Uzbekistan travel tips: visa, safety, money, SIM and trains

Is Uzbekistan safe? Yes, with a few rules to know

Yes, for ordinary trips. On 24 September 2026 none of the four government advisories in the table advised against travel to Uzbekistan as a whole, and none singled out Tashkent, Samarkand, Bukhara or Khiva. The exception is the Afghan border in the far south: Canada says to stay 5 km away from it, and the UK describes a fenced military zone along the Amudarya where approaching the fence or taking photos can lead to arrest.

The everyday risk is petty theft. The FCDO names pickpockets and bag-snatchers in bazaars and on public transport; Canada adds that petty crime is more frequent at night in Tashkent, Bukhara, Samarkand and Fergana, and reports robberies by fake police officers: ask for their ID and offer to walk to the police station. Take taxis through an app (Yandex Go, MyTaxi) or at the official airport desk, never a car that stops for you in the street, and change money only at banks, because street exchange is illegal.

Advisory details, border areas and scams are in Is Uzbekistan safe?.

• Medicines: up to 10 different medicines, 5 packs of each, enter without a doctor’s document. Psychotropic medicines must always be declared; narcotic ones, codeine included, need a medical document, a declaration and no more than 7 days’ supply.
• Sex between men is a crime under article 120 of the Criminal Code, punishable by up to 3 years in prison, and prosecutions happen.
• Photos are banned at strategic sites (bridges, railway installations, government and military buildings, borders), often without a sign; amateur photos in Tashkent metro stations are allowed. Drones are banned from import.
• Carry your passport: police check documents often, and the FCDO says you can be fined without it.
• Posts online: the FCDO warns that disrespectful posts about the country, including criticism of the government, can lead to fines or detention.

Do you need a visa for Uzbekistan?

Most visitors do not. The Uzbek foreign ministry’s list gives up to 30 days without a visa, counted from each entry, to passports from the US, the UK, all 27 EU states, Switzerland, Canada, Australia, Japan, South Korea and dozens of other countries. The passport’s nationality counts, not the country you live in. For Russia, Kazakhstan, Belarus and five other former Soviet states the ministry sets no limit at all.

Registration is separate from the visa. Hotels register every foreign guest online through the E-mehmon system within 3 working days of entry: ask for the confirmation and keep one from each hotel. In a private flat the host has to register you, so settle it before you arrive. Russian citizens are exempt for their first 15 days, Kazakh citizens for 30 days per visit.

Nationalities on the e-visa list apply at e-visa.gov.uz: US$20 for a single entry, $35 for two and $50 for multiple entries, issued in 2 working days, so apply at least 3 working days before arrival. For passport validity the ministry asks for 3 months beyond a consular visa; for a visa-free trip we suggest a passport with at least 6 months left.

The full nationality list, conditional entries and private-stay registration: Uzbekistan visa and registration. Going on to Kyrgyzstan? See its entry rules.

Tashkent airport: from arrivals to the city

Passport control, baggage, then customs: declare cash above 100 million som and any psychotropic or narcotic medicines before you walk out, and if you will use a local SIM, ask customs how to record your phone. International flights use Terminal 2 and domestic flights Terminal 3; on a connection to a domestic flight you collect your bags and check them in again.

Licensed taxi firms and Yandex Go pick up passengers in the first lane outside arrivals. In December 2025 the airport announced in-city fares from 50,000 som with the official operators and 20 minutes’ free waiting in that lane; agree the total before your bags go in. City buses 40 and 67 stop at the airport, but drivers take no cash: a ride costs 1,700 som paid electronically, or 3,000 som with a QR ticket bought at a kiosk beforehand. A rise to 2,500 som for electronic payment has been proposed from 1 October 2026.

The National Bank’s exchange counters in the arrivals and departures halls work 24 hours. Install Yandex Go and your bank’s app before you fly, while your home number still receives codes.

Tashkent has two railway stations: Toshkent Markaziy (Central, also called North) for the Afrosiyob and the day train to Khiva, and Toshkent Janubiy (South) for the night trains to Khiva. Give the driver the name printed on your ticket. No rule sets a minimum time between landing and a train; on a first trip, sleep in Tashkent and take the train the next day. The full sequence is in arriving at Tashkent airport.

Trains: the Afrosiyob, other routes and tickets

Trains are the easy way between the big cities. The Afrosiyob high-speed train runs from Tashkent’s Central station to Samarkand in 2 h 25 min and to Bukhara in 4 h 6 min. Economy to Samarkand costs 311,000 som, business 455,000 and VIP 709,000 on the tariff in force since 1 February 2026; the class changes the seat, not the journey time. The slower Sharq runs on the same line and is the first fallback. For Khiva, search for the Jaloliddin Manguberdi or train 706 from Bukhara, not the Afrosiyob.

