Uzbekistan Visa Rules: The Complete 2026 Guide

Uzbekistan has become one of the easiest countries in Asia to enter. Citizens of more than 90 countries can now visit without any visa. Citizens of more than 40 other countries can get an e-visa online in about two working days. Since 2025 the list has grown again: the Gulf states, China and Jordan were added, US citizens have entered visa-free since 1 January 2026, and some Indian passport holders have been able to since 1 September 2026. This guide covers the rules step by step: who needs a visa, how to get one, and what to do after you arrive. Registration, customs and the new vape ban are all included. We checked the rules against official Uzbek sources and recent news on 19 October 2026. Rules can change at short notice, so please check again shortly before you travel.

1. Quick facts

2. Visa-free entry: the full list

Uzbekistan’s official list of visa-free countries is Annex 5 to Cabinet of Ministers Resolution No. 408 (1996), which has been amended many times. The latest changes were Cabinet Resolution No. 662 (21 October 2025), which added the Gulf states and Jordan and extended China to 30 days, Presidential Decree UP-203 (3 November 2025), which added the United States from 1 January 2026; and Presidential Decree UP-180 (29 August 2026), which created conditional visa-free entry for Indian citizens from 1 September 2026.

The lists below were confirmed on 19 October 2026. We built them from the official legal acts and cross-checked them against Uzbek embassy pages and an Uzbek tour operator’s list updated 15 September 2026.

Total: 93 countries (8 + 1 + 84). Media reports give different totals, such as 86 or “90+”. They count differently: some leave out the CIS countries, and some are older than the US decision. Our count covers every country whose ordinary passport holders can enter without a visa and without special conditions.

No fixed visa-free limit (8 countries, CIS agreements)

Armenia, Azerbaijan, Belarus, Georgia, Kazakhstan, Moldova, Russia, Ukraine.

These countries have bilateral agreements with Uzbekistan. Uzbek embassy pages list no fixed visa-free limit for them. You must still register your stay (see Section 6). Some private websites quote a 90-day limit, but we found no official source for it. If you plan to stay longer than 90 days, check with the migration service first. (Marked as uncertain.)

60 days (1 country)

Kyrgyzstan.

30 days (84 countries)

All stays run up to 30 days from the date of entry.

European Union (27): Austria, Belgium, Bulgaria, Croatia, Cyprus, Czech Republic, Denmark, Estonia, Finland, France, Germany, Greece, Hungary, Ireland, Italy, Latvia, Lithuania, Luxembourg, Malta, Netherlands, Poland, Portugal, Romania, Slovakia, Slovenia, Spain, Sweden.

Rest of Europe (13): Andorra, Bosnia and Herzegovina, Iceland, Liechtenstein, Monaco, Montenegro, Norway, San Marino, Serbia, Switzerland, Turkey, United Kingdom, Vatican City.

Americas (25): Antigua and Barbuda, Argentina, Bahamas, Barbados, Belize, Brazil, Canada, Chile, Costa Rica, Cuba, Dominica, Dominican Republic, El Salvador, Grenada, Guatemala, Honduras, Jamaica, Mexico, Nicaragua, Panama, Saint Kitts and Nevis, Saint Lucia, Saint Vincent and the Grenadines, Trinidad and Tobago, United States (since 1 January 2026).

Asia-Pacific and Middle East (19): Australia, Bahrain, Brunei, China (mainland), Indonesia, Israel, Japan, Jordan, Kuwait, Malaysia, Mongolia, New Zealand, Oman, Qatar, Saudi Arabia, Singapore, South Korea, Tajikistan, United Arab Emirates.

Special rules inside the 30-day group:

• China (mainland): A mutual agreement in force since 1 June 2025 allows up to 30 days per entry, with no more than 90 days in total in any 180 days. It does not cover work, study or journalism. It does not cover Hong Kong or Macao passports.
• Jordan: mutual visa-free regime since autumn 2025.
• Bahrain, Kuwait, Oman: 30 days since 1 June 2025. Qatar and Saudi Arabia were already visa-free and were confirmed at 30 days in October 2025.
• United States: 30 days since 1 January 2026, for all ages. Before that, only travellers aged 55 and over could enter visa-free.
• Tajikistan: 30 days under a bilateral agreement.

Conditional visa-free entry

Important:

• Visa-free entry does not apply to stateless persons, even if they live in a listed country.
• The 30 days start on the day you cross the border. You cannot extend a visa-free stay. To stay longer, you need a visa.
• Visa-free entry works at airports and at open land borders.

