If you decided to road trip Kazakhstan it is better to check the driving regulations in advance. That is a standard advice for any traveler. Do not forget, you come to the country where police would more likely help you make mistakes (and earn its profit) instead of helping you out. That is a pretty standard practice in FSU Region and Kazakhstan is no exception.

If you traveled to Russia, most of the regulations would seem the same. That is quite understandable due to mutual Soviet roots of the law systems. However, you should remember that almost 25 years have passed since the fall and legislation systems are constantly mutating. One thing that differs heavily is fine system. Speeding fines are 3-8 higher than in Russia, ranging from about $50 to $300.

Below you can find our personal experience of following Kazakhstani driving regulation and not-so-pleasant encounters with local road police.

photo: Flickr/peretzp – CC BY SA

We met local police right after the border. Only some 25 kilometers passed. Naturally, we with our Russian plates were stopped for a check.

Road Fines in Kazakhstan

When we were buying our car insurance at the border, two basic principles of driving in Kazakhstan where explained to us:

• Do not leave the car;
• Do not speed.

Although many Russian drivers are already used to waiting for the police officer in the car, we were quite surprised by both of these “rules”. Sure enough at the first possibility, we asked a police offices if it is true. He said that truly was a rule in Kazakhstan. He also commented that his feelings were somewhat hurt. When a driver is not leaving a car after a police officer have stopped him, in his opinion it looks like an offend or disrespect.

Anyway that new rule was adopted to protect police officers and as an “anti-terrorism” measure. If you decide to leave the car, it costs you 5 minimal wages (9,260 Kazakhstani tenge, $50).

Using the opportunity, we asked about the speed limits. To our surprise, limits in the rural areas are pretty high here: you can drive 110 km/h (68 mph) outside villages, towns and cities. Officer advised us not to exceed the speed limit by more than 10 km/h.

In contrast to Russia, speed limit violation fines are much higher from the start:

• Driving faster by 10–20 km/h leads to fine of 10 minimal wages (18,520 tenge, $100);
• 20–40 km/h — 15 minimal wages (27 780 tenge, $150);
• More than 40 km/h — 30 minimal wages (55 560 tenge, $300).

Speed limits:

• Villages, towns, cities (marked with a white sign with a black name of the residential zone): 60 km/h;
• Outside the residential zones: 110 km/h;
• Highways (marked with greed signs): 140 км/ч.

Fines are rising with the second and a third offence. At the third violation, you may lose your driver’s license (not a good thing at any location, but especially bad while you are abroad).

Personal Experience of Encounters with Kazakhstani Road Police

We had to unpleasant encounters with local road police. First time our driver forgot about the distance limit of 50 km/h speed limit zone. It is not uncommon to meet here a 50 km/h speed limit sign (or any other) with an 18 km distance assigned (or any other ridiculously extended distance). We were stopped not at the location of violation but further on our route. That leads us to a conclusion that Kazakhstani police uses speed cams to enforce speeding.

Officer was really trying to bully us. He told that fine should be paid right away in the nearest town and he would keep the driving license until tomorrow when we should arrive to the local police station with a receipt. Allthisisquiteillegal:

• Youhaverightdisputetheviolation. That said nobody can force you to pay the fine right away;
• Police officers are not allowed to take away your license with a court decision and for the first violation.

Apparently, he was asking for a bribe. And we decided to comply not wanting to loose precious time and to test his patience. Maybe it was worth trying to argue with him, but we could not even remember when we have passed that speed limit sign and whether there were any intersections (revoking the limit) afterwards.

A traveler would better check the Kazakhstani driving regulations prior to the beginning of the trip (you can find the link below). At least you would understand if you violated the rules, or that is just a corrupt policeman trying to receive a bribe.

Second occasion was just a police routine turned bad. We forgot that a driver should not leave his car and should wait for an officer to approach. It was really stupid – driver’s license and all other documents were in the back of the car and we had no other options than to leave it (of course we should have known better to wait for the officer to allow us). All in all, we had to endure only a long educative talk and then we wer allowed to go with only a warning.

I would not say we had an all-embracing experience of encounters with local police. However even those two occasions have lead me to several of conclusions:

Driving regulations in Kazakhstan may be stricter than in other xUSSR countries…

…but you should keep in mind that local police likes money not less than their Russian or Ukrainian brothers-in-arms (on the contrary Georgia made a lot last years to eliminate corruption);

You should not forget that sometimes it seems that signs are placed not for the safety of drivers and/or pedestrians, but to give police a chance to have an additional income;

Kazakhstani driving regulations: http://zarul.kz/pdd (translation from Russian*)

*You should keep in mind the link is an automatic translation from Russian into English with Google Translate. Sometimes it gives strange results and you should better check the main regulations with local police. It is given for informational purposes and as an additional source only.