Published
07/22/2025, 12:45The Kyrgyz authorities have tightened controls on motor vehicles imported from China after discovering a scheme to understate engine sizes in order to evade customs duties. According to the Forensic Service under the Ministry of Justice, the vehicles in question are mopeds, scooters and motorcycles with engines exceeding 49 cubic centimetres, but this parameter has been deliberately underreported in the documents.
Since July this year, the expert service has been receiving official requests from law enforcement agencies to conduct technical examinations of vehicles. As of the middle of the month, 59 such requests had been sent, with an additional 16 applications received from private citizens. The owners of the motorcycles report that after drawing up the reports, law enforcement officers advised them to contact the SES to obtain a conclusion on the engine capacity.
The situation has attracted increased public interest, with queues forming outside the expert service building and videos of citizens' complaints appearing on social media. However, according to the SES, there are no longer any large gatherings of people.
The expert service notes that work is proceeding as usual, taking into account the high workload. The engine capacity is checked using a calculation method — by measuring the cylinder and piston stroke. At the same time, experts do not have the right to open the engine themselves; this is done by the vehicle owner in their presence.
The service emphasises that it acts strictly within its competence and does not register or issue documents for motor vehicles. Expert examinations are carried out as requests are received in order of priority.
The investigation into cases of importing vehicles with falsified specifications is ongoing.
