16:00, 03 марта 2026, Bishkek - 24.kg news agency , Myrzaiym ZHANYBEK KYZY
It is planned to ban the import of vehicles not equipped with catalytic converters to Kyrgyzstan. Member of Parliament Adilet Belekov presented the bill at a meeting of the Committee on Law and Order, Crime and Corruption Prevention of Parliament.
According to the bill’s initiator, catalytic converters are installed by manufacturers to filter harmful emissions, but in Kyrgyzstan, there has been an increase in cases where they are removed for resale.
«The absence of a catalytic converter is not just a violation of environmental regulations; it is a direct threat to public health. The main goal of the bill is to ban the import of vehicles without these devices. We also plan to restrict the ability to re-register vehicles without a catalytic converter,» the member of Parliament explained.
The deputy noted that currently, installing new catalytic converters imported from Russia costs from 5,000 to 15,000 soms.
Adil Belekov emphasized that if the law is passed, ordinary citizens who drive cars without catalytic converters will not be fined. The primary focus is on encouraging owners to purchase filters when importing or selling their vehicles in the future.
During the discussion of the initiative, it became clear that the drafters lack precise statistics. Deputy Adil Belekov was unable to answer questions from colleagues about the number of cars imported into Kyrgyzstan annually without catalytic converters and the percentage of vehicles driven in the country that do not have them.
As of December 31, 2025, there were 1,909,961 officially registered vehicles in Kyrgyzstan. A laboratory report on the technical condition of vehicles (including the presence of a catalytic converter) is currently not required when re-registering vehicles.