Customs Services

Your partner in customs regulation matters

Any company engaged in foreign economic activities faces customs risks.

Underestimating them leads to serious consequences—from fines to criminal liability.

We conduct high-quality assessments of potential customs risks and provide recommendations for their reduction or minimization.

Situations Where We Can Help

You are planning a goods shipment and want to reduce costs, but do not know how
You are signing an investment contract or plan to apply other preferences, but there are limitations
You need a reliable customs representative
You are unsure whether customs regulations are being followed by your employees
You have been scheduled for a customs audit
You received a notification from customs about a significant additional assessment of customs duties

How We Will Help You

We will analyze your situation and provide the best logistics recommendations
We will help you build an optimal model for applying preferential instruments
We will provide a team of highly qualified customs specialists for customs clearance of your cargo
We will conduct a customs audit, identify risks, and provide specific recommendations for minimizing them
We will support you during a customs audit with minimization of additional assessments
We will develop a defensive position and prove it at all levels of appeal or in court

Why Us

A results-oriented team with extensive practical experience both in customs authorities and in advising businesses on customs matters

Over 100 years of combined experience of our experts in customs authorities and customs-related structures
Practical solutions implemented by our clients across more than 50 complex customs projects
Experts who contributed to the development of EAEU and Republic of Kazakhstan customs legislation

Our Cases.
How we helped our clients

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16

When court decisions to invalidate transactions do not result in additional assessments

Brief description of the case:

When a desk audit notification arrives referencing already-issued civil court decisions

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16

VAT with penalties: when businesses can also claim compensation

Brief description of the case:

Our team represented the interests of a major investor in a case reviewed by the Supreme Court of the Republic of Kazakhstan on the matter of

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16

Successful court practice on VAT refunds: September 2024 results

#Legal practice

#Tax practice

Brief description of the case:

In September 2024, we participated in 6 cases in first instance and appellate courts, and in all cases

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16

Cancellation of additional assessments under Notification - 1.5 billion tenge

#Customs practice

Brief description of the case:

Comprehensive support for a client (the world's largest oil service company) during a customs audit by the territorial State Revenue Department

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16

Additional assessment amount of 5.5 billion tenge excluded

Brief description of the case:

Successfully challenged environmental inspection results regarding waste classification generated at...

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16

Challenged damages for above-standard violations

#Legal practice

Brief description of the case:

Challenged environmental inspection results regarding dust from CHP waste, challenged damages for above-standard violations amounting to 1.2 billion tenge.

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16

Peaceful settlement of dispute within court proceedings

#Tax practice

Brief description of the case:

Peaceful settlement of dispute within court proceedings with tax authority regarding notification recognition

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16

Consulting on transfer pricing matters

#Tax practice

Brief description of the case:

Consulting on transfer pricing matters for transactions totaling $200 million USD.

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16

Theft scheme prevented

#Legal practice

Brief description of the case:

Full legal support for conducting internal investigation into theft incidents at

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16

Court challenge of tax authority's claim

#Legal practice

Brief description of the case:

Court challenge of tax authority's claim to invalidate transactions of a major trading company for procurement and sale of scrap...

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16

Proved unlawfulness of tax authority demands amounting to $6 million

#Tax practice

Brief description of the case:

Successfully appealed tax authority demands against a major oil production company regarding historical compensation fees

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16

Court decisions regarding property worth over 2.5 billion tenge overturned

#Legal practice

Brief description of the case:

Appeal to the Supreme Court of Kazakhstan for a foreign investor against court decisions invalidating a purchase and sale transaction

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16

Customs authority claims of 156 million tenge withdrawn

#Customs practice

Brief description of the case:

Comprehensive audit support (consulting company personnel on audit-related matters, communications with

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16

Notification for 50 million tenge cancelled

#Customs practice

Brief description of the case:

Prepared appeal against notification based on customs audit results and supported it at Customs Committee and State Revenue Department. As a result, cancelled

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16

Additional assessments of 1.6 billion tenge cancelled

#Customs practice

Brief description of the case:

Company support at the Appeal Commission of the Ministry of Finance of Kazakhstan regarding appeal of customs authority actions on additional assessments

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16

Customs value reassessment of 600 million KZT cancelled

#customs practice

Brief description of the case:

Successful challenge of a customs reassessment of over 600 million KZT for a major retail company over the inclusion of franchise royalty payments in customs value

Why It Is Important Not to Delay Seeking Our Help

Benjamin Franklin: “An ounce of prevention is worth a pound of cure”

A consultation during the planning stage costs less than firefighting later
A well-developed defensive position at the pre-trial stage provides reliable protection of interests in court
An independent assessment of internal processes will protect you from claims by a dissatisfied customs officer in the future
Properly structured customs clearance processes will not attract undue scrutiny

Get an Initial Analysis of Your Situation — for Free

At a meeting or call, our expert will:

1

assess your situation

2

identify the main approaches to resolving the issue

3

propose a conceptual position

The Key to Success

The key to success is customs experts with strong theoretical and practical training, with many years of experience at Big4 and in customs authorities. Based on our accumulated experience, we can predict how events are likely to develop with a high degree of confidence and provide the right recipes.

Nikolay Yefimchuk

Nikolay Yefimchuk

Associate Partner

Nikolay Yefimchuk

Associate Partner

15 years in the Ministry of Finance of Kazakhstan system - heading the department's legal service. Over 9 years of practice at Big4 and leading international consulting firms.

Nikolay Pak

Associate Partner

Head of Customs Consulting

Associate Partner

Head of Customs Consulting

16 years of practice in customs authorities, 6 years in international consulting (Big4, leading international consulting firms).

Alibek Kemelov

Customs Practice Manage

Customs Practice Manage

17 years of experience in customs authorities. Participant in working groups on development and refinement of customs legislation and regulations.

Нурбулат Абдулов

Нурбулат Абдулов

Ассоциированный партнер

Нурбулат Абдулов

Ассоциированный партнер

Нурбулат является экспертом с 22-летним стажем аналитической, контрольной и управленческой опыта работы в таможенных органах, из которых более 7 лет - на руководящих должностях в Комитете государственных доходов и Департаменте госдоходов

Елизавета Костьева

Елизавета Костьева

Руководитель отдела по таможенному оформлению

Елизавета Костьева

Руководитель отдела по таможенному оформлению

Елизавета имеет более 24 лет опыта работы в качестве эксперта по вопросам таможенного декларирования. Прошла путь от специалиста по таможенному оформлению до руководителя подразделения таможенного декларирования. Имеет значительный опыт в области таможенного регулирования.

Our Services

We provide a wide range of services on customs matters:

Consulting on Customs Valuation

Analysis of Opportunities to Apply Tariff Benefits, Preferences, Investment and Other Special Regimes

Full support for customs clearance and customs declaration of goods

Conducting internal customs audit and assessment of customs risk levels

Support During Customs Audits

Appealing Tax Notifications: Do Not Accept Additional Assessments on Formal Grounds

Training on Customs Legislation

Representing clients' interests before government authorities and courts

Consultation

Need our help?
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