Kazakhstan is one of the two key destinations we ship to from our Canadian warehouses. Clearance here is well established and predictable, but the structure of the charges changed in 2026: a new Tax Code came into force and the base rate of the recycling fee went up. Here is how the final figure is calculated, which requirements must be met before registration, and why engine displacement affects the budget more than the difference between trim levels.

1. What makes up the total

Bringing a car in from Canada means bringing it in from outside the EAEU, so several charges apply. They have to be calculated together: each one is levied on a base that already includes the previous.

Customs duty. For most petrol and diesel passenger cars the rate is 15% of customs value. For vehicles over seven years old a floor tied to engine displacement applies — roughly €0.5–0.6 per cubic centimetre — and the higher of the two figures is taken. Electric vehicles and series hybrids are duty-free.

VAT — 16%. Up from 12% as of 1 January 2026. It is charged on the full customs value, which already includes duty and shipping, so the increase shows up more heavily in the total than the four-point difference suggests.

Customs clearance fee — 6 MCI. At the 2026 monthly calculation index of 4,325 tenge that is 25,950 tenge, fixed regardless of the value of the car.

Excise. Applies only to engines above 3,000 cc, at 100 tenge per cubic centimetre — about 344,500 tenge for a 3.4-litre engine. A separate 10% special excise applies to cars valued at 77,850,000 tenge and above.

Recycling fee. Paid after clearance but before first registration, through the operator's website using the owner's digital signature. It equals a base rate of 50 MCI — 216,250 tenge in 2026 — multiplied by a coefficient based on engine displacement.

First registration fee. Depends on the model year: the newer the car, the lower the fee.

2. The 3,000 cc threshold decides the budget

It is displacement, not price, that creates the sharpest jump in the estimate. The 2026 recycling-fee coefficients are:

  • Electric vehicles (hybrids excluded) — coefficient 0, meaning no recycling fee at all, on top of zero customs duty.
  • Up to 1,000 cc — coefficient 1.5: about 324,375 tenge.
  • 1,001–2,000 cc — coefficient 3.5: about 756,875 tenge.
  • 2,001–3,000 cc — coefficient 5.0: about 1,081,250 tenge.
  • Above 3,001 cc — coefficient 11.5: about 2,486,875 tenge.

The gap between the last two lines is over 1.4 million tenge. Add the excise, which kicks in at exactly the same threshold, and crossing the three-litre mark costs roughly 1.7 million tenge in additional charges. That is a fixed state component — nothing you can optimise after the car is bought.

In practice: a Lexus LX 600, GX 550 or Toyota Sequoia with the 3,445 cc twin-turbo V6 lands in the expensive band. A Lexus RX 350, TX 350 or NX 350h, a Toyota Highlander or RAV4 with 2,393–2,487 cc engines land in the cheaper one — at a comparable level of comfort and with noticeably stronger resale value on the Kazakh market. If you are choosing between cars of a similar class, run the numbers before you pick a colour.

3. Requirements for the vehicle

  • Left-hand drive only. Right-hand-drive cars cannot be registered in Kazakhstan.
  • Euro 4 emissions standard or better. Everything we ship from Canada clears this comfortably.
  • Mandatory equipment: ABS, a driver's airbag, an emergency call system (SOS button), ISOFIX anchors and daytime running lights.
  • A safety certificate (SBKTS) and an electronic passport are issued separately and paid on top of the customs charges.

One change worth watching: a proposal to deny safety certificates to cars converted from right- to left-hand drive. As of late August 2026 it is still a draft under review, but the direction of regulation is clear. It does not affect us or our clients — the Canadian market is left-hand drive to begin with — though it does raise the risk on used cars from Japan.

4. The sequence

The car arrives at port and clears customs, with duty, VAT, the clearance fee and, where applicable, excise paid. The recycling fee is then settled — always before registration. After that the safety certificate and electronic passport are issued, and the owner visits a specialised service centre for the registration certificate and plates.

We handle the whole chain turnkey: export paperwork in Canada, sea freight, clearance at the border, the recycling fee and handover to the owner.

5. Why Canada rather than US auctions

Most "cars from America" offers on the Kazakh market are vehicles from Copart, IAAI and Manheim auctions — insurance write-offs, flood cars and vehicles rebuilt after serious impacts. Such a car is cheaper going in, but its history is permanent and the hidden consequences surface a year or two into ownership.

We source only from the Canadian market, and only new cars or clean used ones — no salvage auction cars, no cut-and-shut rebuilds, no surprises in the history. Every car comes with a Carfax Canada report. A further advantage of the Canadian market for Kazakhstan: these cars are specified for real winters from the factory — heating packages, winter equipment and mandatory daytime running lights.

6. What we calculate before you buy

The exact figure depends on the specific car: customs value, displacement and engine type, model year and the exchange rate on the day of clearance. That is why we do not publish averaged "all-in" numbers — instead we prepare a full estimate for your vehicle before it is bought, so you see the final budget in advance rather than learning about extras at the port.

Browse the cars in stock — including the Lexus RX 350, TX 350 and NX 350h with sub-three-litre engines, plus the Toyota Land Cruiser, Highlander and RAV4. Or tell us your task and budget: we will shortlist options and calculate Kazakh clearance for each. The full range is in our stock listing.

Rates and coefficients are current as of August 2026 and may change. The final calculation is made on the date of clearance.