Tickets go on sale at eticket.uzrailpass.uz 60 days before departure at 10:00, local time at the train’s starting station. Search by station rather than by train name, enter each passenger’s passport in Latin letters and pay by Visa or Mastercard. Save each PDF offline: a domestic e-ticket needs no printout, and the conductor checks your passport at the door.

Holidays and weekends sell out first, the operator said in April 2026, and in June 2026 the transport minister said that at least 30% of people who want an Afrosiyob ticket cannot get one. Seats come back when unpaid orders expire or tickets are returned; station ticket offices hold no hidden reserve. A refund more than 24 hours before departure costs 15,000 som per seat; within 24 hours the railway also keeps half the seat part of the fare, within 6 hours all of it. Tickets cannot be moved to another date.

• Night trains in summer: open-plan platzkart cars have no air conditioning; in 4-berth coupé cars it has been included in the fare since 19 July 2024.
• In Bukhara the trains stop at Buxoro-1 station in Kogon, outside the old town.
• Booking step by step, and what to do when a date looks sold out: Afrosiyob and train tickets. Every route with its train, road and flight options: Uzbekistan routes.

Money: cash in dollars or euros, plus a card issued outside Russia

Plan on both. The currency is the som (UZS); on 14 September 2026 the Central Bank’s reference rate was 11,765.76 som per US dollar and 13,638.87 per euro, and bank counters buy cash slightly below it. Notes run from 1,000 to 200,000 som. Change clean dollar or euro notes at a bank counter with your passport, ask for small notes and count the money before you leave the window.

At ATMs, a Visa or Mastercard from another bank costs 1.5% per withdrawal at Kapitalbank and Hamkorbank, plus your own bank’s charges; if the screen offers to bill you in your home currency, choose som. Since 1 April 2026 alcohol, tobacco and fuel can be paid only by card or payment app; since 1 June 2026 hotels and restaurants are allowed to take cash for alcohol and tobacco again, shops are not.

How much cash: for a week with hotels and trains paid in advance, our worked example is 300,000 som a day per adult plus a 20% reserve, 2,520,000 som or about US$214 at the reference rate. We suggest arriving with about US$250 per adult, plus any hotel bill still to pay. Customs sets no cap on cash coming in, but above 100 million som equivalent, all currencies together, you must declare it in writing; keep the form to take the unspent part out again.

ATMs, rates and failed payments: money in Uzbekistan. The customs form and 10- and 14-day budgets: cash limits and customs.

SIM card or eSIM: what to buy and where

For taxi apps, local calls and SMS codes, get a local SIM or local eSIM with an Uzbek number. Ucell’s Bor 70 costs 70,000 som a month for 70 GB, unlimited local calls and 1,500 SMS; Beeline’s Hello 2 costs 100,000 som for 50 GB (prices checked 13 September 2026). A travel eSIM such as Airalo’s gives data only: enough for maps and messaging apps, but it has no Uzbek number and receives no SMS.

The word eSIM describes how a line is installed, not what it includes: an eSIM from Ucell or Beeline is a full local line. Before you fly, check that your phone is unlocked and supports eSIM; on an iPhone, Settings → General → About should show “No SIM restrictions” next to Carrier Lock. If your home number stays on as a second line, choose which line carries data, because roaming charges on the home line continue.

Buy at an operator’s office or an authorised dealer, with your original passport and the phone: every local number is registered to a passport. Ucell also issues eSIMs to non-residents online in its app, after a passport scan and a face scan, and charges 0 som for a new eSIM connection; its instructions list only the local Uzcard and Humo cards for payment, so if your card is refused, go to an office. Beeline’s Hello plans are sold only to visiting foreign tourists and stop working in roaming, so they end at the border. Ucell closed its old Tourist 70, 100 and 150 plans to new customers on 14 November 2025; ignore them in older trip reports.

A phone used with a local SIM must also pass UZIMEI, the national register of IMEI codes. A foreign phone can stay on its temporary list for 60 days in total per calendar year, under the rule in force since 8 February 2026, and the allowance does not restart with each trip. Dial *#06# to see the IMEI, check its status on uzimei.uz before paying any fee (the fees are published there) and call 1170 with questions. If registration is needed, it goes on the same passport as the local SIM. A phone that keeps its home SIM on roaming needs no registration.

Customs and UZIMEI keep separate records. On arrival, tell the customs officer that the phone is for personal use and that you will use a local SIM: the Digital Technologies Ministry treats the entry declaration as proof that a phone was imported lawfully. The Customs Committee’s own lookup at uzimei.customs.uz shows the customs record.

• Install and test Yandex Go and your bank’s app at home, while your usual number still receives codes, and keep bank authentication on that number.
• Before you leave the counter, test mobile data with Wi-Fi off, an incoming SMS and the balance screen.
• Download maps, tickets and your hotel address before intercity trips and stops such as Nuratau or the Aral Sea: the size of a data plan says nothing about the signal there.

