Kazakhstan Traffic Fines and Car Rental: Almaty Guide

Can you drive in Kazakhstan with a foreign licence?

For UK drivers, yes, with an International Driving Permit. The FCDO says you need both a UK licence and the 1968 IDP, and that the IDP cannot be bought outside the UK, so get it before departure. The minimum age to drive a car is 18. If you hold a licence from another country, check your own government's advice and ask the rental company in writing which documents it accepts.

How long you can drive is capped by how long you can stay. The FCDO entry page sets 30 days without a visa for UK visitors, within a maximum of 90 days in any 180-day period.

The US State Department warns that some local drivers ignore signals and lane markings, drive into oncoming lanes and speed, and it recommends a non-confrontational response to road rage. It also notes Kazakhstan's zero-tolerance rule on alcohol: a driver found over the limit can be detained immediately.

How much are traffic fines in Kazakhstan in 2026?

Kazakh fines are written in MRP (monthly calculation indicator), so the tenge amount changes when the MRP is reset for each budget year. A Tengrinews report from December 2025 gives the 2026 value as 4,325 tenge, and KazToll's current toll prices match the MRP coefficients in the government toll order multiplied by that figure (see the toll section below).

The top speeding band is set in law. Law No. 131-VIII of 3 October 2024 amended Article 592 of the Code of Administrative Offences: part 3 now covers 40 to 60 km/h over the limit, a new part 3-1 fines 60 km/h or more over at 40 MRP, and a repeat of that within a year costs 60 MRP. The same law confirmed that readings from certified automatic cameras count as evidence.

The lower bands come from the news summary rather than from the code itself, which could not be opened on the official legal database while this guide was checked. Treat them as indicative.

Paying a fine

The eGov portal lets you search for and pay administrative fines, including traffic fines, by bank card; it adds a 100 tenge commission and says the fine must be paid no later than 30 days after the decision takes effect. The FCDO says police who stop you should give you an official paper, and the US State Department reports that some officers at city stops and highway checkpoints have tried to extort bribes. Ask for the paper, and pay only through official channels.

Camera fines are addressed to the car rather than to you, so for a rental they reach the company first. Ask at the desk how it passes them on, whether it adds a handling charge, and get the answer on the contract.

How do the toll roads around Almaty work?

KazToll runs an open system with no barriers. According to its FAQ, arches along each toll road record the number plate as the car passes from one zone to the next, and the charge is taken from a balance held against that plate. If the balance is empty, the toll becomes a debt on the plate. There are collection points near Almaty on both the Almaty – Kapshagay (Konaev) and Almaty – Khorgos roads, and near Zharkent.

The rates are set by the transport ministry. For the Almaty – Konaev section, Order No. 904 covers 41.955 km of the Almaty – Ust-Kamenogorsk highway and charges a passenger car 0.0352 MRP one way if paid in advance, or 0.0406 MRP if paid afterwards. KazToll shows those as 152.24 and 175.60 tenge.

The money is small; the risk is the deadline. KazToll says that if a private user has not paid within 30 calendar days of the trip, on day 31 it sends the case to the transport control authorities under Article 628 of the Code of Administrative Offences. In a rental car that case lands on the company, which will pass on the cost and probably an admin charge.

Worked example: a weekend from Almaty

You drive to Konaev on Saturday, back on Sunday, and on to Khorgos the following week. With a prepaid balance the tolls come to 901.77 tenge (304.48 plus 597.29). Paid afterwards they come to 1,054.02 tenge. The difference is 152.25 tenge, so the only thing that matters is that someone pays within 30 days. A single 20 to 40 km/h speeding fine on the same trip would cost 43,250 tenge, nearly fifty times the tolls.

Winter and long-distance driving

The FCDO warns that snow and ice make winter roads hazardous and that low visibility leads to crashes involving several cars; its advice is to avoid driving in bad weather. Many roads are poorly maintained, with roadworks and damage often unsigned, service stations are limited outside the main cities, and stray animals appear on rural roads. The US State Department adds that potholes can be dangerously deep, that some roads outside cities close seasonally, and that mountain routes should be avoided at night or in poor weather.

KazToll says current closures on national roads are shown on the QAJ.KZ incident map, in the SAPAR app, and through its contact centre on 1403 (choose your language, then 2).