Foreign nationals with fake license plates arrested in Kazakhstan

Tengrinews.kz – Two Russian nationals have been arrested in the North Kazakhstan region for driving cars with fake license plates, according to polisia.kz.
According to the press service of the Ministry of Internal Affairs, 105 vehicles with unreadable state registration plates were identified in the region, as well as 28 vehicles without plates or with number plates not registered in the prescribed manner.
Four drivers were held liable for driving vehicles with knowingly fake license plates. Among those detained were two residents of Russia’s Tyumen region who were travelling along the Zhezkazgan–Petropavlovsk highway: a 27-year-old man driving a Land Rover and a 33-year-old man behind the wheel of a Mercedes-Benz. They were arrested for five days.
Fines
As is known, a state registration plate is a mandatory vehicle identifier.

“Nothing should interfere with its free and clear reading: the plate must be mounted in accordance with the standard, clearly visible and legible at any time. If it becomes dirty, the driver is obliged to clean it in a timely manner. Driving a vehicle without a plate, with fake/altered plates, or using devices and materials that impede identification (covering, distorting, or hiding the characters) is a direct violation of traffic rules and national legislation,” the company reminded.

Liability under Article 590 of the Code of Administrative Offences (the MCI as of 1 January 2026 is 4,325 tenge):

unreadable plates or plates mounted in violation of the requirements — fine of 5 MCI (21,625 tenge);
driving without state registration plates (as well as, in a number of cases, operating a vehicle when its use is prohibited, or driving an unregistered vehicle) — fine of 10 MCI (43,250 tenge);
repeat offence within a year: fine of 20 MCI (86,500 tenge) or deprivation of the right to drive for 1 year (applied by court decision);
installation of knowingly fake or forged state plates on a vehicle — fine of 15 MCI for individuals (64,875 tenge) (for officials and businesses higher sanctions are provided);
driving a vehicle with knowingly fake/forged plates, as well as with plates equipped with materials/devices that prevent identification or allow the number to be hidden/distorted — administrative arrest for up to 5 days and deprivation of the right to drive for 1 year (by court decision).

The company reminded drivers that before setting off, they must check how securely the plates are fixed, as well as their cleanliness and legibility.
Attempts to conceal a plate, use overlays, films or shutter-type frames, as well as installing fake plates, create a safety hazard and entail strict liability — up to arrest and loss of driving licence, the company stressed.