Kazak border | Customs and Immigration

October 10th, 2024 by grenzenlos2001.wordpress.com

Complete chaos, 6 hours from UZ to KZ. We needed a 1 year TIP to store our van (5,4to) over winter. Custom classified our van as грузовой "load/cargo" because it's over 5to. And this gets only 90 days. In Shymkent we went to custom near airport and a friendly officer called custom central Shymkent and explained our problem and wrote a letter for us in Russian "formal objection... please prolongate to 1 year". Decision will be made.

June 13th, 2024 by wieweitnoch

The border itself is actually quite ok. Two hours in total.

BUT:
At least for a truck (doesn't matter if it is a camper) you now MUST have an electronic ticket (=appointment)! All the officers I talked to said that.

Of course the website for such a ticket (CarGoRuqsat) doesn't send the SMS code for the activation! So you are at mercy with the one and only guy in a little shady "shop" just outside the very first gate.

He wanted 6000 Tenge. When you ask questions or try to haggle, you will be ignored - forever. If you manage to be heard again, he will do the appointment, but will tell you, your vehicle insurance is fake. In the end he used "his".

At least he does the toll-payment for you, if you haven't done so already.

After a bit more than three hours I got the ticket and could proceed through the first barrier, where your appointment is checked - nothing else. From then on, it was quite ok. A bit of chaos, but nothing out of the ordinary.

Customs is always on the right side, passport control is always on the left. We had to pay ~54.000 (3,99€) for something in Uzbekistan (with a receipt, so probably valid).

October 15th, 2023 by our.overland.adventures

Looks like we put everyone off with our previous comment on this border. Today we crossed this border for the second time. It was a very different experience regarding the process but nothing less chaotic and unclear.

Kazakhstan > Uzbekistan

We again drove past the line of trucks and could pull right up to the gate, no cars in front. Passenger got out and made them open the gate so I could drive in. Got an empty piece of paper for the stamps. Again was sent to the line with the trucks (indicated with a red cross while the line with the green arrow was closed). Showed passport and car document at the window and got it back. Got no stamp here this time.

Then we continued and parked the car on the right side like last time. Passenger entered the customs hall on the right and continued all the way by foot to the Uzbek side while the driver has to navigate his/her way through the jungle of bureaucracy. In the customs hall we also had to put all of our luggage through a scanner. The guy here was the biggest customs asshole we met in 6 months central Asia. He even wanted us to take off the rooftop tent which is bolted to the roof rack (of course we didn't do this), but when I took our trash bag to go through the scanner he got angry.

After having dealt with him I (driver) went outside and had to cross the maze of trucks to get to the other side (left side). There is a building where all the truck drivers go (right side of the building) while I had to go to the left side (knock on window if closed). Here I showed passport, car document, and car import papers (this they keep). I also got a stamp on the paper I received at step one.

Then, back to my car, drove a bit further while staying left. Parked on the left before the Uzbek gates. There is a small dark shed where I received the second stamp on my piece of paper after they checked my documents and car.

After receiving the stamp I had my passport checked by foot at the gate windows where all the truck drivers go through and have their documents checked. Once done I drove through the barrier and handed my stamped piece of paper to the military guy who was waiting there.

OK, that's the Kazakh side done. Now the Uzbek side. It started with a hose down of the car for which no one pays but they will asks tourist for money. Just say you don't have cash. Passenger is still on foot btw.

Then I drove through something that looks like an X-ray machine where a friendly guy checked my passport. After this I drove to the next building and parked on the left, then I crossed the road to the right side. Inside the building, I first went to the second window (here they stamp the piece of paper I got somewhere along the way), then the first, and then the last window. Then I went back outside but stayed at the same building and went to the window on the far right side of the building. Here you have to get an electronic code for your car (no clue what it's for but they said it is necessary for when exeting the country). Paid 40.000 SOM for this but got no proof of anything, did see him enter my info in the computer though.

The I went to the car control which was not so thorough this time, got 2 more stamps on my piece of paper. With that I went back inside to the building with the 3 windows I just came from. I went to the last window again where I was told to pay 205.000 SOM for our tinted windows and sanitary something (most of the money was for the tinted windows, they said $15). I had to pay the money to the bank, 2 windows back.

Last time we crossed this border we didn't pay a cent so a bit weird that we had to pay about $20 in total this time. Most of it seems legit though, for the 205.000 they even show you the invoice.

Still would recommend this border if you can withstand some chaos and confusion as it is not buys with cars at all. Took us 3,5 hours this time.

With all this done you are good to go and exit the border area, congratulations!

May 28th, 2023 by our.overland.adventures

Kazakhstan > Uzbekistan. Complete chaos leaving me clueless. Drove past the line of trucks in the Kazakh side to front of the line where the circus begins. One officers waves you through while the other one signs us to stop. You get a paper which you need to get stamped twice. Drive to the line of trucks indicated with a bus sign. You still following? Show passport and car documents, get first stamp. Drive through and park car on the left side, walk to the right side to a small customs building with passport, car documents and import paper (they keep this). Then drive to the next barrier to small building on the left where you get the second stamp on the paper. At the barrier you get your passport stamped with Kazakh exit stamp. After the barrier you hand in the piece of paper to a military guy who seemed to ask for money but it wasn't very clear. Then the Uzbek side. They hose down your car and ask 15.000 some, don't pay! Then passerger exits and driver + car goes through something that might be an X-ray machine, I have no clue. Park car on the left and go to building on the right. Once inside you go to the second desk first, then the first desk, then the third desk. Here you also get a paper with stamp and leave your documents. Then go back to the car so they can search it very thoroughly. Once that is done go back inside and retrieve your documents. Once back at the car you receive your second stamp. Then one last simple hirdle: at the entry gate to Uzbekistan you give the piece of paper to the guy there and you're good to go.

All in all the whole process took about 2-2,5 hours

April 13th, 2018 by 3enruta.wordpress.com

We cross from Uzb. to Kazaj. High-ranking customers do their work well and are nice but the low-ranking military is asking for gifts and money. Vehicle registration is a bit slow but visual control is fast, we then passed through X-ray control. It's slow but you need more patience to say no to repeated demands for gifts and money. There is no official paymemt to do. Neither when they give you the immigration card to fill it (the man requests $ 5 as if it were normal but it should not be paid).
Dog: I visited the veterinarian after informing several times that we had a female dog. He asked for the veterinary certificate but he understood nothing and without doing the control the dog said ok.