Importing a Ski-Doo Snowmobile from Canada to Kazakhstan in 2026: 5% Duty, TR CU 010 and Registration with the Akimat

In Kazakhstan a snowmobile lives by different rules from a road vehicle. It is not registered with the police, not certified under the wheeled-vehicle regulation, and no recycling fee is charged on it. It is processed as a self-propelled machine: a certificate under the machinery and equipment regulation, an electronic self-propelled machine passport, and registration at the akimat's registration point. If you prepare the paperwork as you would for a car, some documents will be unnecessary and the ones you need will be missing. Here is how a Ski-Doo gets from a Canadian warehouse to a Kazakh registration certificate.

One code, one rate: 8703 10 110 0

In the EAEU Common Customs Tariff, snowmobiles have their own subheading 8703 10 110 0 — "vehicles specially designed for travelling on snow, with a reciprocating internal combustion engine". The import duty rate is 5% of customs value (EAEU CCT, Chapter 87). There is no split between new and used. Unlike a used car or ATV, a used snowmobile does not attract a rate in euros per cubic centimetre. Its duty is calculated the same way as for a new one: 5% of value.

Electric snowmobiles fall under the neighbouring line 8703 10 180 0 "other", at the same 5%. That covers the Expedition Electric and Grand Touring Electric with the Rotax E-Power motor: in duty terms they cost no more than petrol models.

What is not in a snowmobile estimate

The lines that worry people importing a car do not apply to a snowmobile.

• Recycling fee. The Methodology, with the annex as amended on 20.03.2026, excludes "ATVs, all-terrain vehicles, snowmobiles, side-by-sides and tricycles" from the M1 line (Annex 4 to the Methodology). The 50 MCI base rate does not apply to a Ski-Doo.
• Excise. Under Art. 537 of the Tax Code, within heading 8703 only vehicles with engines over 3,000 cc are subject to excise (Tax Code of Kazakhstan). The largest engines in the Ski-Doo range are the Rotax 850 E-TEC and 900 ACE, far below the threshold.
• The "single rate" for individuals. The 48–54% rates, or fixed euros per cc by age, apply only to passenger cars. Snowmobiles are listed explicitly in item 1 of Table 2 of Decision No. 107 as vehicles subject to the combined customs payment (EEC Council Decision No. 107). That is the same 5% duty and 16% VAT, just paid as one sum.

What remains: duty, 16% VAT under the new Tax Code and the 6 MCI declaration fee (25,950 tenge at an MCI of 4,325 tenge). The mechanics of these payments are the same for all vehicles. They are described in detail in our article on importing a car from Canada to Kazakhstan, so we will not repeat them here.

Certificate of conformity: TR CU 010/2011

Snowmobiles are named explicitly in Annex 3 to technical regulation TR CU 010/2011 "On the safety of machinery and equipment", in the list of products subject to mandatory certification: "All-terrain vehicles, snowmobiles and trailers for them". The supporting standard is GOST R 50944-2011 "Snowmobiles" (TR CU 010/2011). This means each model needs a certificate of conformity, not a declaration. Registration is impossible without it.

Annex 3 will be reissued by EEC Council Decision No. 36. It takes effect on 01.04.2028, so snowmobiles for the 2026–2027 seasons fall under the current list. ERA-GLONASS is not required on a snowmobile: under TR CU 018/2011 the emergency call system is mandatory only for categories M and N (TR CU 018/2011).

Registration: the akimat, not a service centre

The Ministry of Agriculture's rules for state registration of tractors and self-propelled machines class snowmobiles as "special off-road machines". Registration is handled by local executive bodies, i.e. registration points at the akimats, not the police (Machine registration rules, as amended 22.06.2026). For first registration the Rules require:

• the customs declaration;
• the self-propelled machine passport, in practice electronic (EPSM);
• a certificate or declaration of conformity;
• a document confirming fulfilment of extended producer (importer) responsibility.

The last item is usually tied to the recycling fee, which is not charged on snowmobiles. We check with the registration point in your region, before shipment, which document satisfies this requirement for a Ski-Doo. We also confirm there what licence the owner will need to operate a snowmobile.

Which Ski-Doo for Kazakh snow

The Altai mountains rise in the north-east of Kazakhstan (Britannica, Kazakhstan), and mountain snow there calls for a very different machine from a flat-country fishing trip. From our 2027-season stock:

• Mountains and deep snow: Summit X, Summit Expert and Summit Edge on the REV Gen5 platform with 154–165″ tracks, and the Freeride with the Rotax 850 E-TEC Turbo R.
• Trail plus off-trail: Backcountry with a 146″ track and the Renegade crossovers.
• Work, long trips, towing: Skandic with a wide 20″ track, Expedition and the economical Tundra.
• Comfortable two-up touring: Grand Touring.
• A first snowmobile: Summit NEO and MXZ NEO with a short wheelbase, and the youth MXZ 200.

Why Canadian machines in particular? See our article why buy Ski-Doo snowmobiles in Canada. We supply only new machines and clean used ones from the Canadian market, with no US auctions. The full list is in the snowmobile catalogue.

Shipping: two directions

A snowmobile leaves Canada in a container, and there are two directions for Kazakhstan. The first is the Trans-Caspian International Transport Route: by ocean to Poti or Batumi, overland through Georgia and Azerbaijan, then by ferry across the Caspian to Aktau or Kuryk (Middle Corridor). The second is across the Pacific to Chinese ports and on by rail through Khorgos or Dostyk. For this direction we check service availability on the required dates for each shipment. We give delivery times when we calculate. The main thing is not to leave the order until the start of winter. The sea leg is explained in our piece on container shipping.

What we calculate before you buy

We do not publish snowmobile prices; they are available on request. Before purchase we prepare a full estimate for the specific model: 5% duty, VAT, the 6 MCI fee, certification and delivery to your city. We also go over registration at the akimat in advance. Send an enquiry with the model and your city.

Rates are current as of October 2026 and may change. The final calculation is made on the date the declaration is filed.