3. Five-day visa-free transit

Citizens of the following 29 countries can stay up to 5 days without a visa when transiting by air:

Albania, Algeria, Bhutan, Colombia, Ecuador, Equatorial Guinea, Fiji, Gabon, Guyana, India, Lebanon, Maldives, Mauritius, Morocco, Nauru, North Macedonia, Palau, Peru, Philippines, Seychelles, South Africa, Sri Lanka, Suriname, Thailand, Tunisia, Turkmenistan, Uruguay, Venezuela, Vietnam.

Conditions:

• You must arrive and leave by air, through an international airport. This rule does not apply at land borders.
• You need a confirmed ticket to a third country (not back to where you came from).
• The rule is tied to Uzbekistan Airways tickets. Current tour-operator guidance says the flights into and out of Uzbekistan should both be with the national carrier. The airline sends your details to the Border Service in advance.
• The original 2018 list had 101 countries. Most have since become fully visa-free, so the 29 above are the ones still using the transit rule. Uzbek embassy pages give different counts (31, 35 or 54), so ask Uzbekistan Airways to confirm before you book. (Marked as uncertain.)
• If you are visa-free anyway (Section 2), you do not need this rule.

4. The e-visa

Who can apply

The e-visa is for nationals who are not visa-free. The portal checks your nationality automatically. If your country is not on its list, you must apply through an embassy (Section 5).

Reported eligible as of September 2026 (about 43 to 51 countries):

Albania, Algeria, Angola, Bhutan, Bolivia, Cambodia, Colombia, Ecuador, Egypt, Fiji, Guinea-Bissau, Guyana, Hong Kong SAR, India, Iran, Kiribati, Laos, Lebanon, Maldives, Marshall Islands, Mauritius, Micronesia, Morocco, Nauru, Nepal, North Korea, North Macedonia, Palau, Paraguay, Peru, Philippines, Samoa, Seychelles, Solomon Islands, Sri Lanka, Suriname, Thailand, Tonga, Tunisia, Uruguay, Vanuatu, Venezuela, Vietnam.

Also listed by some sources (confirm on the portal): Bangladesh, Cabo Verde, Cameroon, Côte d’Ivoire, Gabon, Ghana, Senegal, South Africa.

There is no single official, up-to-date list online, so the country drop-down on e-visa.gov.uz is the final word. Uzbek embassy pages give different totals (for example, 57). As far as we could find, Pakistani citizens are still not on the e-visa list. Pakistani press reported plans for an e-visa or visa on arrival in 2025, but we could not confirm that either is in force. (Marked as uncertain.)

Key facts

Warning about fake sites. Many websites look official and charge USD 50 to 150 for the same USD 20 e-visa. Some never deliver a visa at all. Type e-visa.gov.uz yourself. Do not click adverts. The domain must end in .gov.uz.

How to apply, step by step

1. Go to e-visa.gov.uz and choose your language.
2. Select your nationality, passport type and visit purpose.
3. Enter your planned arrival date and stay.
4. Fill in your personal and passport details exactly as they appear in the passport.
5. Upload a recent colour photo. Use a plain white background, face the camera, and keep your face fully visible with no hat or sunglasses. The portal shows the exact size and file limits.
6. Upload a clear scan of your passport photo page.
7. Give a working e-mail address. You will receive an activation code there.
8. Pay the fee online.
9. Track your application on the portal’s status page.
10. Download the e-visa PDF when it is approved.

What to print and carry

• Print the e-visa and keep a copy on your phone. Some sources say officers accept a digital copy, but others say they want paper. Paper is the safe choice.
• Travel on the same passport you used to apply. If you renew your passport, you need a new e-visa.
• The e-visa cannot be corrected. If there is a mistake in your name or passport number, apply again.
• Each traveller needs their own e-visa, except children under 16 travelling with a parent (see Section 8).

5. Embassy visas, airport visas and invitation letters

Embassy (consular) visas

If you are not visa-free and cannot get an e-visa, apply at an Uzbek embassy or consulate. Common examples are citizens of Pakistan, Afghanistan, Iraq, Nigeria and several other African and Asian countries. Official consular fees (USD):

Embassies may add administrative charges, which differ by country. Citizens of some countries follow different procedures under bilateral agreements.

