Photo: Office of the President of Kyrgyzstan
President of Kyrgyzstan Sadyr Japarov has signed into law a new Land Code along with accompanying legislation to implement it, according to a statement from the president’s press office.
Key provisions of the new code include:
👉 Protection of property rights: The state guarantees the preservation of ownership rights for land plots acquired before 1999, including dacha and garden plots. These parcels will now be formally incorporated into adjacent settlements, simplifying registration, access to social benefits, and school and kindergarten enrollment.
👉 Unified cadastral registration: Old land documentation will be replaced by a standardized cadastral system.
👉 Clear rules for land expropriation:
▪️ Land may only be expropriated if no alternative location for public infrastructure is available.
▪️ All decisions must be made through a court ruling.
▪️ Compensation must include market value of the land, structures, and any associated losses.
▪️ Compensation must be paid before the land is taken.
▪️ The entire parcel must be expropriated—not just part of it.
▪️ If the land is under mortgage, the loan must either be covered by the compensation or transferred to a new property.
The Land Code was originally adopted by the Jogorku Kenesh (Kyrgyzstan’s parliament) on February 13. However, due to significant public backlash, Japarov returned the bill for revision in April, citing several points that conflicted with the Constitution. Among the controversial provisions were:
▶️ Seizure of land for failure to transfer portions to local authorities;
▶️ Restrictions on compensation for seized land;
▶️ Privatization of pasturelands;
▶️ Transfer of land to foreign nationals outside of public auctions;
▶️ Free transfer of land to homeowners’ associations in cases where owners had been absent for over 10 years.
At the time, Japarov emphasized that private property in Kyrgyzstan is inviolable and may only be expropriated under conditions of full and fair compensation.
