Kazakhstanis cannot yet turn in old cars for recycling and receive discount certificates for new vehicles — the Ministry of Ecology and Natural Resources of the Republic of Kazakhstan officially clarified the situation amid media reports, infohub.kz reports.
According to the ministry, end-of-life vehicles are not currently being accepted under the recycling program with the issuance of discount certificates.
It emerged that the false news in the media was prompted by the approval of an order by the Minister of Ecology, which takes effect on October 25, 2026. However, the ministry stressed that the adoption of this document only establishes the legal rules of the game and does not mean the automatic launch of collection points.
According to the Ministry of Ecology, the document sets out the legal mechanisms for implementing the program, in particular the procedure and conditions for issuing discount certificates, and the procedure for transferring (re-registering) and using them when purchasing domestically produced vehicles and agricultural machinery.
The order comes into force on October 25, 2026. However, this date does not mean the start of accepting vehicles and issuing discount certificates.
Currently, JSC "Zhasyl Damu" is working to select recyclers who will handle the acceptance and subsequent recycling of end-of-life vehicles.
After the necessary procedures are completed and relevant contracts are signed, information on the program launch dates, participation conditions, and addresses of collection points will be additionally published on the official information resources of the Ministry and JSC "Zhasyl Damu".
When the collection points do start operating, owners of old vehicles will be able to turn them in under the following conditions:
Discount certificates: instead of cash for recycling a vehicle (ELV) or agricultural machinery (ELVAM), electronic certificates with a unique QR code will be issued.
Targeted use: the certificate can only be used to purchase a new vehicle manufactured in Kazakhstan.
Category flexibility: after turning in an old passenger car, the discount can be applied to the purchase of a domestically assembled truck or tractor.
Accumulation: no more than two certificates may be used for the purchase of one new car, and up to four for agricultural machinery.
Resale: the certificate is valid for exactly 1 year from the date of issue. It can be officially sold or transferred to other persons through the EPR Operator's AIS, but no more than 3 times. The sale and purchase procedure takes several days and is recorded using an electronic digital signature.
Annual limits: a specific budget and limit on the number of certificates will be approved annually. Once this annual limit is exhausted, vehicle acceptance will be closed until the following year.
Earlier, "Kursiv" wrote that Kazakhstan announced the size of discounts for recycling old cars.