Main categories under Uzbek law: tourist (individual and group), business, pilgrimage, guest (private visit), work, study, academic, medical, journalist, transit, crew and driver, and a multiple-entry investor visa. Since October 2025, business visas for citizens of 15 countries are processed faster: 2 working days for Austria, Belgium, the Czech Republic, France, Germany, Italy, Japan, Latvia, Malaysia, Spain, Switzerland and the UK, and 3 working days for the UAE, Iran and Pakistan. For Iran and Pakistan, processing can take up to 10 days in exceptional cases.

Letter of invitation (LOI / “visa support”)

• When it is needed: for most embassy visas (tourist, business, guest) for nationalities that cannot use the e-visa, and for any airport visa.
• Who issues it: the Consular Department of Uzbekistan’s Ministry of Foreign Affairs, at the request of a host in Uzbekistan. For tourists the host is usually a licensed tour operator. For business trips it is a company. For private visits by relatives or friends, the request goes through the migration authorities.
• Timing: allow about 7 working days, sometimes more. The MFA can refuse without giving reasons.

Is there a visa on arrival?

There is no general visa on arrival for tourists. Uzbekistan does have MFA consular points at international airports, mainly Tashkent, which can issue visas on arrival. You must have visa support (an LOI) approved in advance, and the airline must know about it before you board. This is mainly for travellers from countries with no Uzbek embassy, or in urgent cases. Do not fly without a pre-approved visa or LOI. Visas are not issued at land borders.

6. Registration (“propiska”)

Every foreigner must be registered at their place of stay. This is the most common source of problems for visitors, so please read this section.

• Deadline: within 3 days of arrival. UK government advice says weekends count toward the 3 days. An Uzbek embassy page says weekends and public holidays do not count. To be safe, assume calendar days.
• Hotels and licensed guesthouses register you automatically through the E-mehmon system from the first night, at no extra charge. Ask the reception for your registration slip, or confirm that your stay appears in E-mehmon.
• Private stays with friends, family or apartment rentals: the host must register you online at emehmon.uz or at the local migration office. A small state fee applies. Many short-term rental hosts do not do this, so ask before you book.
• Camping or tent trips: you must register yourself on E-mehmon within 3 days and pay the tourist tax for each night.
• Moving between cities: each new place of stay should be registered. Hotels handle this automatically.
• Russian citizens: under a Russia–Uzbekistan agreement, Russians are reported to be exempt from registration for the first 15 days. After that the normal rules apply.
• Kazakh citizens: under a ratified bilateral agreement, Kazakhs can stay up to 30 days without registration.
• Children under 16 are reported not to need separate registration when staying with their parents. (Confirm with your hotel.)
• Keep every slip or confirmation until you leave. Officers sometimes check registration on exit, more often at land borders. Gaps of a few nights (for example, an overnight train) are normally not a problem. Long unexplained gaps can be.

Fines (Administrative Code, Art. 225, per the Ministry of Internal Affairs):

*BRV (base calculation value) = 440,000 UZS since 1 September 2026. USD amounts are approximate.

A court can order deportation and an entry ban instead of a fine. You may have to stay in Uzbekistan until the case is heard.

A bill that would tighten penalties for hotels and other accommodation providers that register guests late passed its first reading in parliament in July 2026. It is not yet law.

7. Passport, borders, customs and banned items

Passport

• UK government advice says your passport must be valid for at least 3 months after arrival. Uzbek embassy pages say 6 months. Travel with 6 months’ validity and at least two blank pages.
• Make sure you get an entry stamp. Border officers check it when you leave.

Air vs land borders

• Visa-free entry and the e-visa are both valid at airports and open land borders.
• The 5-day transit rule and the Hong Kong/Macao short stay are air-only.
• Not every land crossing is open to foreigners, and opening hours vary. See our separate guide to Uzbekistan’s land borders.
• Land-border checks are usually slower and more thorough. Expect bag searches and questions about medicines, cash and registration.

Customs basics

• Cash: foreign cash above 100 million soums (about USD 8,400 at current rates) must be declared on entry and on exit. You cannot take out more foreign currency than you declared on entry. UK government advice uses USD 10,000 as the limit, but the official Uzbek threshold is 100 million soums, so declare anything above about USD 8,000. Decree UP-174 (27 August 2026) tells the authorities to draft a law, by the end of December 2027, raising the no-declaration limit to USD 10,000; it is not in force. If you declare, the declaration must cover the full amount you carry, not just the excess.
• Declaration form: if you need to declare, fill in the passenger declaration in two copies. Have both stamped, and keep yours until you leave. At Tashkent airport the “green channel” is for passengers with nothing to declare.
• Valuables: declare precious metals or gemstones over 65 g.
• Duty-free personal goods (since 1 May 2025): up to USD 1,000 by air, USD 500 by rail or river, and USD 300 by car or on foot (including the land borders with Tajikistan and Kazakhstan). New phones must be declared in the red channel.

