Uzbekistan customs rules for international visitors

Permission to enter and permission to carry belongings are separate matters. Passport control checks your travel document and visa, if required. Customs separately checks cash, new purchases, phones, medicines and restricted items. Prepare for both checks before departure.

Follow the control procedure at your border crossing. Where green and red corridors operate, choose according to your baggage and cash. If you must declare an item or are unsure of its category, ask an officer before entering the green corridor and use the red one. A declaration does not replace a permit for a restricted item.

Check the rules for your nationality, travel-document type, purpose and length of stay: visa-free entry, e-visa or consular visa. Rules for one passport cannot be assumed to apply to another, even if both holders live in the same country. Confirm the last permitted day of stay before booking your return journey.

Check your passport validity and name spelling against the rules for your entry category and visa details. If your itinerary crosses into a neighbouring country and returns to Uzbekistan, check the number of permitted entries, your right to enter that country and the chosen border crossing. Do not rely on a visa on arrival without prior confirmation from the Ministry of Foreign Affairs; it is not generally guaranteed.

Check whether you need a visa for your nationality in the Uzbekistan MFA visa list (in English). If you need an e-visa, apply through the official e-visa.gov.uz portal.

Duty-free limits for personal goods and exceptions are set out in Resolution No. 244 (in Uzbek).

The cash threshold for entering and leaving is set out in Resolution No. 66 (in Russian). Check the current versions before travelling.

From 1 May 2025, Resolution No. 244 sets value limits for non-commercial goods carried for personal use: up to $1,000 when arriving by air, $500 by rail or river and $300 through a road or pedestrian crossing. This is a value limit, not permission to import any item that falls below it.

The duty-free allowance does not apply if you spent less than two calendar days abroad before entering by road, rail or river, less than three calendar days before entering by air, or travelled abroad three or more times in one calendar month. In such cases, the unified customs payment is calculated on the full value of imported goods; with an ordinary excess, it applies to the excess. Used personal effects are assessed separately based on signs of use and the circumstances of the trip.

From 8 February, customs considers the quantity of personal medicines, repeated crossings, purpose and length of travel. From 2 March, an imported mobile device must be listed in the passenger declaration regardless of its price; an exception applies to a device bought in Uzbekistan and already registered in the IMEI database.

From 9 April, revised quantity limits apply to alcohol, tobacco, perfume and dietary supplements. The current personal-baggage guidance appears below; check the contents, quantity and documents for your particular items before travel.

You may bring cash into Uzbekistan without an amount limit, but you must declare the entire amount of cash in Uzbek sums and foreign currency if the combined equivalent exceeds UZS 100 million. At exactly UZS 100 million or less, declaration is voluntary. This is not a fixed US-dollar threshold: the equivalent depends on the exchange rate on the day you cross the border.

Exporting up to the equivalent of UZS 100 million is generally permitted without a separate amount restriction. Above that amount, you need a basis allowed by the current rules and a declaration. For a non-resident visitor, such a basis may be the unused portion of cash declared on entry. Keep the processed copy. An ordinary bank exchange certificate alone does not entitle you to export an amount above the threshold.

The red corridor is for items and cash requiring written declaration, and for voluntary declarations. The cash threshold is separate from the value of goods: if the combined equivalent of all cash currencies exceeds UZS 100 million, enter the full amount, not just the excess. Purchases are subject to a value allowance based on how you enter; it does not apply to the value of a temporarily imported car.

Customs may inspect baggage even in the green corridor. If an item must be declared, tell an officer before choosing the green corridor. You can complete the passenger declaration on paper or electronically; a document prepared in advance must still be presented to an inspector. Keep the processed copy, especially if you plan to take out a large amount of cash later.

If you are travelling as an ordinary tourist, do not pack a drone without a confirmed permit basis in advance. The restriction also covers components and spare parts; small size and a personal filming purpose do not in themselves grant permission to import or fly it. A declaration without a permit does not make a prohibited import lawful.

