Bringing a vehicle from Canada to Kazakhstan takes seven steps: sourcing and inspection in Canada, a contract with a fixed quote, purchase and export paperwork, sea freight to the port, customs clearance, the recycling fee, then the SBKTS safety certificate with an electronic passport and registration at a specTsON office. The payments themselves are broken down in a separate article on duty, VAT and the recycling fee; this one is about the order of events and the paperwork.

Seven steps to licence plates

  1. Enquiry and sourcing. You name the model, the trim and the destination city. We look for the unit in stock in Toronto or Montréal, or source it on the Canadian market to order. This is also the point to check the requirements — some of them rule a car out before any paperwork starts.
  2. Inspection and report. Diagnostics, VIN verification and Carfax Canada history. Before you pay, you get a photo and video report panel by panel. We never take auction or damaged cars — only new and clean used units from Canadian dealers.
  3. Contract and quote. We fix the door-to-door price, the terms and the timing. The full quote is calculated before the purchase, import payments included — so the budget is clear up front rather than at the port.
  4. Purchase and export paperwork. We buy the vehicle, issue the export invoice and title documents, prepare the cargo and insure it.
  5. Sea freight. Container or RoRo from a Canadian port. A container is safer and suits premium cars; RoRo is cheaper for large machinery. The final leg to your city goes by car carrier. Transit time depends on the port, the season and line capacity, so we calculate it for your specific route instead of quoting one blanket figure.
  6. Customs clearance. At the border you pay the duty, VAT, the clearance fee and — for engines above 3,000 cc — excise. Every rate and the order of calculation are in the article on payments, and you can estimate the total in advance in the calculator.
  7. Recycling fee, SBKTS and registration. The recycling fee is paid after customs clearance but strictly before first registration. Then the SBKTS certificate and the electronic passport are issued, and the owner applies to a specTsON office for the registration certificate and plates.

Which documents are involved

On the Canadian side we prepare the export invoice, the title documents and the bill of lading for the sea leg. On the Kazakh side, clearance normally requires the buyer's passport and IIN. For registration, the SBKTS certificate and the electronic passport are added — they are issued separately and paid for on top of the customs payments.

What to check before buying

Some requirements rule a car out before any paperwork, so check them while choosing:

  • Left-hand drive only — right-hand-drive cars are not registered in Kazakhstan. The Canadian market is convenient here: every vehicle is left-hand drive.
  • Emissions class no lower than Euro 4.
  • Mandatory equipment: ABS, a driver's airbag, an emergency call system, ISOFIX mounts and daytime running lights.
  • Engine displacement. The 3,000 cc threshold shifts the total more than the price difference between two cars: above it, excise and a higher recycling-fee coefficient apply.

What we handle and what stays with you

We take on sourcing and inspection, the purchase, export paperwork, sea freight, support through border clearance, the recycling fee and handover. You choose the unit, sign the contract and collect the vehicle. There is no need to assemble the paperwork or visit the authorities yourself.

This procedure is for Kazakhstan. Other destinations follow a similar route, but the documents and payments differ — see the destination page or write to us and we will work it out for your unit.