Kazakhstan and China Digitalize Customs Procedures on Middle Corridor

Kazakhstan Temir Zholy (KTZ), Kazakhstan's national railway company, has announced the digitalization of customs declaration procedures for transit cargo along the Trans-Caspian International Transport Route (TITR), also known as the Middle Corridor, at the border between Kazakhstan and China. In collaboration with Global DTC, KTZ Express - a subsidiary of KTZ - has launched the Tez Customs digital platform. This system transitions customs operations to a paperless format, reducing processing time to just 30 minutes after a train's arrival at the border station. The platform enables preliminary preparation of documents, automatic registration, and issuance of transit declarations. These capabilities optimize logistics processes, enhance transparency at all stages of customs clearance, and significantly reduce the time required for customs operations. Since May 2024, Tez Customs has fully automated customs clearance processes for transit cargo along the China–Central Asia route via Kazakhstan, specifically along the Altynkol-Saryagash section. In October 2024, its scope was expanded to include cargo transported along the Middle Corridor. To date, Tez Customs has processed over 54,000 transit declarations on the China to Central Asia route and more than 5,000 declarations on the TITR. The Trans-Caspian International Transport Route serves as a critical link between China and Europe, passing through Kazakhstan and the Caucasus. More than 80% of all land cargo transported from China to Europe travels through Kazakhstan, according to Kazakh statistics. During the first nine months of 2024, the volume of cargo transported along the Middle Corridor increased by 23% compared to the entirety of the previous year, reaching 3.4 million tons. Projections suggest that by 2030, this figure will rise to 10 million tons annually. The digitalization of customs procedures via Tez Customs represents a significant advancement in the efficiency and transparency of transit operations on the TITR. This innovation reinforces Kazakhstan’s position as a vital transit hub for trade between China, Central Asia, and Europe, while also supporting the continued growth of cargo volumes along the Middle Corridor.

Digitalization Eases Cargo Processing on the Trans-Caspian International Transport Route

On 30 April , Singaporean company Global DTC gave a presentation of multimodal platforms Digital Trade Corridor and Tez Customs at Kazakhstan’s Ministry of Transport. The demonstration reiterated benefits afforded by digitalization in ensuring transparency and high-speed transit of goods through Kazakhstan along the Trans-Caspian International Transport Route (TITR) connecting China and Europe through Central Asia and the Caucasus. The DTC platform, and particularly its Track & Trace service, allows shippers to track the location of cargo and its customs status online, as well as update information on transport documents along the entire route. Work on the technical integration for Track & Trace in Kazakhstan and Azerbaijan has now been completed, and its integration in Georgia is ongoing. Negotiations are also underway with Chinese and European partners. The introduction of the Tez Customs platform, by offering automated, paperless customs transit clearance, registration and electronic transit declaration, has reduced processing to just 30 minutes. During the first quarter of this year, cargo traffic along the TITR increased by 33% compared to the same period last year.