Before coming to the Republic of Uzbekistan for any purposes, foreign citizens and stateless persons should obtain a relevant visa following the established procedure.
The main acts regulating the visa regime (entry-exit regulation) in the Republic of Uzbekistan are:
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Procedure for Entry to the Republic of Uzbekistan and Exit from the Republic of Uzbekistan by Foreign Citizens and Stateless Persons (Annex 1 to Decree No. 408 of the Cabinet of Ministers of the Republic of Uzbekistan dated Nov. 21, 1996, as amended)
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Instruction No. 349 for Arranging Entry-Exit Visas for Foreign Citizens, Stateless Persons to the Republic of Uzbekistan dated Jun. 04, 1997, as amended)
Visa types differ depending on certain purposes and reasons of a visiting person. The following types are available:
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D-1 (diplomatic): Permanent employees of diplomatic representatives, consular offices, and representatives of international organizations
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D-2 (diplomatic): Temporary employees of diplomatic representatives; consular offices and representatives of international organizations
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DT (diplomatic): Diplomatic personnel arriving in Uzbekistan for tourist purposes
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S-1 (service): Permanent employees of diplomatic representatives, consular offices, and representatives of international organizations, where such employees do not have diplomatic passports
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S-2 (service): Temporary employees of diplomatic representatives, consular offices, and representatives of international organizations, where such employees do not have diplomatic passports
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S-3 (service): Persons who are coming to Uzbekistan for a business trip, where such persons have been invited by State bodies
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О (official): Members of official delegations coming to Uzbekistan by invitation from the government or parliament
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В-1 (business): Permanently accredited employees of representative offices of foreign firms and companies
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В-2 (business): Business representatives
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Т (tourist): Tourism
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TG (group): Tourist groups consisting of no less than 10 persons
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Е (work): Persons who are employed in the territory of Uzbekistan
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J-1 (mass media): Permanently accredited employees of foreign mass media
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J-2 (mass media): Temporarily accredited employees of foreign mass media
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PV-1 (private): Persons visiting Uzbekistan as guests by invitation of citizens of Uzbekistan
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PV-2 (private): Persons visiting Uzbekistan as guests by invitation of foreigners who are permanently accredited in Uzbekistan
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А-1 (education): Students, interns/trainees, and PhD students studying in the territory of Uzbekistan
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А-2 (teaching): Professors/teachers of schools/universities within the system of the Ministry of Public Education and the Ministry of Higher and Secondary Special Education of Uzbekistan
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С-1 (crew members): Crew members of aircrafts and trains
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С-2:Drivers of vehicles
The nationals of the countries with which Uzbekistan has established a bilateral visa-free regime are not required to obtain visa. Among those countries are:
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Armenia
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Azerbaijan
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Belarus
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Georgia
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Kazakhstan
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Kyrgyzstan (up to 60 days)
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Moldova
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Russia
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Ukraine
Uzbekistan has a simplified procedure for obtaining visas by citizens of the following countries:
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Austria
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Belgium
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France
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Germany
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Italy
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Japan (Uzbekistan and Japan on a reciprocal basis issue visas without charging consular fees)
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Latvia
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Malaysia
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Spain
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Switzerland
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United Kingdom
Citizens of the abovementioned countries may obtain a multiple-entry tourist visa for up to one month and a multiple-entry business visa for up to one year (for citizens of Malaysia – up to 6 months). No tour-voucher or letter to the Ministry for Foreign Affairs of Uzbekistan from an inviting company or an individual residing in Uzbekistan is required. Visas are granted within 2 business days upon submission of all necessary documents.
Generally, visas are issued by Consular Offices of the Republic of Uzbekistan abroad. However, in case there is no Uzbek Consular Office in a given country, a person may obtain visa either:
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in the Consular Office of Uzbekistan which is located in a neighboring country, provided there is a relevant bilateral agreement thereupon; or
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in the Visa Sector of the Ministry for Foreign Affairs of the Republic of Uzbekistan in the international airport in Tashkent.
Since we service predominantly corporate clients (local and foreign), our clients are mostly interested in obtaining a business visa (type B)and/or a work visa (type E), especially when there is no Consular Office of Uzbekistan in their countries. Therefore, below we will provide a short description of the procedures for obtaining those types of visas.
A. Obtaining Business Visa (Type B)
A business visa is issued to representatives of businesses as well as to permanently accredited employees of representative offices of foreign companies.
