Kazakhstan souvenirs: what to buy and export rules

What to buy in Kazakhstan: souvenirs and export rules

The souvenirs with a real story in Kazakhstan are crafts recognised as heritage: the dombra, felt rugs, the shapan robe, leatherwork and asyk knucklebones. Three things need care when you leave: objects over 100 years old, cash above USD 10,000 in foreign currency, and wild plants or animal parts. Meat and dairy are usually stopped by your home country, not by Kazakhstan.

Buy crafts, not antiques, and keep your cash under USD 10,000. That covers most of what a visitor needs to know about souvenirs from Kazakhstan. New handmade goods can go home with you freely. Old objects, wild plants and animal parts, and large sums of foreign cash are where the rules start, and food is mostly a question for the customs of the country you fly to.

What to buy

These are crafts with a documented tradition behind them.

Item	What it is	Heritage link
Dombra	pear-shaped, long-necked two-string lute, made of pine, mulberry, maple or oak from about 35 parts	dombra kuy music, UNESCO list since 2014
Tekemet	felted rug with ornament	yurt felt-making, UNESCO 2014, extended 2025
Syrmak	felt rug made with an inlay technique	as above
Alasha	woven rug of joined strips	carpet weaving, national heritage list
Shapan	long robe; giving one to a respected person is a common custom	national heritage list
Kamzol	decorated sleeveless summer jacket	national heritage list
Leather goods, jewellery, kalpak felt hat	traditional leatherwork, jewellery and headwear	national heritage list
Asyks	knucklebones for a traditional game	asyk games, UNESCO list since 2017

A shapan carries a clear message in Kazakhstan: it is what you give someone you honour. If you are visiting a family, our guide to Kazakh customs explains the etiquette around gifts and meals.

Almaty’s Green Bazaar sells textiles, spices and antiques among much else. The antiques are exactly what the next section is about.

Illustration Engraving: hands rolling patterned felt on a reed mat, bundles of wool beside it

What you cannot take out

Item	Allowed?	What you need
New crafts	yes	keep the receipt
Art bought directly from the artist	yes	receipt or contract (Law on Culture, Art. 35.3)
Items over 100 years old of special value, stamps over 50 years old, coins other than tenge	no, temporary export only	certificate for temporary export
Bladed weapons 50+ years old	only with permit	export permit plus weapons clearance
Foreign cash	up to USD 10,000 equivalent per person	anything above is banned, even if declared
Wild plants and animals, Red Book species	only with licence	licence from the Forestry and Wildlife Committee
Saiga horn	only within the CITES system	CITES permits

Antiques

Kazakhstan’s Law on Culture bans the export of cultural property except for temporary purposes such as exhibitions or restoration. It defines cultural property to include old objects over 100 years old of special value, stamps issued 50 or more years ago and coins other than the national currency.

According to a 2023 explainer on Zakon.kz, an expert commission under local authorities issues either a certificate for temporary export (up to six months) or an opinion that an item is not cultural property, free of charge through the egov portal. If a market stall offers you an old carpet or coin, do not assume you can take it home without that paper. For “antique-style” pieces, ask for a receipt showing the item is new.

Cash

You may take out foreign cash worth up to USD 10,000 per person at the National Bank rate on the day you leave (Presidential Decree No. 830 of 14 March 2022, as explained by the State Revenue Committee). Eurasian Economic Union customs rules allow larger sums with a declaration, but Kazakhstan’s decree is stricter: declaring does not make an excess legal. The limit applies to each traveller, children included. More on cards, cash and the tenge is on our money page.

Plants, horns and hides

Exporting wild animals, wild plants, medicinal raw materials or Red Book species requires a licence from the Forestry and Wildlife Committee (Order No. 187), with a fee of 10 MCI. Strictly, that includes tulips picked on the steppe or roots dug up in the mountains. Protected species are listed on our Red Book plants page.

Saiga horn deserves a special mention. In December 2025 CITES lifted the zero export quota for horns from Kazakhstan’s population, but trade is allowed only with marking and CITES permits (Forbes Kazakhstan). Without them, exporting horn is illegal, and we found no lawful way for a tourist to buy it.

Food: kurt, kazy, kumys and honey

We found no Kazakh rule specifically stopping tourists from taking kurt, kazy or honey out. The real limit is the destination.

EU: travellers from outside the EU cannot bring in meat or dairy, so kazy (horse sausage) and kurt (dried sour-milk curd) are out. Honey is allowed up to 2 kg and fish up to 20 kg (EU Regulation 2019/2122).
Elsewhere: check your country’s customs or agriculture authority before you buy.

What these foods are, and how they are eaten, is explained in our Kazakh food guide.

Tax-free shopping

Since 2026 Kazakhstan has run a pilot VAT refund scheme for tourists (Finance Minister’s Order No. 363 of 4 June 2026).

Rule	Detail
Who	citizens of countries outside the Eurasian Economic Union (so not Russia, Belarus, Armenia or Kyrgyzstan)
What	non-food goods not subject to excise
Minimum receipt	10 MCI
Where	participating shops in 16 cities, including Almaty, Astana, Shymkent and Turkistan, and in Burabay
Leaving	through an airport, with a customs stamp or electronic mark
Refund	VAT minus the operator’s fee, which is capped at 20% of the VAT
Deadline	within 3 months of the purchase, not counting the month of purchase

The order sets no end date for the pilot.

Not verified yet

Age thresholds for every category of cultural property in the Eurasian Economic Union list: we did not open that section.
Which authority currently issues export opinions for cultural property: we only have a 2023 press explainer.
The end date of the tax-free pilot.

Frequently asked questions

What are the best souvenirs from Kazakhstan?

Crafts tied to living traditions: a dombra (two-stringed lute), a felt rug (tekemet or syrmak), a shapan robe, leather goods or a set of asyks. All are new items you can buy and take out freely.

Can I take kurt or kazy home to the EU or UK?

Not to the EU: travellers from outside the EU may not bring meat or dairy products, and kurt is dairy while kazy is meat. Honey is allowed up to 2 kg. For other countries, check your own customs rules before buying.

How much cash can I take out of Kazakhstan?

Up to the equivalent of USD 10,000 in foreign cash per person, children included. Under Presidential Decree No. 830, amounts above that cannot be taken out even if declared.

Can I export antiques from Kazakhstan?

Not if they count as cultural property. The Law on Culture bans export of items such as antiques over 100 years old, stamps over 50 years old and coins other than tenge, except temporarily. Ask the seller for proof that an item is modern, or get an expert opinion.

Is there tax-free shopping in Kazakhstan?

Yes, as a pilot since 2026. Visitors from outside the Eurasian Economic Union can reclaim VAT on non-food goods from a receipt of at least 10 MCI (the monthly calculation index), leaving via an airport.

Can I buy a painting from an artist and take it home?

Yes. The Law on Culture lets the author, or someone who bought directly from the author, take the work out with ownership documents, so keep the receipt or contract.

Can I take a knife or old blade out of Kazakhstan?

Bladed weapons made 50 or more years ago count as cultural property under Eurasian Economic Union rules and need an export permit plus clearance from the weapons authority.