Medicines

• Carry prescription medicines in their original packaging, with a copy of the prescription and a doctor’s letter, and declare them.
• Codeine, tramadol, strong painkillers, sleeping pills, ADHD medicines and some anxiety medicines are controlled. Reported limits are about a 7-day supply of narcotic medicines and a 15-day supply of psychotropic medicines, and only with medical documents. Some ordinary medicines from Europe that contain codeine can cause serious problems. If in doubt, leave them at home or ask the Uzbek embassy first.

Drones

• Importing drones is generally prohibited. Use requires several permits (radio frequency, Uzaviation registration and airspace clearance).
• Foreign film or creative teams can apply for temporary permission through the Ministry of Tourism. Ordinary tourists usually cannot.
• Undeclared drones are confiscated, and travellers have been prosecuted. Leave your drone at home unless you have written permission before you travel.

Vapes: banned since 1 March 2026

Law No. 1098 (27 November 2025) bans the production, storage, transport, purchase, sale, import and export of e-cigarettes, vapes, liquids (with or without nicotine) and their parts. The ban took effect on 1 March 2026. Penalties range from fines with confiscation to criminal liability for repeat or large-scale cases. Heated-tobacco devices such as IQOS and glo are reported to be outside the ban. Do not bring a vape, even in your hand luggage.

8. Extensions, overstays, re-entry and children

Extending your stay

• Visa-free stays cannot be extended. If you need more time, leave and re-enter, or arrange a visa.
• Visa holders can apply for an extension online on my.gov.uz (Citizenship section), or at the migration office of the Ministry of Internal Affairs. Apply at least 10 days before your visa expires, with a reason and supporting documents. Review takes up to 15 working days. You then pay the state fee and hand in your passport for the new sticker.
• E-visa holders: it is not clear whether the online extension covers e-visas. If you need more time, contact the migration service or your tour operator at least 10 days before your stay ends.

Overstaying

Overstaying is treated as a violation of stay rules. You pay the fines in Section 6, and deportation or an entry ban is possible. You may have to stay until a court decides your case. Even one day matters, so plan your exit date carefully.

Re-entry and “visa runs”

• There is no published limit on how many times visa-free travellers can leave and re-enter. Each new entry starts a new 30-day period.
• Exception: Chinese citizens may stay no more than 90 days in any 180 days.
• Officers can refuse entry to anyone they suspect of living or working without a permit. Frequent back-to-back visa runs, for example via Kazakhstan or Tajikistan, can attract questions. This is not a guaranteed way to live in Uzbekistan long term.

Children

• Children need their own passport.
• Children under 16 from visa-required countries can enter without a visa when travelling with a parent or legal guardian. They can stay as long as the adult, up to 90 days. A child who turns 16 during the stay needs a visa from the migration service before leaving.
• For a child travelling with one parent, or with other adults, carry the birth certificate and a notarised consent letter from the absent parent(s). We found no official rule requiring this for foreigners, but border officers can ask, and it avoids delays.

9. Health, insurance and money on arrival

• Vaccinations: no certificates are required for entry.
• Travel insurance: we found no official requirement for tourists (Georgia, nearby, introduced compulsory insurance in 2026, but Uzbekistan has not). We strongly recommend it, including medical evacuation cover, especially for mountain trips.
• Currency: the Uzbek som (UZS). You can exchange US dollars or euros (clean, recent banknotes) at banks, at the airport and in hotels. ATMs in Tashkent, Samarkand and Bukhara usually accept Visa and Mastercard. Outside the big cities, carry cash.
• VAT refund: since 1 February 2026, foreign visitors can get their Tax Free (VAT) refund in cash when leaving Uzbekistan. Keep your Tax Free receipts.

