Kazakhstan E-Scooter Laws: PDD Article 168-1 and the 2026 Rental Rules

This article is general information about e-scooter law in Kazakhstan and is not legal advice. Kazakhstan's traffic rules change by ministerial order with limited advance notice, so for a specific situation consult a Kazakh lawyer or the official adilet.zan.kz legal database directly. Information last verified on 23 July 2026.

Are e-scooters legal in Kazakhstan?

Yes. Kazakhstan's Traffic Rules, known as the PDD (Правила дорожного движения), are approved by Order No. 534 of the Minister of Internal Affairs of 30 June 2023, registered with the Ministry of Justice on 1 July 2023 as No. 33003. They replaced the earlier rules in Government Resolution No. 1196 of 13 November 2014, which Government Resolution No. 758 of 1 September 2023 repealed. A dedicated e-scooter clause, Article 168-1, was added by Ministry of Internal Affairs Order No. 671 of 31 August 2023, and its current wording comes from Order No. 305 of 27 April 2026. The clause governs where and how an e-scooter rider may move, rather than banning the devices outright.

The clause itself states: "Electric scooter riders shall move along a bicycle path or bicycle lane. In the absence of a bicycle path or bicycle lane, electric scooter riders shall move along: the right edge of the roadway... in a single file; the shoulder; the sidewalk or pedestrian path, at a speed not exceeding six kilometers per hour, without creating danger for pedestrian traffic." That wording was read from an English mirror of the rules at 24pdd.kz, not from the official adilet.zan.kz page for the same instrument, which returned as a blank page when checked directly this session. Treat the exact clause numbering as coming from a reliable mirror rather than the raw government text.

Rental e-scooters are legal and widely used in large cities, but they are now subject to a separate rule that took effect 1 July 2026, covered below.

What counts as an e-scooter here

The rule text read for this article describes how an e-scooter rider must move but does not spell out a device specification, such as a maximum motor power or top speed, that separates an electric scooter from a moped for legal purposes. Some Kazakh press coverage from 2023 describes a 25 km/h cutoff and administrative fines of 3 to 5 MCI (a Kazakh calculation index) for violations, but this article could not independently open and confirm those figures this session, so they are not repeated here as settled fact.

Where you can ride

Article 168-1 sets a clear order of preference. A bicycle path or bicycle lane comes first. Where neither exists, a rider may use the right edge of the roadway in single file, the road shoulder, or the sidewalk or pedestrian path.

Sidewalk and pedestrian-path riding is capped at 6 km/h, and riders must not create danger for pedestrians. Riding through a pedestrian crossing while still on the scooter is not permitted under the rule.

That 6 km/h sidewalk cap is confirmed independently by Tengrinews' report on the Mazhilis bill that created Article 168-1, which described the same limit in near-identical terms when the bill passed its first reading in the lower house of parliament.

Rider rules

Age and licence. Article 168-1 does not set one universal minimum age. Beyond that, sources disagree on the roadway licence rule. The 24pdd.kz mirror of Article 168-1 says a rider under 18 who uses the right edge of the roadway, rather than a bicycle path or the sidewalk, needs a driving licence to do so. Tengrinews' reporting on the Mazhilis bill that created this rule describes it differently: riding on the roadway is permitted only from age 18, with a driving licence required at that point, an 18-and-older reading rather than an under-18-only one. This page does not confirm which version reflects the current rule; check the official legal database, adilet.zan.kz.

Helmet. Article 171 lists what e-scooter and bicycle riders are not allowed to do, including "when driving on the carriageway, be without a buttoned helmet." Read plainly, that means the helmet duty applies specifically to riding on the carriageway, not to riding on a sidewalk or bicycle path.

Other conduct rules. The same article also bars carrying passengers, carrying cargo beyond set limits, towing, and riding without reflective gear at night.

Rental scooters from 1 July 2026. A separate, more recent change applies specifically to rental fleets. Kazakh state broadcaster 24.kz reported that as of 1 July 2026, sidewalk riding is no longer allowed for rental e-scooters, every rental unit is assigned its own number, and rental operators now have full tracking of their fleets.

Most significantly, renting a two-wheeled device without a driving licence became impossible under the new rule. State media described this as rental e-scooters "effectively becoming full-fledged vehicles" once they are rented out, distinguishing that regime from ordinary private ownership under Article 168-1.

Penalties

This article could not confirm the exact fine amounts for an Article 168-1 or Article 171 violation this session. Kazakhstan's general Code of Administrative Offenses covers traffic-rule violations broadly, and a specific figure for scooter-rule violations likely exists within it, but this page does not quote the primary text, so no specific fine amount is stated here.

Enforcement in practice

Real shared-scooter fleets operate in Almaty, and that city is the explicit backdrop for the 1 July 2026 rental rule. An Almaty police representative, Aidyn Merkimbaev, was quoted in Kazakh state media saying the devices are now very common transport and that authorities "are not trying to restrict them" outright, framing the new rule as tracking and accountability rather than prohibition.

Enforcement patterns described in this reporting do not change what Article 168-1 and Article 171 actually require of a private rider. A city where scooters are common is not thereby granting a wider legal allowance than the national rule sets.

Legal history and what may change

Article 168-1 traces back to a bill Kazakhstan's Mazhilis, the lower house of parliament, passed in its first reading on 10 May 2023, reported by Tengrinews, before it was implemented through Ministry of Internal Affairs orders in 2023 and later amended in 2026. The rental-specific tightening is very recent, taking effect 1 July 2026, only weeks before this article was researched. Whether that rental change was made by a Cabinet resolution or an MVD order, and its formal citation number, was not confirmed against adilet.zan.kz directly this session. Treat it as reported by 24.kz until independently checked.

For how neighboring countries structured similar new e-scooter rules, see the world e-scooter law guide for a country-by-country comparison.

Frequently Asked Questions

Are e-scooters legal in Kazakhstan?

Yes. Kazakhstan's Traffic Rules include a dedicated e-scooter clause, Article 168-1, that sets out where and how riders may travel rather than banning the devices.

What is the speed limit for e-scooters in Kazakhstan?

Article 168-1 caps sidewalk and pedestrian-path riding at 6 km/h. No separate roadway speed cap for e-scooters was found in the text read for this article.

Do I need a helmet to ride an e-scooter in Kazakhstan?

Only when riding on the carriageway (the roadway itself), under Article 171. The rule read for this article does not extend the helmet duty to sidewalk or bicycle-path riding.

Do you need a driving licence to ride an e-scooter in Kazakhstan?

Sources disagree. A rules mirror of Article 168-1 says only riders under 18 need a licence for roadway riding, while press coverage of the bill that created the rule describes an 18-and-older, licence-required rule for anyone on the roadway. Check Kazakhstan's official legal database to confirm which applies. Separately, as of 1 July 2026, renting a scooter at all requires a driving licence under the new rental-specific rule regardless of age.

What changed for e-scooters in Kazakhstan on 1 July 2026?

New rules for rental e-scooters specifically: sidewalk riding is no longer allowed for rental units, every rental scooter is individually tracked, and renting one without a driving licence became impossible. Private ownership under Article 168-1 was not changed by this update.

Can I ride an e-scooter on the sidewalk in Almaty?

For a privately owned scooter, Article 168-1 allows sidewalk riding at up to 6 km/h without endangering pedestrians. For a rental scooter, sidewalk riding was specifically removed as of 1 July 2026.