Cash limits in Uzbekistan: customs and how much to bring

01

How much money can you bring into Uzbekistan?

There is no upper limit on cash entering Uzbekistan if you follow customs rules. The declaration trigger is the combined som value of all cash you carry, rather than a separate allowance for each currency. At or below 100 million som, declaration is optional. Checked 14 September 2026: official government explanation and Resolution No. 66, paragraphs 2–4.

Count dollars, euros, rubles and any som before joining the customs queue. Keep a list of each currency and amount so an officer can check the total. Money already paid to your hotel is a budget item; it is not cash in your luggage.

Use the current som threshold when planning. Do not treat a rounded dollar equivalent in an old travel post as a fixed US-dollar allowance. If you are close to the threshold, ask customs to confirm the conversion before choosing your channel.

02

Can you take the same amount out again?

For an ordinary nonresident visitor leaving with more than 100 million som equivalent, the relevant exception is the unspent balance of cash declared on entry. Keep the accepted arrival declaration. Declaring a large amount only when you leave does not establish that exception. Checked 14 September 2026: Resolution No. 66, paragraphs 5–7.

Up to and including 100 million som equivalent can leave subject to customs controls. Above it, paragraph 6 lists limited exceptions: for tourists, the arrival declaration and remaining balance matter. Different provisions apply to resident government-delegation members and certain documented nonresident receipts; these are not a general permission for holidaymakers. Current rule checked 14 September 2026.

The supporting exit document is personal and can be used once. Keep receipts that help explain spending and exchanges alongside your declaration, and discuss any unusual source of a large cash balance with customs before departure. CBU explanation, checked 14 September 2026.

03

Which form and customs channel should you use?

Use the red channel when a written declaration is required or when you choose to declare voluntarily. The green channel is for travellers without items requiring written declaration; a small cash balance alone does not settle the status of the rest of your luggage. Justice Ministry guidance, checked 14 September 2026.

The form is the passenger customs declaration, called “Yo‘lovchi bojxona deklaratsiyasi.” The Tourism Committee describes a mobile service that uses passport details plus information about the countries, currency and goods carried. Its 19 January 2026 notice, checked 14 September 2026, links the service to the customs digitisation programme. The official mobile declaration entry point is also available.

Record the entire cash amount, not just the part over the threshold. If the digital form will not load or you are unsure of an entry, speak to the officer before passing through. Paragraph 8¹ provides for explanations when a traveller presents undeclared cash for advice before customs control begins. Resolution No. 66, checked 14 September 2026.

1. 1

   Prepare the figures

   Have your passport and a count of each currency ready. Include cash in every wallet and bag you carry.

2. 2

   Declare and confirm

   Use the red channel and have the declaration processed. Ask the officer to confirm how to retain and retrieve the accepted record.

3. 3

   Keep it for departure

   Save the completed record with your travel documents. Do not rely on an unsent form or a screenshot of fields you have not submitted.

04

How much is $100 in Uzbekistan today?

On 14 September 2026, US$100 equals 1,176,576 som at the Central Bank of Uzbekistan reference rate of 11,765.76 UZS per dollar. This is a dated conversion, not a cash-exchange offer. A bank counter's buying rate determines the som you receive when selling your dollars. CBU archive.

For another reference, €100 equals 1,363,887 UZS using 13,638.87 UZS per euro on the same date. This page does not guarantee the current bank rate if you read it after that date; open the CBU archive and compare the bank's buying quote before exchanging.

For a meal benchmark, the Kamolon Osh plov menu showed 53,000 UZS and its salad page 17,500 UZS when checked on 14 September 2026. Two plov portions and one shared salad cost 61,750 UZS per person, about US$5.25 before drinks, bread and any other charge. This is one menu example; the trip-cost guide explains the calculation.

05

How much cash should you carry for 7, 10 or 14 days?

For one adult whose main bookings are prepaid, our worked example allows 300,000 som a day plus a 20% reserve. That produces 2.52 million som for seven days, about US$214 at the reference rate below. Arriving with about US$250 equivalent gives this example some additional room; add every outstanding booking balance.

The trip-cost worksheet separates shared room/vehicle bills from personal expenses. Here we assume accommodation with breakfast, intercity trains, airport/station transfers, selected admissions and phone/data are already paid. Tourist tax must also be settled or added separately. Those are conditions of the example, not inclusions in an OxusRoad offer.

Our chosen daily allowance is 200,000 UZS for food and drinks, 50,000 for local travel and 50,000 for small extras. The allowance and 20% reserve are editorial planning choices, not surveyed prices or a guarantee they cover your choices. The meal benchmark above helps you judge the food line; replace the other lines with your own plans.

Do not carry this table's amount and then discover six unpaid hotel nights. Add accommodation that has not been prepaid, its tourist tax, trains, guides, transfers and larger purchases from your worksheet. If your only backup card is Russian-issued, use the money guide's payment section before assuming you can withdraw the difference.

06

Should you bring euros or dollars, and which notes?

Both USD and EUR appear on Hamkorbank's Uzbek exchange page, checked 14 September 2026. If you already hold euros, compare the complete cost before buying dollars just for this trip. The choice depends on your home conversion cost and the receiving bank's actual cash quote, not which currency has the larger number.

As a packing choice, bring clean, intact notes and a mix such as US$20/50/100 or €20/50/100 so you can exchange part of the reserve. These denominations are suggestions, not a customs requirement or a promise that every machine accepts them. Ask the chosen counter about any unusually large or older note before relying on it.

Condition matters, but “only brand-new dollars are legal” is not the rule. The current bank regulations distinguish usable notes with permitted damage from unusable notes handled through collection; banks may not simply refuse the services specified in paragraph 35. Checked 14 September 2026: Currency Operations Rules No. 3281, paragraphs 35–39.

Ask whether the cashier is offering ordinary exchange, replacement or collection, and confirm the fee and timing before agreeing. Keep some smaller som notes after exchanging so an inexpensive purchase does not depend on a seller having change. For the counter process, ATMs, cards and fees, use the money guide.

07

Can you take Uzbek som out of the country?

Yes. The cash rules cover Uzbek som as well as foreign notes: ordinary export is permitted up to a combined 100 million som equivalent, subject to customs controls; the rules above that amount still apply. There is no separate zero-som tourist limit. Government guidance, checked 14 September 2026.

Before your last exchange, estimate the remaining taxi fare, meals and outstanding hotel charges. Keep a small amount only if it is useful to you, and ask a bank about converting a larger surplus before you leave. Do not assume a bank in your next country will exchange som, or that an airport counter will have every foreign denomination.

For the sequence from landing to the first payment, read Tashkent airport arrival. Use the seven-day itinerary to place those payments along your route.

08

What can still go wrong with the cash plan?

A customs allowance, a usable banknote and a sufficient travel budget answer three different questions. A reserve can be below the legal threshold yet fail to cover an unpaid room. A bank can assess a damaged note separately from ordinary exchange. An accepted declaration must also be available when you need it.

Before leaving home, reconcile prepaid confirmations with the cash worksheet. Before crossing customs, reconcile the declaration with what you actually carry. Before handing money to a cashier, confirm the net amount and service. Keep the accepted declaration and receipts somewhere you can access even if your phone loses power.

Ask OxusRoad for a trip estimate with hotels, trains, transfers, guide days, admissions and mandatory accommodation charges itemised. That lets you subtract the prepaid services and decide which remaining payments need cash.

Common questions