According to Forbes, the Ministry of Industry and Infrastructural Development announced that the requirement to ban cargo ‘re-coupling’ (transfer between different jurisdictions) will not apply to Russian and Belorussian freight forwarding until next year. Previously, import from and to third-party states using cargo re-coupling has been forbidden since 2017.

Geopolitical influence on ban lift

Until now, the limitations on transportation to/from third countries, including cargo re-coupling, were enforced to protect the national autotransporters through domestic law. Those requirements were ratified in 2017 per the ministry’s order “On approving the rules on employing the permitting system for automobile transportation in the Republic of Kazakhstan international communication.”

Those who violate the requirements will receive an administrative penalty - 200 MCI (monthly calculation index) for automobile drivers and 500 MCI for entities. The rules apply to both foreign and Kazakh transporters. Similar requirements were enforced by the Russian ministry of transportation. The penalty in Russia for breaking the rule amounts to 150 000 rubles.

The ministry noted that "due to the ongoing geopolitical situation, Russian and Belarusian authorized bodies have permanently dropped the requirements on banning cargo re-coupling without notifying Kazakhstan".

However, after discussing the issue during the meeting between the leaders of Kazakhstan and Russia on May 30, Kazakhstan’s side expressed understanding and offered an efficient solution. As a result, the requirement to ban cargo coupling will not apply to Belarusian and Russian transporters until next year.

At the moment, transport organizations in Kazakhstan and Russia are negotiating to reach a mutually beneficial agreement.

Today, about 40 companies providing cargo transportation from Kazakhstan to Europe are registered in the country, with their total vehicle fleet covering 3,000 units.