tuesday.
Background: Republic Day is marked on 25 October: on that day in 1990 the Declaration of State Sovereignty of the Kazakh SSR was adopted. The holiday was official from 1995 to 2009 and became an official holiday again in 2022.
We have also reported that staff at a specialised service centre in Astana helped 74 people obtain driving licences without exams.
