Russia - Kazakhstan Customs Union
 

As of July 1, there will be a customs union between Russia and Kazakhstan.

Russia, Kazakhstan to set up customs union - BusinessWeek

This SHOULD mean border posts are reduced to immigration facilities from that date as far as we are concerned. Since most of the time to cross a border from RU to KZ is taken up with customs paperwork, this should reduce a typical crossing from the current 2 hours to more like 15-30 mins .... with any luck ... if it all goes to plan.

Oh that would be excellent news since we will be entering Kazakhstan beginning of July and then going back to Russia middle of July on our way to Mongolia.

I can confirm this information soon.

Excellent news, Colebatch!

Thanks for posting this.

Thanks ... will be great if you can give us an 'on the ground' update in early July

We will be entering to Kazakhstan perhaps between 5th or 7th of July so i try to give information as soon as possible.

Since we have traveller with us who speaks fluent russian i am sure there are no communication problems asking about this custom union and how it affects.

Tirpse

I just got information that custom union between Russia and Kazakhstan is old thing so most likely nothing has/will be changed after first of july considering also the fact that border crossing between Russia and Kazakhstan like many other border crossing has sometimes their own ways to handle things.

I will believe it when I see it.

Yep - sorry if this sounds like preaching doom and gloom, but bear in mind that some customs unions apply between the countries that are members, but not for 3rd country nationals ie someone Russian may not be subject to customs control passing into Kazakhstan (or vice versa) but this may not apply to someone from the EU.

Rather in the same way that customs duty isn't payable on things moving from 1 EU member state to another, but it is on things entering the EU. Or (this is immigration not customs) EU nationals can move between member states freely, but non-EU nationals remain subject to immigration control.

Not quite so.

Immigration controls remain in place for all people (home, EU or other) for entering each of (therefore moving between) the individual states of Ireland, Cyprus, Romania, Bulgaria and UK.

All people, including non-EUs, can move freely between all other EU member states plus Switzerland, Norway and Iceland (collectively the Schengen Area) but only once they are within the area.
Non-EUs require a Schengen Visa to get into the zone. When in, it is borderless for all from an immigration point of view.