What happens when you cross the border? It seems that everything is simple: they have presented their documents and are free. But behind this apparent ease lies the well-coordinated work of many services, from border guards to sanitary inspectors. In Kazakhstan, the border control process is based on strict regulations, where every detail matters.
How are checkpoints organized on land, in the air, on water, and by rail? What mechanisms ensure security and compliance with the law? In this article, we will understand why each stage of border crossing is carefully thought out and regulated by fresh regulations. Let's open the veil of what usually remains behind the scenes.
Border control at checkpoints for persons, vehicles, cargo and goods includes:
1) verification of documents and persons, including through the identification confirmation procedure based on fingerprint information, processing of biometric personal data, as well as interviewing persons in order to determine the legality of crossing the State Border, identify violators of the procedure for crossing the State Border, as well as identify persons in respect of whom there are restrictions on entry to the Republic of Kazakhstan established by the laws of the Republic of Kazakhstan Kazakhstan and departure from the Republic of Kazakhstan;
2) verification of documents and persons, including through the processing of biometric personal data, as well as interviewing persons in order to determine the legality of crossing the State Border, identify violators of the procedure for crossing the State Border, as well as identify persons in respect of whom there are restrictions on entry into and exit from the Republic of Kazakhstan established by the laws of the Republic of Kazakhstan;
3) checking the availability of permit marks of all regulatory authorities in order to determine the legality of movement of vehicles, cargo and goods across the State Border, identify and prevent violations of the procedure for crossing the State border;
4) inspection of vehicles, cargo and goods, if necessary – special (in-depth), in order to detect and detain violators of the procedure for crossing the State border;
5) inspection of persons in the presence of signs of violation of the procedure for crossing the State border;
6) escort of vehicles from places of crossing the State border to checkpoints or from checkpoints to places of crossing the State border.
The Chairman of the National Security Committee of the Republic of Kazakhstan approves standard schemes for organizing the passage (sequence of actions of border, customs, sanitary and quarantine, phytosanitary controls, state veterinary and sanitary control and supervision units) of persons, vehicles, cargo and goods across the State Border of the Republic of Kazakhstan:
- at air (aviation) checkpoints;
- at automobile checkpoints.
- at railway checkpoints.
- at sea (river) checkpoints.
Air (aviation) checkpoints
From the moment the aircraft is parked, verification and security measures are carried out to observe the entry, stay, movement, departure of persons and vehicles; import, location, movement, export of goods and goods.
The aircraft crew submits the following documents to the officials of the supervisory authorities for control:
- carrier's document (general declaration);
- a document containing information about cargo and goods carried on board the aircraft (cargo list);
- a document containing information about onboard supplies;
- transport (transportation) documents;
- commercial documents for the transported cargo and goods;
- a document containing information about passengers carried on board and their luggage;
- a document accompanying international postal items;
- phytosanitary documents.
The aircraft commander provides information on the presence (absence) of goods on board the ship, the import of which into the customs territory of the EAEU is prohibited or restricted, including the currency of the member States of the Customs Union and currency values held by the crew members, medicines containing narcotic, strong drugs, psychotropic and toxic substances, weapons and ammunition.
After disembarking persons who have arrived on the aircraft, unloading cargo and goods, officials of border and customs control units carry out a joint inspection of the aircraft in the presence of crew members.
Inspection of cargo and goods is carried out jointly with the customs control unit at the aircraft parking lot during their unloading or in specially designated places.
Customs and radiation control of arriving persons and cargo is carried out in a specially equipped room of the checkpoint, where the documents of arriving persons and cargo are checked.
Automobile checkpoints
Border, customs and other types of control are carried out in accordance with the mode of operation of checkpoints in the order of the queue of arrival of persons, vehicles without prior appointment and accelerated maintenance, except for the operation of electronic queue booking systems at checkpoints.
Upon arrival at the checkpoint of motor vehicles entering the territory of the Republic of Kazakhstan, the regulatory authorities carry out:
1) by a border control unit:
- registration of motor vehicles at the entrance to the checkpoint;
- verification of documents for the right of entry to the Republic of Kazakhstan from persons traveling across the State Border, and entering the results of border control in the information system;
- inspection of motor vehicles together with officials of the customs control unit;
- making a decision on granting persons and vehicles the right to continue driving;
- implementation of radiation control by means of an automated radiation control system and / or portable technical means of radiation control at checkpoints where there are no state revenue bodies (customs control units).
2) by a customs control unit:
- registration of entry of motor vehicles using an automated vehicle accounting system;
- implementation of radiation control by means of an automated radiation control system and / or portable technical means of radiation control;
- implementation of customs control and customs declaration of goods and vehicles;
- inspection of motor vehicles together with officials of the border control unit;
- implementation of transport control by checking the availability and application of documents, determining the weight and overall parameters of motor vehicles through existing control systems;
- implementation of phytosanitary control, state veterinary and sanitary control and supervision, with the exception of laboratory control and laboratory expertise;
- implementation of export control at checkpoints across the State Border with the EAEU member states, which includes: checking and scanning shipping documents, entering shipping documents into the electronic system of the state revenue authority, making decisions on the further movement of goods across the State border.