Generally the following documents are requested:
- copy of a valid passport (its page with photo and date of expiration)
- visa application form in two copies
- letter from either the inviting organization or from the sending organization (an employer)
- two passport-size color photos
- other documents that an issuing authority may request
In case Uzbekistan has no its Embassy or Consular Office in a given country, a visa may be received upon his/her arrival in the Visa Sector of the Ministry for Foreign Affairs of the Republic of Uzbekistan in the international airport in Tashkent. For this purpose, the inviting party in Uzbekistan should apply to the Ministry for Foreign Affairs of Uzbekistan and obtain a confirmation from the Visa Division of the Consular Department. Once the confirmation obtained, the inviting party should send it to the invitee(s). Based on that confirmation, the intended person receives the visa and pays fees accordingly.
Visas are issued within 10 business days, however, one can apply for an expedited visa which is issued within 4 business days upon submission of all requested documents.
A business visa is a multiple-entry visa that may be issued for up to one year. Please note that most commonly a business visa is issued for up to 3 months and only as an exception it may be issued for a longer period.
B. Obtaining Work Visa (Type E)
For a foreign citizen to obtain a work visa (type E), he/she should have an invitation issued by a company registered in Uzbekistan as well as an employment contract concluded for a period of more than 3 months. The procedure for obtaining a work visa is closely related to the procedure for attraction and use of foreign labor force in Uzbekistan. Thus, in order to employ a foreigner in Uzbekistan, the following documents shall be obtained:
1) Permit for Attraction of Foreign Employees (“Permit”), to be issued to employers:
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Uzbek legal entities
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Companies with foreign investment
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Uzbek and foreign citizens who reside in the territory of Uzbekistan and use labor in private households
2) Approval for Employment (“Approval”) to a foreign citizen.
Permit and Approval are issued by the Agency for Foreign Labor Migration of Uzbekistan
Permit and Approval may be obtained upon submission by an employer and a foreign citizen respectively a set of documents, including, among others, an application form, a draft employment contract, a certificate confirming the absence of an HIV/AIDS infection, etc. All such documents are to be arranged by an inviting employer.
Permit is issued within 30 days upon submission of all documents. It may be valid for up to one year and may be prolonged thereafter. It indicates the maximum number of foreign employees that may be hired by an employer.
After receiving Permit, an employer can apply for Approval for its foreign employees. Approval is issued for the period of Permit.
Upon receipt of Permit and Approval, a relevant territorial labor department notifies the Consular Department of the Ministry for Foreign Affairs of Uzbekistan (“MFA Consular Department”) and provides all necessary information on the arriving foreign employee. Based on the provided information and employer’s request, the MFA Consular Department issues a decision on providing visa support to that foreign citizen to obtain the type E work visa.
C. Registration of Stay/Permit of Stay
Once a person arrives in Uzbekistan, he/she must register his/her stay in Uzbekistan within 72 hours upon his/her arrival. If a person stays in a hotel, this is the hotel’s responsibility to register the person’s stay for a period of his/her stay. If a person stays in a place other than a hotel, registration is to be arranged by the host company and the owner of the premises, where the person will stay.
The following categories of individuals are not required to register their stay:
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Heads of foreign States and governments, members of parliamentary and government delegations who are visiting Uzbekistan by invitation of the President of the Republic of Uzbekistan, OliyMajlis of the Republic of Uzbekistan, Jokargy Kenes of the Republic of Karakalpakstan, the Cabinet of Ministers of the Republic of Uzbekistan, the Council of Ministers of the Republic of Karakalpakstan, including technical personnel and family members of the named persons;
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Individuals who arrive in Uzbekistan using passports issued by the United Nations;
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Foreign citizens who are under 16 years old;
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Foreign citizens who arrive in Uzbekistan on holidays and for the weekend or for a period of 72 hours during ordinary (business) days and who leave the country within those days;
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Foreign tourists who visit Uzbekistan if a period of their stay in each particular place of the country is no longer than 72 hours;
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Crew members of foreign military aircrafts (ships) who arrive in Uzbekistan following the prescribed procedure;
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Members of crews of foreign motor vehicles for carriage of goods and transfer of passengers in international traffic, while in the cities or towns on the designated routes, including destinations;
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Members of crews of foreign non-military aircrafts/ships while staying in garrisons and frontier towns; they may stay in other cities, provided it is an organized guided tour; or
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Members of crews of civil aircrafts of international airlines, train crews of international railroad services, while in the airports or train stations which are specified in the existing schedule.
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Please note that for a violation of the entry-exit regulations of Uzbekistan, a person may be subject to deportation with the subsequent restriction of the right to enter the Republic of Uzbekistan for a period of one to three years.
To make sure which visa type you need and what aspects you need to keep in mind while planning your trip to Uzbekistan, it is highly recommended to counsel with a lawyer specializing in such issues.
Tatyana Lee
Partner, Diplomat Law Firm
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