A personal watercraft from a BRP warehouse in Canada arrives in Kazakhstan as a vessel, not a vehicle. That changes everything except VAT: a different chapter of the customs tariff, a different technical regulation, a different registration law and a different operating licence. The road traffic rules and the public service centres have nothing to do with a Sea-Doo. Its life is governed by the Law "On Inland Water Transport" and the bodies that oversee small craft. Below we explain what that means for the budget and the paperwork.
In law, it is a vessel
Technical regulation TR CU 026/2012 "On the safety of small craft" defines a personal watercraft as "an open small vessel with a propulsion engine fitted with a water jet" (TR CU 026/2012). A chain of consequences follows:
- the customs code comes from Chapter 89 "Ships", not Chapter 87;
- certification follows the small-craft regulation;
- the craft is entered in the ship register, and the owner receives a ship ticket;
- you operate it on a small-craft operator's certificate, and a driving licence does not apply.
Code 8903 93 and the 8% rate
The EAEU Common Customs Tariff has two lines under subheading 8903 93 for vessels up to 7.5 m long. Line 8903 93 100 0 covers vessels weighing no more than 100 kg without the engine, at 15%. Line 8903 93 990 0 "other" carries 8% (EAEU CCT, Chapter 89). There is no new/used split, so a used jet ski pays the same 8%. For comparison, a motor boat up to 7.5 m (8903 31 000 0) is charged 10%.
Commercial reference books and customs calculators place jet skis in 8903 93 990 0 (TKS.ru). We found no separate EEC classification decision specifically for personal watercraft, so we confirm the code at declaration. The lightweight Sea-Doo Spark Trixx needs attention: its listing shows about 190 kg, but the tariff looks at hull mass without the engine. We take that figure from the manufacturer's documents before calculating.
| Payment | 2026 rate | Source |
|---|---|---|
| EAEU CN FEA code | 8903 93 990 0 (up to 7.5 m, mass without engine over 100 kg) | EAEU CCT, Ch. 89 |
| Import duty | 8%, new and used; 15% if mass without engine is 100 kg or less | EAEU CCT, Ch. 89 |
| VAT | 16% | Tax Code of Kazakhstan, Art. 503 |
| Excise | 10% only for vessels valued at 24,000 MCI or more (about 103.8 million tenge) | Tax Code, Art. 537 |
| Recycling fee | not charged: small craft are not in the rate table | Methodology, Annex 4 |
| Customs fee | 6 MCI = 25,950 tenge | Resolution No. 171, MCI 2026 |
| Registration fee | 3 MCI = 12,975 tenge (self-propelled small craft over 50 hp) | Tax Code, Art. 615 |
| How a private buyer pays | combined customs payment (item 2 of Table 2) | EEC Decision No. 107 |
No recycling fee arises for a Sea-Doo. Annex 4 to the Methodology covers passenger cars, trucks, buses, tractors and combines, but not small craft (Recycling fee methodology). Excise on vessels under Art. 537 of the Tax Code is tied to value, not power, and starts only at 24,000 MCI. The other general rules for Kazakhstan, including 16% VAT under the new code and the declaration fee, are covered in our article on importing a car from Canada to Kazakhstan.
Certification under TR CU 026/2012
Series-produced small craft with a hull length of 6 metres or less are subject to mandatory certification (Annex 8, Table 1, item 1.1 of the regulation). Production Sea-Doo models fall under this requirement. We arrange the certificate for the specific model as part of preparing the import. The same regulation (cl. 41) requires personal flotation devices on board for every person carried. It is worth including life jackets in the order from the start, especially if you will carry passengers.
Ship register, ship ticket and hull number
Registration of small craft is governed by the Law of Kazakhstan "On Inland Water Transport" (as amended 25.08.2026). Under Art. 26, small craft are entered in the ship register. The only exemption is for vessels with a mass of no more than 200 kg and at the same time an engine of no more than 8 kW. A jet ski does not qualify: even the lightest Spark has a 90 hp engine, while 8 kW is about 11 hp.
After registration the owner receives a ship ticket, which confirms ownership. The registration number is applied to both sides of the hull. The vessel is registered by the authorised body for inland water transport. A fee is payable under Art. 615 of the Tax Code: for a self-propelled small craft over 50 hp it is 3 MCI, i.e. 12,975 tenge in 2026.
Operator's certificate and supervision on the water
To operate a jet ski you need a certificate entitling you to operate a self-propelled small craft. Local executive bodies issue it after training under the small-craft operator programme. A driving licence of any category does not replace it.
The law assigns inspections on the water, detention and bans on the movement of small craft to the territorial bodies of the civil protection authority, i.e. the Ministry of Emergency Situations (Arts. 9-2 and 17-4). The Transport Committee has also reported the transfer of small-craft supervision to the Ministry of Emergency Situations. In practice it is rescue service officers who will check the ship ticket, hull number, operator's certificate and life jackets.
Kapchagay or Bukhtarma: which Sea-Doo
The two best-known waters for jet skis in Kazakhstan differ greatly in scale. The Kapchagay Reservoir on the Ili River lies about 80 km from Almaty (Kapchagay Reservoir), and people go there for the day. The Bukhtarma Reservoir on the Irtysh in East Kazakhstan covers about 5,500 km² (railways.kz). That means open water, long runs and chop. From our 2026 model-year stock:
- Short outings and a first jet ski: Spark and Spark Trixx with the Rotax 900 ACE, GTI and GTI SE.
- Family and touring: GTX with the ST3 hull and GTX Limited.
- Long runs on big water: Explorer Pro with 162 L+ of storage and navigation, and RXT-X with the T3 hull for open water.
- Fishing: FishPro Scout, Sport and Trophy (the Trophy has a Garmin fish finder and four rod holders).
- Wakeboard towing: Wake and Wake Pro with retractable tower.
- Performance: GTR, GTR-X and the racing RXP-X.
How to choose between the ranges is covered in detail in our guide how to choose a Sea-Doo from Canada. Every unit is listed in the jet ski catalogue. They are new machines from the Canadian market, with no US auctions.
Shipping and the estimate
A jet ski travels in a container along the Trans-Caspian route: by ocean to Poti or Batumi, overland through Georgia and Azerbaijan, then by ferry across the Caspian to Aktau or Kuryk (Middle Corridor). Compact Sea-Doos are easy to consolidate several to a container; see our shipping terms. We give the specific line and timing in the estimate: before the season starts, the jet ski has to clear not only customs but also certification and registration.
We do not publish jet ski prices. We prepare the estimate before purchase for the specific model: code and duty, VAT, fees, certification and delivery to your city. Send an enquiry with the model and the water where you plan to ride.
Rates are current as of October 2026 and may change. The final calculation is made on the date the declaration is filed.