After carrying out border, customs and other types of control, the border patrol carries out the release of vehicles from the territory of the checkpoint.
The sequence of actions of regulatory authorities when persons and vehicles leave the Republic of Kazakhstan, as well as when goods and services are exported from the Republic of Kazakhstan, is established in reverse order.
Railway checkpoints
If there are baggage cars in passenger trains, the supervisory authorities carry out their external inspection, verification of transportation and accompanying documents for the goods and goods being transported.
When imported into the territory of the Republic of Kazakhstan, cargo in baggage wagons is subject to customs declaration in accordance with the customs procedure of customs transit.
Sanitary and quarantine control in the presence of a risk of deterioration of the sanitary and epidemiological state of cargo and the state of human health during the movement of people and cargo across the State Border is carried out before other types of control are carried out.
Document verification of persons traveling across the State Border by rail is carried out directly in the cars of foreign trains or at the border station in equipped halls, as well as on the platform of the railway station.
Inspection of the interior of cars is carried out by border guards in order to detect and detain violators of the State Border simultaneously with checking the documents of persons traveling across the State Border, with the involvement of members of the train crew.
When entering the Republic of Kazakhstan, customs and other types of hand luggage and baggage controls are carried out after the border guards check their owners ' documents for the right to enter the Republic of Kazakhstan. When leaving the Republic of Kazakhstan, control is carried out in reverse order.
When moving goods, cargo by rail, in respect of which it is necessary to conduct sanitary and quarantine, phytosanitary controls, state veterinary and sanitary control and supervision in accordance with international agreements in the field of health ratified by the Republic of Kazakhstan, the Code of the Republic of Kazakhstan "On Public Health and the health system", the Law of the Republic of Kazakhstan "On Plant Quarantine" and the Law of the Republic of Kazakhstan "On Veterinary Medicine" allows goods to be placed under the customs procedure only after the above-mentioned types of control are carried out.
Customs control units check commercial and other documents that make it possible to identify the goods and cargo being transported.
In cases where the integrity of seals and seals is violated, as well as if there are signs of unauthorized persons hiding in them, individual cars that are part of the arriving train are opened and inspected.
Only border control is carried out at railway checkpoints on sections of the state border with the EAEU member States.
Sea (river) checkpoints
The supervisory authorities control vessels in the following order:
1) sanitary and quarantine control if there is a risk of deterioration of the sanitary and epidemiological state of cargo and the state of human health during the movement of people and cargo across the State border:
- assessment and analysis of previously transmitted information on the sanitary and epidemiological situation on the ship;
- check of the ship's medical and sanitary documentation;
- making a decision on conducting a sanitary inspection of the vehicle (food supply, water supply systems, collection and disposal of all types of waste), as well as inspection for the presence of carriers and vectors of infection (rodents, mosquitoes) or traces of their presence;
- medical examination (survey, thermometry);
- introduction of a plan of operational measures in case of detection of a patient, suspicious persons for infection with a particularly dangerous infectious disease;
- informing the official of the border control unit about the possibility of passage of the vessel and crew members of the vessel, passengers across the State Border;
2) border control:
- survey of the ship's captain;
- disembarkation of passengers, checking their documents, making a decision on passing through the State border;
- checking the entry in the ship's log about the ship's crew inspection (only on vessels under the State Flag of the Republic of Kazakhstan);
- verification of documents, making a decision on the passage of ship's crew members across the State border;
- informing the ship's captain about the ship's crew members who are not allowed to go ashore;
3) customs control in respect of the ship, cargo, goods and vehicles transported on the ship and used as ship's supplies, as well as personal belongings of the ship's crew members is carried out on the basis of verification of the accuracy of the information contained in the documents and the results of radiation control;
4) joint inspection of the ship's premises, cargo, goods and vehicles transported on the ship and used as ship's supplies, as well as personal belongings of the ship's crew members by officials of the relevant regulatory authorities;
5) decision-making by officials of controlling bodies on the passage of a ship, cargo, goods and vehicles transported on board a ship and used as ship's supplies, as well as personal belongings of crew members across the State border;
6) informing the ship's master (shipowner or authorized person) about the decision taken;
7) transfer to the ship's master (shipowner or authorized person) of documents drawn up in accordance with international treaties ratified by the Republic of Kazakhstan and the Law of the Republic of Kazakhstan "On Inland Water Transport".
Sources:
- The Law of the Republic of Kazakhstan "On the State Border of the Republic of Kazakhstan";
- Order of the Chairman of the National Security Committee of the Republic of Kazakhstan dated 23.02.2024 No. 42 / ke "On approval of standard schemes for organizing the passage of persons, vehicles, cargo and goods across the State Border of the Republic of Kazakhstan at checkpoints and other places where the State Border of the Republic of Kazakhstan is passed";
- Order of the Chairman of the National Security Committee of the Republic of Kazakhstan dated 22.02.2024 No. 36 / ke "On approval of the Standard of Conduct of a serviceman of the Border Service of the National Security Committee of the Republic of Kazakhstan during border control".