Name on license plate: what Parliament and Ministry of Internal Affairs think about it

Tengrinews.kz – Starting from January 1, 2026, residents of Uzbekistan will be able to purchase custom license plates with letters and numbers of their choice. For example, a name or city name could be displayed on the plate, according to the Telegram channel UzA.

This development has sparked a natural question among many Kazakh drivers: Will such a practice be introduced in Kazakhstan? Tengrinews reached out to the Ministry of Internal Affairs and Snezhanna Imasheva, Chair of the Committee on Legislation and Judicial-Legal Reform.

What Parliament says

Snezhanna Imasheva clarified that no working group in the Mazhilis has been planned on this matter. Nor have there been any initiatives from deputies or citizens.

According to her, there is no unified stance among parliamentarians.

“Some allow for the possibility of personalized license plates, but only as a means of boosting the state budget, emphasizing that they should be very expensive. Others are categorically opposed, considering the idea unacceptable, arguing that it would highlight social inequality and promote a culture of excessive vanity among young people,” said Imasheva, Chair of the Committee on Legislation and Judicial-Legal Reform.

Response from the Ministry of Internal Affairs

The Ministry of Internal Affairs confirmed that the introduction of personalized license plates for vehicles is not currently under consideration in Kazakhstan.

Growing demand for “beautiful” plates in Kazakhstan

In 2023, specialized Public Service Centers (CSONs) issued almost 30,000 high-demand license plates. Owners paid over 10 billion tenge for them. In 2022, Kazakhstani citizens spent more than 7 billion tenge on VIP license plates.

The main reasons behind this surge include the desire to stand out on the road, emphasize one’s status, or simply obtain a memorable and aesthetically pleasing number.