Weather and what to pack

Summers are hot and winters cold; for walking the old towns, spring and autumn are the easiest seasons. In July the average maximum is 36 °C in Tashkent and 38–40 °C in the south and the desert, and Bukhara reached 46.9 °C in July 2026; the Ministry of Health advises staying in the shade from 12:00 to 16:00 in the heat. Month by month: when to go to Uzbekistan.

• All year: a scarf or long trousers for mosques, and medicines in their original packaging with the prescription.
• Winter: ask the hotel how the room is heated before you book, above all in Khiva, the coldest city on the usual route.

What to wear, alcohol rules and local customs

There is no dress code for tourists in Uzbek law. The only clothing offence is covering your face in public so that you cannot be identified (Administrative Code, art. 184-4; fine of 10–15 base amounts, 4.4–6.6 million som); a headscarf that leaves the face visible is fine. The rest is custom: Tashkent is the most relaxed, the old towns of Samarkand, Bukhara and Khiva come next, and villages and the Fergana Valley are the most conservative. Covered shoulders and knees are never wrong.

At working mosques and shrines, cover shoulders and knees, women cover their hair, take your shoes off where the carpet starts and follow the sign or the attendant at the door; never photograph people at prayer. Rules differ from one door to the next, so carry a scarf all day. Pilgrimage sites such as Bahauddin Naqshband outside Bukhara and Hazrati Imam in Tashkent are where this matters most; we avoid working mosques at the Friday midday prayer.

Alcohol is legal from 21 in licensed bars, restaurants and hotels and at weddings and other celebrations. Drinking on streets, in parks, at stadiums or on any public transport, trains included, costs a fine of 220,000 som, half a base amount; a second offence within a year costs 220,000–880,000 som or up to 15 days’ arrest. Online sale with delivery is banned, except for natural and sparkling wine. Smoking and vaping are banned in restaurants, cafés, hotels, museums, trains, stations and parks outside marked areas (fine about 146,700 som). How to pay for alcohol: see money.

Ramadan 2027 is expected to begin on 7 or 8 February, and the first day of Eid al-Fitr (Ro’za hayit), a public holiday, is expected on 9 or 10 March. No rule bans eating in public, and cafés stay open; by day outside Tashkent, eat in a café or on the train rather than while walking, as Canada asks visitors to be discreet.

• Greetings: men shake hands with men, often with the left hand on the heart; with a woman, wait for her to offer her hand. A nod with a hand on the heart is always polite.
• Bazaars: bargain at stalls and souvenir stands, not where prices are printed; once you agree a price, pay it.
• Invited home: shoes off at the door, bring sweets or fruit, let the host break the bread (non) and pour the tea, and never put bread face down.
• Couples keep public affection low-key, more so in villages. Ask before you photograph people.

Tipping: check the bill first

Tipping is not compulsory, and a service charge is often on the bill already. In November 2025 the Competition Committee said it had received complaints about restaurants and cafés adding 10–15%, sometimes 20%, for service on top of menu prices; it warned them to announce such charges in advance and not to charge for services they do not provide.

Look for the service percentage on the menu or a sign before you order. If a charge appears that nobody announced, ask for it to be removed; the Committee’s complaints line is 1159. No official or local source sets tips for guides and drivers, so we give no amount; where service is on the bill, rounding up is enough in our view.

Travelling alone, including as a woman

Travelling alone is fine: none of the UK, US, German or Canadian advisories advises against it. Women should expect some unwanted attention, and Canada warns of harassment and verbal abuse of women travelling alone. In the evening use app taxis, at night avoid isolated districts and underpasses (Germany’s advice), and outside Tashkent choose modest clothes, which draw less attention.

On night trains, a 2-berth SV compartment means sharing with one stranger; if that bothers you, book a 4-berth coupé or buy both SV berths. Alone, you pay for the whole room or the whole car, while trains, tickets and meals cost the same. A private trip works for one traveller too: see on your own or arranged.

Travelling on a Russian passport

Russian citizens enter Uzbekistan without a visa, on the foreign-travel passport (zagranpasport) only. Five facts decide the trip:

• Document: the zagranpasport, under the 2005 protocol to the 2000 travel agreement. The internal passport is not accepted and a child needs a zagranpasport too; talks on entry with an internal document, ordered in spring 2025, had produced no agreement by 24 September 2026.
• Stay: the Uzbek foreign ministry sets no limit on visa-free stays for Russian citizens.
• Registration: none for the first 15 days from entry, under an agreement in force since 4 June 2022; after that, the hotel or host registers you.
• Cards: Mir has not worked since UZCARD suspended it on 23 September 2022, and Visa and Mastercard issued in Russia do not work abroad. Bring US dollars or euros in cash; the options are in Russian-issued cards.
• Without a working card you cannot buy alcohol or tobacco in a shop or fuel at a filling station (card-only since 1 April 2026), so agree that your driver pays for fuel.

Common questions