A Guide to Importing Used Cars from China to Kyrgyzstan in 2024

To ensure seamless trade, the importation landscape must be grasped. A market for car importation from China to Kyrgyzstan can be set apart due to its strategic location and evolving regulations in this country. This guide attempts to reveal the process, the cost, and the legislation behind the importation of used cars from China into Kyrgyzstan in 2024.

Meet Kyrgyzstan Used Cars Market

According to the available data, the importation of used cars into Kyrgyzstan is of economic importance. From January to October 2023, 143,000 passenger cars had been imported into the country for a total of $2 billion, with China emerging as the chief supplier. Over the entire 2023, China exported 71,000 used cars to Kyrgyzstan. It is vital to underline that a large chunk of this imported amount is the transit trade to the Russian market. However, there's a notable potential to cater to the local Kyrgyz market's needs for imported cars.

Navigating Customs Regulations

By 2024, Kyrgyzstan’s customs policies for importing used vehicles from China have been simplified such that one can go through them with less effort compared to the past. However, importers should still abide by the requirements set by the Eurasian Economic Union about emissions and safety. Also, for environmental and safety reasons, it is not allowed to import cars older than 10 years and comply with Euro 2 emission standards and above. Moreover, left-hand drive cars are preferred here to conform to local traffic rules.

Selecting The Appropriate Cars Matters

Most popular economic sedans and tough SUVs can be driven in urban areas as well as on mountainous terrain in Kyrgyzstan. Affordability and maintainability determine demand, so Chinese brands such as Geely, ChangAn, and GreatWall are preferred because they are cheap to buy.

Familiarize with Import Tariffs

-    Temporary imported

  -   Vehicles require payment of VAT at 3% and a monthly fee amounting to 0.15% of the

    contract price.

-    Permanent imported

  -   Used cars under 3 years are classified as new vehicles and attract import customs

    duties equal to 10-15% of their cost price with their engine capacity.

-   Used cars between 3 and 7 years comprise a cost value tax of 20% or customs duty based

    on 0.36-0.80 euros/L for specific years that is selected from alternatives as larger one

    of two chosen options for car import customs duty.

  -   Used cars that are more than 7 years pay import duties taking 1.4-3.2 euros/L.

  -   New energy cars, until 2025, there will be no customs duty within EAEU area; hence

      Kyrgyzstan can import 100,000 new energy cars duty-free every year while enjoying.

      privileged rates also extended towards hybrids.

-    VAT: 12%

Documents Required for Import

-     Original certificate of ownership and registration

-     Original invoice

-     Driving license and international insurance policy

-     Transport bill of lading

-     Copy of passport

-     Copy of visa

-     Original Bill of Lading (OBL)/Air Waybill (AWB)

-     Original technical passport with cancellation markings

-     Employment letter

-     Customs Board Letter

To sum it up, if properly executed in 2024, importing used vehicles from China to Kyrgyzstan may become a profitable business. The pillars of success would be adherence to rules and regulations, cost control, rationale in selecting vehicles as well as efficient logistics management. With this knowledge base at hand, importers will be able to take advantage of emerging demand within the Central Asian car market. It is also highly recommended that to inquire about Kyrgyzstan’s local import agents before purchasing cars from China.

Please note that used car import tax rates and policies may change over time or be adjusted according to the latest regulations from the government. Therefore, it is advisable to confirm the most current tax information with relevant tax and customs authorities before importing.