The hum of two-wheeled engines across Kazakhstan is about to get quieter—or at least, more bureaucratic. Come April 4, every moped owner must have their ride state-registered and carry a driver’s license with category A1, A, or B. The clock is ticking like a countdown on a traffic light, and authorities are scrambling to avoid gridlock—both on the roads and in government offices.
Deputy Interior Minister Igor Lepekha, speaking to reporters in the shadowy corridors of the Majilis, dropped a number that sounds more like a lottery draw than a statistic: 18,200 mopeds registered so far. But here’s the twist—no one actually knows how many of these buzzing metal grasshoppers are zipping through Kazakh streets. "Some might’ve gotten licenses without even owning a moped," Lepekha mused, as if pondering a riddle.
The ministry’s plea? Extend working hours at service centers to process the last-minute rush. "After April 4, unregistered mopeds will gather dust—or worse, get impounded," Lepekha warned, his tone sharper than a traffic cop’s whistle.
The new rules, signed into law last October, were a legislative sleeper cell—lying dormant until now. Key changes include:
Meanwhile, this year’s 2,500 new licenses issued seem laughably low—like bringing a bicycle pump to inflate a truck tire. Whether this crackdown clears the roads or just clogs the system remains to be seen. One thing’s certain: Kazakhstan’s moped culture just got a bureaucratic exhaust pipe—and it’s spewing red tape.