A special temporary-import procedure is available for a foreign creative group filming material about tourism potential. Before travel, contact the competent tourism authority or Uzaviation and obtain the confirmed application procedure. In addition to permission to import and use the drone, you may need radio-equipment authorisation, registration and operating approval for the aircraft, plus airspace permission for the flight.

A foreign tourist may temporarily import a foreign-registered car for a non-commercial trip. On entry, complete a passenger declaration with vehicle details; customs will issue a re-export undertaking based on the driver’s identity document and the vehicle registration certificate. The period without an additional charge is up to 90 calendar days in total during a calendar year, counted from the temporary-import processing date. A separate charge and procedure apply beyond that period.

The driver needs a valid licence and vehicle documents; if the owner is not travelling with you, bring evidence of your right to use the car. Check third-party liability insurance: if your international policy is not valid in Uzbekistan, arrange local cover on entry. Carry the customs undertaking and take the car out within the recorded period. Personal purchases in the boot are assessed separately: the duty-free goods limit at a road crossing is $300, subject to the allowance conditions.

Drone procedures are explained by Uzaviation (in Russian). Temporary import of cars is governed by the Customs Code, Articles 158–159 (in Russian).

You can check the insurance obligation in the official vehicle-insurance guidance (in Russian).

The declaration procedure is set out in Instruction No. 2606 (in Uzbek). Confirm the status of your specific crossing before travel.

Check the active ingredients shown on each medicine package, including combination products. Resolution No. 330 contains List I of substances prohibited from circulation in Uzbekistan, as well as Lists II and III of controlled substances. These lists identify substances, not medicine brand names. A link to the full current text appears below.

Lists II and III include codeine, tramadol, diazepam and zolpidem: do not automatically treat products containing them as ordinary travel medicines. If a medicine contains a List I substance or its classification is unclear, ask the Customs Committee about the exact ingredients and dosage before travel. A prescription by itself does not waive import and declaration rules.

Personal-medicine limits and documentation are set out in Resolution No. 191 (official Uzbek text). The full prohibited List I and controlled Lists II–III are in Resolution No. 330, annexes 4–6 (in Russian).

If you need to declare an item, you can open the advance declaration service (in Russian) in advance. Sign-in is required; check whether you can access the service as a foreign tourist. Present the prepared declaration to the inspector.

For an uncertain ingredient or dosage, contact the Customs Committee (in Russian) before departure. Recheck the lists before travel.

A foreign visitor who lives permanently outside Uzbekistan generally must register their place of stay within three working days after entry, unless a different period is set by law or an international agreement. At a hotel or other official accommodation, the responsible staff member enters the details through E-mehmon. Ask for proof of registration and keep it until departure.

If you are staying with friends or in private accommodation, arrange registration with your host at the local migration office in advance. If you change cities or accommodation, check registration at the new address. Registration does not replace a visa or extend your permitted stay.

For goods worth up to $5,000 taken out of Uzbekistan, Resolution No. 244 allows departure without a passenger declaration, except for goods subject to export duties under the law. Some items have separate quantity limits and permit requirements. Do not treat the value limit as blanket permission to export antiques or controlled goods.

Before flying, recount your cash against the UZS 100 million threshold. For a non-resident planning to take out more, the unused amount shown on the entry declaration and other conditions of Resolution No. 66 matter. Keep receipts for souvenirs and, where required, proof of export permission. Check your destination country’s rules separately.

CAJ can help coordinate cities, transfers and travel dates. Customs decides on the admission of goods and examines declarations. If your route uses a land border, confirm the exact crossing and its current status before departure.

Discuss your route with CAJ

For cash used day to day and exchange, read Money in Uzbekistan. Check visa requirements separately on Uzbekistan visa guide.

If travelling overland, check the specific crossing on Uzbekistan border crossings before departure.

If you need an e-visa, use the official e-visa.gov.uz portal. Check passport details and the number of entries before payment; review customs rules separately before travelling.