How a Kazakh company enters the EU market, step by step

The European Union is already Kazakhstan’s main export destination, but most of that trade is oil, gas and metals. For a Kazakh manufacturer, food producer or technology company, the EU is a large market with clear rules that you have to meet before your first sale. This guide walks through the steps in the order most companies take them.

Step 1: understand the trade relationship

The EU and Kazakhstan trade under the Enhanced Partnership and Cooperation Agreement (EPCA). The European Commission says it was signed in 2015, applied provisionally from 1 May 2016 and entered into force on 1 March 2020. Kazakhstan was the first Central Asian country to sign one.

The EPCA is a cooperation agreement, not a free trade agreement. It does not remove EU import duties in the way a free trade deal would. What it does give you is a stable framework, and Kazakhstan’s membership of the World Trade Organization since 2015 means standard WTO rules apply to your trade.

According to the Commission, fuel and mining products made up 92% of Kazakh exports to the EU in 2025. That means other sectors are still small, which is both a challenge (few established routes) and an opening (less competition from other Kazakh suppliers).

Step 2: check the rules for your exact product

Before you talk to buyers, find out exactly what your product needs to enter the EU. The Commission’s free portal, Access2Markets, is the place to start. Its My Trade Assistant tool lets you search by product and country to see:

• the import duty for your product
• the product requirements (safety, labelling, health rules)
• the rules of origin that decide where a product “comes from”
• the documents customs will ask for

Use the product’s customs code (HS code). If you are not sure of the code, ask your customs broker before you rely on any result.

Step 3: make the product compliant

Many industrial and consumer products need CE marking before they can be sold in the EU. Your Europe, the EU’s official business portal, lists examples: toys, electrical and electronic equipment, machinery, some pressure equipment, personal protective equipment and medical devices. The steps for the manufacturer are:

1. Identify every EU rule that applies to the product.
2. Check whether you can assess conformity yourself or need a “notified body” (an independent testing organisation approved by an EU country).
3. Prepare the technical documentation.
4. Draw up and sign an EU Declaration of Conformity.
5. Affix the CE mark.

Your Europe notes that there is no central EU body that issues a “CE certificate”, and that voluntary certificates are not valid for CE marking. Be careful of anyone offering to sell you one. The declaration and technical file must be kept for at least 10 years after the product is placed on the market.

You also need someone in the EU. For many CE-marked products, EU market surveillance rules (Regulation (EU) 2019/1020, Article 4) say the product can only be sold if an economic operator established in the EU is responsible for it. That can be an EU importer, an authorised representative with your written mandate, or in some cases a fulfilment service provider. Their name and postal address must appear on the product, its packaging, the parcel or an accompanying document.

Food, plant and animal products follow separate health rules. Check these in Access2Markets for your product.

Step 4: register for EU customs

Any business that lodges customs declarations in the EU needs an EORI number (Economic Operators Registration and Identification number). The Commission explains that a company with no EU establishment applies in the EU country where it carries out its first customs operation. Each company can hold only one valid EORI number, and it does not expire.

Many exporters let their EU importer or customs broker handle import clearance, in which case the importer’s EORI is used. Decide early who will be the importer of record, because it affects pricing, VAT and who carries legal responsibility.

Step 5: choose your route to market

There are three common routes, and many companies move through them in order:

• Selling through a distributor or importer. The lowest-cost start. The distributor buys from you, handles import and sells on. You give up some margin and control.
• Selling directly to buyers, such as retailers or manufacturers, with an EU partner acting as importer. More margin, more work.
• Opening your own EU company. This gives you a legal base, a local bank account and an EU address for compliance. In Lithuania, for example, Invest Lithuania describes the private limited company (UAB) as the most common form for small and medium-sized businesses, with minimum share capital of €1,000 and registration often completed in a matter of days.

A local company is not always needed at the start. It becomes useful once you have steady sales, need EU staff, or want to act as your own importer.

Step 6: prepare for sanctions and compliance checks

Every EU buyer, bank, insurer and logistics company you work with will check who you are, who owns you and where your goods go. This is not personal. Since 2022, the EU and UK have published detailed guidance on preventing Russia sanctions circumvention through third countries, including due diligence on business partners, goods and transactions.

Practical steps that make you easier to work with:

• Keep a clear, current record of your ownership, down to the ultimate owners.
• Check your counterparties against the EU consolidated sanctions list, the UK Sanctions List and the UN Security Council list.
• Be ready to explain the end use and final destination of goods, especially machinery, electronics and dual-use items.
• Be open about your payment routes.

Companies that can show this quickly get through onboarding faster. Companies that cannot often find doors closing without explanation.

How Mavericks Go helps

Mavericks Go takes Central Asian companies into Europe and the UK: a market briefing and entry plan, introductions to distributors, buyers and counterparts through Mavericks Connect, and a presence at The Crossing, our event in Kaunas and Almaty. Every Go deal is screened against EU sanctions, and legal work is handled by our regulated partner law firms. Mavericks opens doors. The deals, and the decisions, are yours.