Kazakhstan's National Product Catalog Grows Tenfold to 15 Million Items

In a major step towards digitizing the economy, the National Product Catalog (NPC) of Kazakhstan has undergone a significant modernization. The project is central to creating a transparent system for monitoring trade turnover across the country.

The most notable achievement of this phase is a tenfold expansion of the catalog's database, which now contains 15 million product listings, up from 1.3 million. Each item in market circulation will be assigned a digital passport featuring a unique 13-digit identifier: NTIN for commercial sales and KZTIN for state procurement.

The creation of this unified ecosystem has eliminated historical data fragmentation between customs authorities, the tax service, and the public procurement system. A single classification now enables end-to-end tracking of goods—from production or import all the way to the final customer's fiscal receipt—thereby preventing accounting errors and misrepresentation of product characteristics.

A key feature of the updated NPC is the implementation of a cascading artificial intelligence model. Machine learning algorithms act as a "digital sanitizer," automatically checking and cleansing data of incorrect or duplicate entries. Thanks to intelligent classification, matching products with international standards (such as OKTRU and HS codes) now takes mere minutes instead of lengthy manual procedures, with recognition accuracy exceeding 80%.

Integration with information systems of Kazakhstan's Ministry of Finance, including electronic invoices (E-Invoice) and the state procurement portal, unlocks new opportunities for both business and government. For businesses, this translates to reduced bureaucratic burden, faster export-import operations, and increased process predictability. For the state, it means more effective action against counterfeit goods, real-time price monitoring, and greater economic transparency.

To ensure a smooth market adaptation, a memorandum of cooperation has been signed between Kazakhstan's Ministry of Trade and Integration, Ministry of Finance, and the Atameken National Chamber of Entrepreneurs. The document outlines a gradual implementation plan for NPC requirements.

Starting January 1st, 2026, NTIN/KZTIN codes will become mandatory when issuing electronic invoices (E-Invoice), accompanying shipping notes (SNT), as well as documents on the Unified State Procurement Portal (invoices and acceptance certificates). To facilitate a seamless transition during implementation phases without halting trade operations, a mechanism for temporary XTIN codes has been established.

The revamped National Product Catalog lays the foundation for Kazakhstan's digital economy by eliminating price manipulation risks while ensuring accurate product descriptions across all transactions from origin point through final sale stages where every item can be traced via its unique digital identity tag ensuring full accountability throughout supply chains nationwide.