10. Helpful tips and common mistakes

1. Using a fake e-visa site. Only e-visa.gov.uz is official, and it costs USD 20.
2. Not checking the list again. Rules changed four times between 2025 and 2026. Check your nationality again a few weeks before travel.
3. Assuming 30 days means “a month”. Count the days. The day you arrive is day 1.
4. Staying in unregistered apartments. If you rent privately, make sure the host registers you on E-mehmon, or split your stay with registered hotels.
5. Throwing away registration slips. Keep them, plus the hotel invoices, until you have left the country.
6. Bringing a drone or vape. Both are effectively banned.
7. Undeclared medicines, especially those containing codeine.
8. Cash above the limit without a declaration. Declare it on arrival. You cannot take out more than you brought in.
9. Passport close to expiry. Aim for 6 months’ validity.
10. Transit rule misunderstandings. The 5-day transit is air-only and depends on Uzbekistan Airways tickets.
11. Indian travellers: visa-free entry needs a multiple-entry visa from one of the listed countries, valid during your trip, plus an onward air ticket. Without these, apply for the e-visa.
12. Crossing into Tajikistan or Kyrgyzstan and back: you will need a fresh entry to Uzbekistan. Check that your e-visa type (single, double or multiple) covers every entry.

11. Travel to Uzbekistan with TravelX

TravelX is a licensed tour operator based in Tashkent (Hilal Biz LLC). We arrange private and group tours, airport and inter-city transfers, train tickets, guides and multi-day itineraries across Uzbekistan and Tajikistan.

• Hotels that register you. All accommodation we book is licensed and registers you automatically through E-mehmon.
• Up-to-date advice. We follow the rules every day at the border and can tell you what applies to your passport.
• Visa support. Where your nationality needs an invitation letter, we can advise on the process. In many cases we can request visa support through the official channels as your host tour operator. Approval is always decided by the Uzbek authorities.
• Cross-border trips. We arrange combined Uzbekistan–Tajikistan itineraries, including land-border transfers.

Contact us

• Website: travelx.uz
• WhatsApp / phone: +998 97 652 25 25
• E-mail: info@travelx.uz
• Instagram: @travelx_uz

This guide is general information, not legal advice. Entry decisions are made by the Uzbek border authorities. Always check the latest rules with an Uzbek embassy or the official portals before you travel.

12. Sources

Official and legal sources:

• Cabinet of Ministers Resolution No. 408 (21 Nov 1996), rules on entry, exit and stay of foreigners, with Annex 5 (visa-free list)
• Cabinet of Ministers Resolution No. 662 (21 Oct 2025), which added Bahrain, Saudi Arabia, Oman, Qatar, Kuwait, China (30 days) and Jordan, and created the fast-track business visa list
• UzA (state news agency), Decree UP-180 of 29 Aug 2026 on Indian citizens with recognised visas
• Gov.uz, types of entry, exit and transit visas, and e-visa fees
• Gov.uz, obtaining, extending and refusing entry visas, and consular fees
• Ministry of Internal Affairs, memo for foreign citizens (registration and fines)
• Civil Aviation Agency, drone rules
• Official e-visa portal
• E-mehmon registration system
• Embassy of Uzbekistan in Germany, visa-free entry rules
• Embassy of Uzbekistan in Malaysia, visa information
• Embassy of Uzbekistan in Kuwait, consular fees
• UK Foreign Office, Uzbekistan entry requirements (updated October 2026)
• Beijing Municipal Government, China–Uzbekistan mutual visa exemption

News sources:

• Kun.uz, US visa-free from 2026
• Spot.uz, Decree UP-203 (US citizens)
• Kun.uz, Bahrain, Kuwait, Oman visa-free from 1 June 2025
• Kun.uz, China–Uzbekistan 30-day visa-free
• Spot.uz, October 2025 resolution (six countries plus China, business visas)
• Yuz.uz, Indian citizens with recognised visas
• Spot.uz, Hong Kong 30-day agreement announced (not yet in force)
• Spot.uz, online visa extension on my.gov.uz
• Spot.uz, vape ban from 1 March 2026
• Anhor.uz, cash declaration threshold of 100 million soums
• Economist.kg, proposed USD 10,000 cash export limit
• Kun.uz, registration enforcement bill (July 2026)
• Anhor.uz, cash Tax Free refunds from 1 February 2026
• Buxgalter.uz, BRV of 440,000 UZS from 1 September 2026

Cross-check sources (industry):

• Advantour, Uzbekistan visa page (updated 15 Sep 2026)
• T—Zh, entry rules for Russians (Feb 2026)
• Visasam.ru, customs rules 2026