Distributing a product

Market shares

The main distributors of food products, clothing, perfumery, and other everyday consumption products are Boutya, Interfood and Smat.

Organizations in the retail sector

Association of markets and trading sector companies and services of Kazakhstan (for contact : riza_group@mail.ru).It is a member of the company and employer's union "Atameken".

We can identify professional tradeshows on your sector.

Market access procedures

International Conventions

Party to the Kyoto protocol
Party to the Washington convention on International trade in endangered species of wild fauna and flora
Party to the Basel convention on the Control of Transboundary Movements of Hazardous Wastes and their disposal

Main International economic cooperation

Kazakhstan is a member of the Organisation of Shanghai Cooperation, the Euroasian Economic Community, the Common Economic Area and the Organisation of Economic Cooperation.

Non tariff barriers

Today, most goods can be imported without licence although each time a signed contract has to be shown to the authorities. However, an import licence is necessary for any set of products: chemicals, medicines, medical equipment, oil exploration and waste equipment...
Import of narcotics, arms and ammunitions is prohibited.

See portal for information on taxes and custom duties.

Customs duties and taxes on imports

Customs duty is variable as per the products. The customs duty is calculated on the CNF value of the goods (transactional value + packing cost + transport cost). Few products are exempted from import duty. In export, nearly all products are exempted from custom duty. 

Excise duties are collected on the following products: alcoholic drinks, tobacco, oil products, private cars, jewellery, leather and fur garments, crystals, salmon and caviar. The excise duty tariff can vary from 7 to 100%.

Visit the information portal on taxes and customs duty.

Customs classification

Visit the information portal on taxes and customs duties.

Import procedures

Visit the website of Customs Authorities as well as the document "Doing Business in Kazakhstan: 2008 Country".

Importing samples

The declarations can be made through Internet on the website "Web-deklarant".

For further information

Customs Control Committee

We can indicate you which are the customs duties applied to your product.

Find out the local taxes that apply to your product.

Organizing goods transport

Main useful means of transport

Kazakshtan is a country enclosed in the heart of Euroasia. The main means of goods transport are railways, road and air transport.

Ports

Aktau International Port
Atyrau port

Airports

Almaty International Airport

Sea transport organizations

Authority for transports and communications routes of the Ministry of Transport and Communications

Air transport organizations

Civil Aviation Authority of the Ministry of Transport and Communication

Road transport organizations

Road Transport Authority of the Ministry of Transport and Communication

Rail transport organizations

Kazakh Railways

Get a ballpark figure for transportation costs for your product in this country through a shipping estimate.

Identifying a supplier

Type of production

Apart from crude oil and natural gas, Kazakhstan produces minerals whose reserves are still less explored. There is a production of iron ore in Karaganda. In the siderurgy and non ferrous metallurgy sector, we find refined copper, lead, zinc, bauxite (Alumina plant in Pavlodar), uranium (15% of the world's reserves), tungsten, nickel (Uralnikel complex near Orsk city), manganese, gold, silver.... There are also coal mines in Karaganda and Ekibasturz. The country products also tractors and other agricultural machines, construction material and electric motors.

Business directories

Yellow pages of Kazakhstan
Kompass in Kazakhstan

Manufacturers associations of the main industries

Union of Beer brewers
Union of Producers Food and Processing Industries
Association of Mining sector and Metallurgy companies
Association of Hydrocarbon sector companies

Trade Agencies and their representations abroad

Chamber of commerce and industry Astana, Kazakhstan
American Chamber of Commerce in Kazakhstan

Enterprises federation

Atameken: Union of entrepreneurs (in kazakh)
Association of Small scale industries

Standards

National standards organizations

Kazakh Institute of Standardisation and Certification
KAZMEMST
Kazakh Institute of Metrology
NCA

Integration in the international standards network

KAZMEMST is a committee member of the International Organisation of Standardisation (ISO), a member of the Euro-Asian Council for Standardization, Metrology and Certification (EASC), and the National Centre of Accreditation is associated with the International Laboratory Accreditation Cooperation (ILAC).

Classification of standards

The standards of Kazakhstan are the ST RK.

Online consultation of standards

See the website of Kazmemst.

Certification organizations

Kazakhstan Institute for Standardization and Certification

Find out the standards and labelling requirements that apply to your products.

Intellectual Property

National organizations

In the area of intellectual property, Kazakhstan adheres to the following international agreements: the Convention instituting World Intellectual Property Organisation, the Paris Convention for protection of industrial property, the Madrid Agreement concerning the international registration of trademarks, the Patent Cooperation Treaty (PCT) and the Eurasian Convention on patents. The last three agreements enable to obtain the protection for trademarks or patents in Kazakhstan by registration of requests in Paris or in Geneva.

Kazakhstan has a National Institute of Intellectual Property and a Committee on Intellectual Property Rights which can be consulted in English.

Regional organizations

Kazakhstan is member of Euroasian Patent Organisation.