Guide for foreign manufacturers

Measuring instruments in Kazakhstan: approval and verification guide for foreign manufacturers

What a manufacturer needs before measuring instruments can be sold and used in Kazakhstan: which route applies, who decides, what to submit and what happens after approval.

Last reviewed 6 October 2026 · Prepared by QMD, verification laboratory in Astana

In short

Instruments used for measurements under state regulation must be type approved before release into circulation in Kazakhstan.
The decision is taken by the Committee for Technical Regulation and Metrology (KTRM); tests are run by the state scientific metrological centre, KazStandard.
Approved types are entered in the State Register (GSI RK); instruments are then verified before use and at set intervals.
Documents need authentic translations into Kazakh and Russian.
An EAC certificate does not replace metrological type approval.

Legal basis

The core act is the Law of the Republic of Kazakhstan “On ensuring the unity of measurements” (No. 53-II of 7 June 2000, amended many times). Under Article 17, measuring instruments subject to state metrological control must be type approved before release into circulation. Article 22 links state control to sector lists of measurements related to state regulation: if your instrument performs a measurement on such a list, it is in scope.

The procedures are set by Order No. 931 of 27 December 2018 (type approval, tests and metrological certification) and Order No. 934 of 27 December 2018 (verification and verification intervals).

Who does what

KTRM: The Committee for Technical Regulation and Metrology of the Ministry of Trade and Integration is the authorised body. It decides on type approval and issues the type approval certificate through the eGov portal, free of charge.
KazStandard: The Kazakhstan Institute of Standardization and Metrology, formed in 2020 from KazInMetr and KazInSt, is the state scientific metrological centre. It runs the type approval tests, keeps the national standards and maintains the register. For single units it issues the metrological certification certificate itself.
National Center for Accreditation: Accredits laboratories. Accreditation is mandatory for verification and voluntary for calibration.
Accredited verification laboratories: Verify instruments before use, after repair and during operation, and issue verification certificates.
QMD: Reviews your documents, prepares the package, guides you through each stage and verifies instruments after approval. The decision always belongs to the authority.

Which route fits your instrument

Serial production: type approval.
Manufactured in Kazakhstan or imported in batches: batch type approval.
Single units: metrological certification; its certificate is issued by KazStandard.
Instruments outside state control: voluntary approval or certification.

Tests of serially produced instruments are run on the application of the manufacturer or of a person authorised by the manufacturer, with documentary confirmation.

Documents and translations

For type approval tests the rules list:

an application in the form set by the national standard ST RK 2.21;
the manufacturer’s operating documents with full technical and metrological characteristics, design, principle of operation and use;
a letter allowing publication of the type description and verification procedure in the register;
information on the verification equipment available in Kazakhstan and on service and repair organisations in Kazakhstan;
an application for software attestation, where the software covers the metrologically significant part.

For metrological certification of single units: an application, operating documents, a draft certification programme, a draft verification procedure if none is registered, and a publication consent letter. All documents, including operating manuals and marking text, must come with an authentic translation into Kazakh and Russian.

Testing options

Tests are carried out by KazStandard, which may use the facilities of test laboratories in other countries. At the applicant’s choice, remote tests with the centre’s participation are possible. Software that covers the metrologically significant part is attested under ST RK 2.46. After the tests the centre issues a results letter and the type description.

Timeline

There is no single official total. The certificate is issued through the eGov portal after the tests are complete; the overall process depends mainly on the instrument and the testing route and typically takes several months. QMD gives an estimate after reviewing your documents.

Validity and renewal

The validity period of a type approval certificate is set when it is issued. To extend it, apply for conformity-to-type tests no later than three months before expiry; otherwise full tests are repeated. After a modification of the instrument, conformity-to-type tests are also required, and the certificate keeps its number and validity. Instruments already in operation when a certificate expires may be used until worn out, provided they pass verification.

Recognition of other approvals

The rules provide for recognising type approvals and test results from EAEU states under EEC Council Decision No. 145 of 18 October 2016, and under an intergovernmental agreement on mutual recognition approved by Government Resolution No. 1116 of 29 December 2015. Recognition is confirmed by a certificate of recognition of type approval. Eligibility depends on the case, and we check it with you. Kazakhstan is a full member of OIML but does not take part in the OIML Certification System, so an OIML certificate does not replace national type approval.

After approval: verification

Approved types are entered in the register. Instruments are then verified before release into circulation, after repair and during operation; the types of verification are initial, periodic, unscheduled, inspection and expert. The initial verification interval is set during type approval or metrological certification. Initial verification performed by a foreign manufacturer’s own laboratory can be recognised under ST RK 2.40; the conditions are checked case by case.

Two sectors where QMD works daily: medical equipment (the Ministry of Health approves the list of medical equipment that is a measuring instrument) and speed cameras (vehicle speed 20–250 km/h with ±2 km/h accuracy is on the road traffic list).

EAC is not a metrology approval

An EAC certificate or declaration confirms conformity with EAEU technical regulations. Metrological type approval is a separate national procedure. An instrument used for measurements under state regulation usually needs both.

Russian–English glossary

Russian	English
поверка	verification (metrological verification)
калибровка	calibration
утверждение типа средств измерений	type approval (pattern approval) of measuring instruments
сертификат об утверждении типа	type approval certificate
метрологическая аттестация	metrological certification (single units)
реестр ГСИ РК	State Register of the State System for Ensuring the Uniformity of Measurements (GSI RK)
описание типа	type description
методика поверки	verification procedure
межповерочный интервал	verification interval
свидетельство о поверке	verification certificate
поверительное клеймо	verification mark
первичная / периодическая поверка	initial / periodic verification
КТРМ	Committee for Technical Regulation and Metrology (KTRM)
Казстандарт (бывш. КазИнМетр)	KazStandard (formerly KazInMetr)

Sources

This guide is general information, not legal advice. Rules change; check the current versions of the acts or ask us to review your case.