Introduction: Starting from December 1, 2024, the rules for importing cars into Kazakhstan will change for both individuals and legal entities. On November 18, the State Revenue Committee of the Ministry of Finance of the Republic of Kazakhstan issued an announcement about the changes. The ministry’s news indicates that now cars under three years old will be imported only for those who are officially listed in the OTTS document (“Vehicle Type Approval”). That is, only for legal entities, since the document is not issued to individuals. Moreover, only those directly indicated in the OTTS document retain the right to import.
At the same time, according to the clarification of the Ministry of Industry and Construction of the Republic of Kazakhstan, for vehicles that are less than 3 years old from the date of production and imported under OTTS, the persons specified in the OTTS “are entitled to import, The ministry reported, referring to the registration procedure for products subject to mandatory conformity assessment in the customs territory of the EAEU, as provided for in paragraph 10, point b) of the Rules on Imports into the Customs Territory of the Eurasian Economic Union, approved by the Decision of the EEC Council of November 12, 2021 No. 130.
In turn, the use of OTTS is allowed only if the declarant of such products is the person specified in the OTTS. The ministry reported that this measure will be implemented from December 1, 2024.
We recall that at a government meeting in late October, the situation in the country’s automotive industry and the issue of “grey” car imports were discussed. The Prime Minister instructed government agencies to deal with the issue of “grey” transport imports. This summer, during a visit to Almaty, Kazakh Prime Minister Bektenov said that Kazakhstan should become an automotive power.
In July, the head of a department of the Ministry of Industry, Adilbek Bektibaev, announced plans to propose to the Eurasian Economic Union countries a ban on the import of cars older than seven years, while discussing a petition for recycling collection. Most of the registered vehicles in Kazakhstan are more than 10 years old. According to the latest data from the State Statistics Service, only 6.2% of cars are less than three years old.
Sanzar Bokayev said: “The government deliberately imposed a monopoly on car imports and trade so that only certain oligarchs would do so. The government’s explanation for these changes is simple – to fight against gray imports. But Bokayev categorically disagrees with this explanation.
What kind of gray import is it if Kazakhs pay everything required by law when importing cars? When importing a car, you have to pay 12% VAT, 15% customs duty, recycling tax depending on the size of the engine, SBCTS (Vehicle Safety Certificate-F), GLONASS, all of which are paid by individuals. The oligarchs, under the guise of domestic producers, do not pay anything for this. People believe that what individuals import is gray import, and car dealers are what our country needs. But they do not pay VAT, no “customs”, no recycling tax, no “primary tax” – nothing.
Sanzar Bokayev believes that by adopting such innovations and cracking down on gray imports, the government has only created favorable conditions for car dealers, because buying a car in Kazakhstan is much more expensive than abroad. For example, a Hyundai Elantra costs 4.2 million tenge in China. Kazakhs bringing this car must pay customs duties, VAT and tariffs. All this adds up to 2 million tenge. GLONASS button 180,000, disposal fee 646,000 tenge, temporary storage in a warehouse, vehicle registration. For a Kazakh citizen brought from China, the price of the car is up to 8 million tenge. In Kazakhstan, the same “empty” Elantra is already sold at car dealers for 10 million, and if it is more equipped, then the cost of the Elantra reaches 13 million. “Bokayev calculated.
The latest news from Kazakhstan can be understood as the opportunity for individuals to bring brand new cars to Kazakhstan has completely disappeared.
Previously, any applicant could import cars through OTTS. Currently, individuals are prohibited from importing new cars within 3 years, which also means that the parallel import method will end. Companies must import vehicles authorized by the brand and OTTC certified by EAEU member states, which will result in only OEMs importing vehicles. However, the document also mentioned that individuals in Kazakhstan can import used cars within 3 to 7 years, but due to the increase in taxes and fees such as scrapping taxes, this will make Chinese used cars have no advantages at all!
