Tenge set for “renaming”: what is known so far

Kazakhstan is set to officially change the spelling of its national currency, the tenge, in its Russian-language legal sphere. As of July 1, 2026, the currency will be referred to as "теңге (teŋge)" in all official legal documents, a change mandated by the new Constitution.

This terminological amendment is part of a larger effort to align Kazakhstan's legislation with its updated constitutional framework. The Ministry of Justice confirmed that government agencies are progressively updating regulatory legal acts to reflect these changes. The shift is not a monetary reform but a linguistic adjustment to ensure consistency across official texts.

Beyond the currency's name, the legislative overhaul includes other significant wording changes. For instance, "foreigner" will be replaced by "foreign citizen," and "republican referendum" will become "nationwide referendum." References to Parliament will be updated to "Kurultai," and the "Kazakhstan Halyk Kenesi" will also be incorporated into legal texts. These adjustments signify a broader move towards standardizing legal terminology in line with constitutional reforms.

Crucially, the Ministry of Justice has clarified that this spelling change will not affect the legal standing of existing documents. Contracts, previous laws, and other official records that use the older spelling, "тенге," will remain valid and will not require amendment solely due to the currency's name change. The new spelling "теңге" will simply be the required standard for all newly adopted regulatory legal acts.

“

Previously adopted regulatory legal acts, contracts and other documents containing the spelling ‘тенге’ retain their legal force and do not require revision solely due to the change in the spelling of the name of the national currency.