What took effect on September 1
Since September 1, 2026, amendments to the Customs Union technical regulation TR CU 010/2011 "On the Safety of Machinery and Equipment" have been in force. They were approved by the Council of the Eurasian Economic Commission in Decision No. 36 of March 13, 2026; Kazakhstan's signatory was S. Zhumangarin. The decision was published on the EAEU legal portal on April 8.
The part of the amendments most noticeable for the special machinery market will start to apply later. From April 1, 2028, a new list of products whose conformity is confirmed by certification takes effect, and self-propelled machinery moves from declaration to mandatory certification. From the same date, Kazakhstan, Armenia, Belarus and Kyrgyzstan will begin applying requirements for machine identification numbers, a ban on manufacturing machinery from used components, and new requirements for the technical description. No such deferral is provided for Russia: there these provisions apply from the moment the decision enters into force, that is, from September 1, 2026. At the same time, until the decision's transitional provisions expire, Russia does not restrict the circulation of machinery that was placed on the market in the four other countries without applying these requirements. Kazakhstani importers and dealers have about a year and a half to prepare.
Which machinery will fall under certification
The new list of objects subject to certification includes, in particular:
- mining machines and mining equipment, hoisting and transport machines and lifting cranes, ore-processing equipment and screens;
- off-highway heavy-duty vehicles;
- floor-type trackless industrial transport, forklift trucks, electric forklifts and stackers;
- machines for earthmoving and land reclamation work and for quarry development and maintenance;
- road and construction machines, except mechanized tools;
- self-propelled forestry machines, non-stationary equipment for the peat industry and municipal services, snow-compacting machines, industrial tractors.
The procedure changes in substance: a certificate will be issued only by accredited bodies after a full cycle of tests in accredited laboratories under approved methods. Russia's Ministry of Industry and Trade, whose words Inbusiness.kz quotes with reference to Interfax, explains the change by saying that declaration could not fully protect the EAEU market: the documents contained distorted test results, or there was no information that tests had been carried out at all. Roman Chekushov, State Secretary and Deputy Minister of Industry and Trade of Russia, believes the amendments will ensure compliance with safety requirements.
The identification number on the frame
The amendments introduce uniform rules for identifying self-propelled machines and special-purpose trailers, similar to the VIN of cars. The main requirements:
- the number may be the machine's PIN or a VIN; if the manufacturer does not use them, the number must consist of 17 characters: digits and Latin letters, except I, O and Q;
- it must remain unique for at least 30 years;
- the first three characters encode the manufacturer, and the code is assigned by the competent authority of the manufacturer's country; characters 4 through 11 describe the main characteristics of the machine, the 12th denotes the year of manufacture or the model year (the letter T corresponds to 2026), followed by the serial number;
- the number is applied at least once to the frame or another non-removable part so that it is visible from the outside, and in documents it is written on one line without spaces;
- if a manufacturer from an EAEU country builds a machine on another maker's base machine, it applies its own new number, and the base machine's earlier number also stays on the machinery.
In addition, the decision adds to the regulation requirements for the technical description that the manufacturer, its authorized person or the seller submits when confirming the conformity of self-propelled machines and trailers. According to Russia's Ministry of Industry and Trade, the single number will link information about the machine, including certification data, in one system at all stages: from production and sale to registration and operation.
What will happen to the old documents
The decision sets a transitional period for documents that have already been issued:
- conformity documents issued before September 1, 2026 remain valid until their expiry, but no later than September 1, 2031;
- until the same date it is permitted to manufacture products and place them on the market under these documents;
- machinery placed on the market while such documents were valid may remain in circulation for the service life set by the manufacturer.
A separate rule applies to Armenia and Kyrgyzstan: there, for products under items 15-31 of the new list, which include off-highway heavy-duty machines, loaders, quarry and road-construction machinery, declaration remains permitted after April 1, 2028, up to April 1, 2040. But such machines may be placed on the market, moved and operated only in the country where the declaration was issued. The declaration states explicitly that the product is not intended for circulation in Belarus, Kazakhstan and Russia.
What importers, dealers and fleet owners should do
- Check document expiry dates. It is worth compiling a register of declarations and certificates by the models on sale and in stock and marking which ones expire before 2031.
- Discuss certification with the factories in advance. Find out from manufacturers how and when they plan to obtain certificates. Tests in accredited laboratories take time and money, and putting this question off until spring 2028 is risky.
- Do not count on Kyrgyz declarations. A machine declared in Kyrgyzstan under the preferential regime cannot circulate in Kazakhstan.
- Write the number into contracts. For deliveries after April 2028 it is useful to state in the contract that the number is applied to the frame according to the regulation's rules and matches the number in the documents.
- Take the ban for assemblers into account. Companies that assemble machinery for sale from used components and assemblies need to rethink their model: from April 1, 2028, manufacturing machines from such components is prohibited in Kazakhstan. The exceptions are machines made for the manufacturer's own needs, as well as the use of used bed frames of large-size stationary equipment and used parts and assemblies of turbine equipment.
Owners of existing fleets should keep in mind the clause on circulation of machinery: machines released under documents issued before September 1, 2026 may remain in circulation for the entire service life set by the manufacturer. The new requirements will primarily affect machinery that is imported and placed on the market after April 1, 2028.
Sources
- Правовой портал ЕАЭС, "Решение Совета ЕЭК № 36 от 13.03.2026 О внесении изменений в технический регламент Таможенного союза «О безопасности машин и оборудования» (ТР ТС 010/2011)", 2026-04-08: https://docs.eaeunion.org/documents/461/10603/
- Альта-Софт, "Решение Совета ЕЭК от 13.03.2026 № 36 «О внесении изменений в технический регламент Таможенного союза «О безопасности машин и оборудования» (ТР ТС 010/2011)»", 2026-10-24: https://www.alta.ru/tamdoc/26sr0036/
- Альта-Софт, "Главные изменения в сертификации с 1 сентября 2026 года", 2026-09-01: https://www.alta.ru/laws_news/130723/
- Inbusiness.kz, "В ЕАЭС вводят сертификацию самоходной спецтехники", 2026-04-14: https://inbusiness.kz/ru/last/v-eaes-vvodyat-sertifikaciyu-samohodnoj-spectehniki
- IFCG, "С 1 сентября 2026 года меняются правила сертификации машин и оборудования в ЕАЭС", 2026-04-13: https://www.ifcg.ru/news/2026-04-13/s-1-sentabra-2026-goda-menautsa-pravila-sertifikacii-masin-i-oborudovania-v-eaes/
