Starting from January 20, 2026, discussions are planned in Kyrgyzstan regarding a new law concerning the procedure for processing citizen appeals.
This draft law, initiated by the deputy of the Jogorku Kenesh Baktyyar Kalpaev, aims to improve the speed and efficiency of handling appeals in the context of the digital transformation of public administration.
According to the information presented in the justification, one of the main objectives of this draft law is to reduce the waiting time for responses by optimizing internal processes for the approval and signing of documents. It also emphasizes the importance of increasing citizens' trust in government agencies through more transparent and faster analysis of appeals.
In recent years, Kyrgyzstan has been actively implementing digitalization in the areas of governance and interaction between government agencies. Modern information technologies, automated accounting systems, and the State Electronic Document Management System (SEDMS) have been implemented in the country, significantly changing internal processes in government institutions.
Now, document management is conducted exclusively in electronic mode, and the exchange of documentation between various departments is carried out through secure channels, eliminating the need for physical document transfer. The processes for document approval have significantly accelerated: whereas previously registration and approval took a lot of time, these operations are now completed in just a few minutes.
According to the developers of the draft law, digitalization has practically eliminated the limitations that previously justified the 14-day period for processing citizen appeals. In practice, most appeals are processed much faster than the established timeframe, creating an opportunity for legislative reduction of this period to 10 working days.
The proposed changes are expected to have positive consequences:
- accelerated response of the state to citizen requests;
- increased trust of the population in state institutions;
- alignment of legislation with modern digital realities;
- improved quality of service for citizens abroad.
Reducing the timelines is especially important for Kyrgyz citizens outside the country, including labor migrants. Each day of waiting for a response from foreign institutions can lead to additional financial and organizational costs. The new procedure will allow foreign institutions to respond to appeals more quickly and help citizens resolve issues related to documents and other necessary assistance more efficiently.
The draft law emphasizes that maintaining the previous 14-day period does not correspond to the current level of digitalization in public administration. The existing technical capabilities and high degree of system integration allow for a reduction in the processing time for appeals to 10 working days without compromising quality, which is seen as a logical and justified step.
