Kazakhstan takes mail without any suspension, but it asks for things few other destinations do. The postal operator wants a seven-character alphanumeric postcode, the Priority Mail International box stops well short of the usual ceiling, and the prohibited list is distinctly local, from caviar to antlers to passports. Every rule below was read from Kazakhstan's USPS country listing on 2026-08-08.
A seven-character postcode, a shorter box, and a prohibited list built for the place.
The first thing that separates Kazakhstan from a routine international address is the postcode, and it does not look like a United States ZIP.
Kazpost, the designated postal operator, assigns a unique seven-character code to each group of buildings within twenty-two localities of the country, a mix of letters and numbers such as R00H5A9. The listing recommends including it on every item, and publishes the codes at post.kz/postcode, a page in Russian. A parcel without the code is not refused, but it leans on manual sorting at the far end, which is slower and more error-prone than a coded item. For anything time-sensitive the code is worth finding before the label is printed.
Two more addressing rules follow from the same operator. For each item containing goods, Kazpost recommends the addressee's telephone number, a mobile if possible, on the customs declaration, and the addressee's email address where available. On a Registered Mail item the listing asks for the addressee's first name, last name and patronymic in the address field, and the national identity number where possible in the importer's reference or comments field.
Kazakhstan clips the ordinary parcel product to a lower weight than the common ceiling, while leaving the express product higher, which reverses the order a shipper expects.
| Product | Weight ceiling | Size limit | Customs form |
|---|---|---|---|
| Priority Mail International | 44 lb | 42 in longest side; 79 in length plus girth | PS Form 2976-A inside PS Form 2976-E |
| Priority Mail Express International | 66 lb | Per the international manual | PS Form 2976-B inside PS Form 2976-E |
| First-Class Package International Service | 4 lb | Small packet limits | PS Form 2976 |
| First-Class Mail International | 3.5 oz letters; 15.994 oz large envelopes | Letter and flat limits | None unless otherwise required |
| Airmail M-bags | 44 lb | One direct sack to one addressee | PS Form 2976 |
| “Global Express Guaranteed” | Suspended since September 29, 2024 | — | Not applicable while suspended |
A box between 44 and 66 pounds cannot go by ordinary Priority Mail International to Kazakhstan, only by the express product, so a heavy shipment either splits into lighter boxes or moves as freight. The listing also states that articles subject to customs duty may not be sent in ordinary or registered First-Class Mail International, First-Class Package International Service, Priority Mail International Flat Rate Envelopes, or the small flat rate priced boxes, which pushes anything dutiable onto the full parcel product.
Kazakhstan's prohibitions read against its own geography and resources, and several would not occur to a sender working from a generic checklist.
A prohibited item found in transit is a customs matter in Kazakhstan rather than a refund in New Jersey, so the list is worth checking against the contents before the box is sealed.
Beyond the outright bans, a set of goods is admitted only with paperwork, and the requirements are specific.
Radio-electronic and high-frequency equipment requires authorization by the country's Ministry of Transport and Communications. That reaches transmitters and similar devices rather than every gadget, but the line is drawn by the ministry, not the sender.
Recording media, meaning diskettes, video and audio, require that the type of computer and the operating system used for the recording be supplied. A data disc goes with a note about how it was written.
Works of art, antiques and other valuable cultural objects need authorization from the relevant ministry, and a funeral urn of ashes needs a certificate from the licensed crematory or mortuary naming the deceased.
The recipient obtains most of these authorizations inside Kazakhstan, so confirming them before postage is bought saves a parcel from sitting in customs while the paperwork catches up.
The listing sets the recipient's duty-free allowance at 200 euro and 31 kilograms, in force since October 1, 2022. Past either mark the charge is the greater of 15 percent of the amount above 200 euro, or at least 2 euro for each kilogram of weight above 31. Because the ordinary parcel product stops at 44 pounds, a single Priority Mail International box cannot on its own cross the 68-pound duty-free weight line, so in practice one parcel is limited by value rather than by weight.
On extra services, Registered Mail is available for First-Class Mail International, with a return receipt sold only alongside it, and shipping protection is offered on the two Priority Mail International products for merchandise. Restricted delivery, international postal money orders and international reply coupons are all listed as not available, and the postal channel does not settle the recipient's customs charge in advance.
A parcel bound for Central Asia is reckoned from its weight, its dimensions and the day it ships, so a number fixed to this page would not survive contact with the real one. None of the figures above is postage. That calculator only knows domestic distances, ZIP to ZIP, and treats the US border as the edge of the map, so it covers the run to your acceptance point and not the haul on to Kazakhstan.
Send the Kazakhstan leg to freight review with its weight, its dimensions and its contents, and whoever prices it can flag a box that tips past the 44-pound parcel ceiling or into one of the authorization categories above.
Kazakhstan's postal conditions can change without notice, and USPS updates the listing to match. The details here are those the page held on 2026-08-08; confirm them before you mail.
Kazpost, the country's postal operator, assigns a unique seven-character code of letters and numbers, such as R00H5A9, to each group of buildings within twenty-two localities. The listing recommends putting it on every item, and the codes are published at post.kz/postcode in Russian.
Priority Mail International to Kazakhstan stops at 44 pounds, below the 66 that most destinations allow, with a 42-inch longest side and 79 inches for length plus girth. The express product runs higher, to 66 pounds, and M-bags stop at 44.
No. Sturgeon and salmon caviar are prohibited, and so are deer horns, hooves and antlers, along with yellow amber and natural precious stones. The list reads against local wildlife and resource concerns rather than a generic template.
Yes. Radio-electronic and high-frequency equipment requires authorization from the Ministry of Transport and Communications, and recording media such as diskettes, video and audio require information on the type of computer and operating system used for the recording.
The listing asks that a Registered Mail item show the addressee's first name, last name and patronymic in the address, and the addressee's national identity number where possible in the importer's reference or comments field.