Travel Uzbekistan: things to know before you go

Documents and flight

Dear guests! Please, check before leaving a passport and visa to Uzbekistan under the terms of your stay! Pay your attention: the validity of the passport must be not less than 6 months from the departure date from Uzbekistan.

Please note! The day before departure you need to check the departure time on the airport's website – the air carrier can make changes. Check-in starts 2-3 hours and ends 40 minutes before departure, please, don't be late. After registration, please promptly board your flight. Boarding time ends 40 minutes before departure. 

The terms and conditions of baggage carriage (hand baggage) for the flights of Uzbekistan Airways:

• The maximum weight of hand luggage (standard baggage + accessory) per passenger must not exceed 10 kg.

• Allowable Dimensions: 55 cm (l) x 35 cm (W) x 25 cm (h) - including pockets, wheels and handles.

Precautions at the airport – keeping an eye on your luggage, do not leave it unattended

Airport and customs regulations

To avoid violation of customs legislation when entering into Uzbekistan, during customs control and registration you need to know below coming information: 

• Since January 2018, all passengers can import and export from Uzbekistan cash foreign currency priced under $2,000 without customs duties. Passage of customs control through the "green corridor." No need to fill Custom declaration form T6. 

• Bringing foreign currency in cash into republic of Uzbekistan as well as traveling cheque is allowed in unlimited amount for non-residents but must be declared if the amount more than 2000 USD in custom form T-6. This data is necessary only for statistics purposes to Customs Committee of Uzbekistan:

In this case, a passenger needs to fill out Custom declaration form T6 by declaring foreign currency in cash (more than 2000 USD), currency values, inventory holdings, and other belongings of private use in 2 copies. Both of them must be given to the customs officer for approval. IMPORTANT: one will be kept by the officer and one will be returned to you and you need to keep it until departure time. In other words, you fill 2 declarations, one you give at the beginning and the second copy you keep until departing time and return to the officer while departing (please keep a second declaration form carefully prior to departure from the country).

• While departing if you have cash foreign currency priced under $2,000, you don’t need to fill Custom declaration form T6. And you can pass through the "green corridor."

• Export cash foreign currency from the country without the permission of the Central Bank can now be within the amount equal to or not exceeding the equivalent of $ 5,000

List of items prohibited to import into Republic of Uzbekistan:

You need to have possession of a prescription for medical drugs if they contain psychotropic substances. It is banned to import medicines into Uzbekistan for commercial purposes. In this case, foreign guests are recommended to take only the most important medications. You can find the list of prohibited drugs HERE

List of items prohibited to import into the Republic of Uzbekistan

• Publications, manuscripts, cliché, pictures, illustrations, photos, photographic films, photo negatives,

• Movie – video – audio products, gram records, sound materials aimed or related to undermining state and social regime, braking territorial integrity, political independence, and state sovereignty, propagandizing war, terrorism, violence, national oneness, and religious hatred, racism, and its variety (anti-Semitism, fascism) as well as pornographic materials.

• Prohibited import and export of rare and disappearing sort of animals in the Republic of Uzbekistan, listed in Red Book.

• Import of goods, by a natural person, for commercial activity, required registration of this person as an individual entrepreneur with the right for import and export operations.

• Limit of import of precious metals, not obliged by custom fees, are 5 units with a total weight of no more than 30 grams. Import and export of precious metals and jewelry for commercial aims are carried only with a license given by the Ministry of External Economic Relations and Trade of the Republic of Uzbekistan.

• Import of radio-electronic facilities and high-frequency equipment carried only with the approval of the appropriate authority of the Republic of Uzbekistan. (Centre of Electromagnetic Compatibility of Communication and Information Ministry of Uzbekistan)

• To import photogenic and animal origin, a special permit needs from the appropriate authority of the Republic of Uzbekistan. (Sanitary -Epidemiology Station)

• Import and export of drugs and medical equipment allowed only with permission of the Ministry of Health of the Republic of Uzbekistan.

• Not showing in the customs declaration and not presenting to the customs inspector during the oral inquiry of foreign currency in cash, inventory holdings, and other belongings, will be understood and appear as the factor of breaking custom laws of the Republic of Uzbekistan. When such law-breaking facts of custom laws are found, they will be validated with procedural documents according to articles of customs code of the Republic of Uzbekistan. 

Not declaring in Customs declaration and not presenting to the customs inspector during the oral inquiry of foreign currency in cash, inventory holdings, and other belongings, will be understood and appear as a factor of breaking Customs Law of the Republic of Uzbekistan. When such law-breaking facts of Customs Law are found, they will be validated with prosecution documents according to articles of the Customs Code of the Republic of Uzbekistan.

When you visit Uzbekistan

When you exit the airport tour guide or driver will meet you with a nameplate, specified in your voucher - after passport control, getting luggage, and going through customs, you go outside to the meeting place. Next, you go to the bus, minivan, or sedan. For check-in, you need to say your name (or voucher number) and show your passport, then will be given your room key.

Hotel registration:

Please, point it out! According to the Uzbekistan law of the tourist stay, when you leaving the country, it is necessary to submit a document, called a registration card.

To obtain it, you should give your passport to the hotel’s reception. You have to take it from the hotel for each night of your stay in the country. Keep them safe, you might need to show them on demand of customs when you leaving the country.

Alcohol drinking in Uzbekistan:

Please note, that drinking alcohol on the streets and in public places is strictly forbidden by law, so please observe this rule in order to avoid unpleasant situations with the local police. In Uzbekistan you can buy only local alcoholic drinks – there are no imported alcohol in the country, so if you have a specific preference for certain liquor brands, don't forget to bring them with you (you can buy them duty-free), in Samarkand, Bukhara, Urgench, Nukus, Termez no duty-free!

IMPORTANT NOTE: Please, do not forget to get an official CERTIFICATE / RECEIPT of bought souvenirs (carpets, etc.) in any shop or market showing that it’s not antique. Antique time life in Uzbekistan is not older than 75 years. Without this receipt (certificate) Customs Officer can stop you and confiscate these souvenirs and start Criminal Case on departure at the airports and borders of Uzbekistan.

WE WISH YOU A PLEASANT TRAVEL!