International convention and customs procedures of Kazakhstan

International Conventions

Party to the Kyoto Protocol
Party to the Washington Convention on International Trade in Endangered Species of Wild Fauna and Flora
Party to the Basel Convention on the Control of Transboundary Movements of Hazardous Wastes and Their Disposal

International Economic Cooperation

Kazakhstan is a member of the Organization of Shanghai Cooperation, the Eurasian Economic Community, the Common Economic Area and the Organization of Economic Cooperation.

Non Tariff Barriers

Today, most goods can be imported without license although each time a signed contract has to be shown to the authorities. However, an import license is necessary for any set of products: chemicals, medicines, medical equipment, oil exploration and waste equipment...
Import of narcotics, arms and ammunitions is prohibited.

Customs Duties and Taxes on Imports

Customs duty is variable as per the products. The customs duty is calculated on the CNF value of the goods (transactional value + packing cost + transport cost). Few products are exempted from import duty. In export, nearly all products are exempted from custom duty.

Excise duties are collected on the following products: alcoholic drinks, tobacco, oil products, private cars, jewellery, leather and fur garments, crystals, salmon and caviar. The excise duty tariff can vary from 7 to 100%.

Visit the information portal on taxes and customs duty.

Customs Classification: Visit the information portal on taxes and customs duties.
Import Procedures: All goods entering the customs territory of Kazakhstan are subject to declaration and customs clearance at approved customs clearance points. A declaration must be filed within thirty days of the arrival of the goods to Kazakhstan, but a brief declaration and notification on arrival of goods shall be submitted to the customs body within 24 hours after the goods cross the border and are placed at a temporary storage warehouse. Except for private persons permitted to transfer goods under a simplified procedure, a customs declaration must be filed by a Kazakhstani entity - that is, a business organization registered under Kazakhstani law or its affiliate or representative located in Kazakhstan, an individual entrepreneur registered in Kazakhstan, or a permanent resident of Kazakhstan. Foreign entities cannot deal directly with customs officials in Kazakhstan and are legally required to use services provided by licenced customs brokers having the right to operate in Kazakhstan.

A party declaring commercial goods at a customs office in Kazakhstan for their release for free circulation is responsible for submitting the paper and electronic copies of customs declarations (one copy of each per shipment), as well as accompanying documents. The Customs Cargo Declaration (5 copies) must be completed in either the Kazakh or Russian language. Other documents may be submitted in a foreign language. A customs officer, however, has the authority to request a translation of such documents into Kazakh or Russian as well as a notarization of the translation. In addition to the Customs Cargo Declaration, a party declaring goods is required to submit a set of other documents including invoices, a contract for the supply of goods, an import/export transaction passport, and shipping documents (e.g., bill of lading, airway bill, etc.) The transaction passport is the primary tool used in the framework of the currency control system. The transaction passport represents a cross-agency document filled out by the exporter/importer and reviewed by customs officials and representatives of the exporter/importer’s bank.

For more information, please visit the website of the Kazakh State Revenue Committee.
Importing Samples: The declarations can be made through Internet on the website Web-declarant