Is Uzbekistan safe? Scams, laws and travel advice

What the UK, US, German and Canadian governments say

None of the four governments advises against travel to Uzbekistan as a whole, and none names Tashkent, Samarkand, Bukhara or Khiva as a risk area. The UK, Germany and Canada single out border areas, and Canada is the strictest: no travel within 5 km of the Afghan border. The US summary names no area. The table gives each government’s wording and date as read on 27 September 2026.

Not every government is as relaxed. Austria puts Uzbekistan at level 2 of its 6 (‘security risk’), and Spain advises travelling with caution, naming the Fergana Valley, Andijan and Surkhandarya. Austria, Spain.

The one live warning concerns flights. The FCDO’s top notice says the escalation in the Middle East has closed airspace and delayed and cancelled flights, including on trips that end outside the region. Leave a free day between an international arrival and a pre-booked train. FCDO.

Crime and scams: pickpockets, fake police, card fraud

Petty theft is the crime tourists meet. The FCDO says pickpocketing and bag-snatching are common in crowded places such as bazaars and public transport; Canada adds restaurants, bars and nightclubs, and says petty crime is more frequent at night in Tashkent, Bukhara, Samarkand and Fergana. Germany reports occasional robberies, mostly after dark, and advises against walking alone through remote districts or underpasses at night. FCDO, Canada, Auswärtiges Amt.

Canada also reports foreigners robbed by men posing as police officers: ask for their ID and offer to walk to the police station together. Card and ATM fraud happens away from reputable shops and banks, Canada says, so use ATMs inside a bank or a shop or in well-lit public places and cover the keypad. Changing money on the street is illegal, with harsh penalties, and exchange booths refuse damaged or marked notes and US dollars issued before 2013 (FCDO). More in money in Uzbekistan.

• Carry a day’s cash and one card; leave the spare card, a passport copy and the rest of the cash in the hotel.
• Where a menu shows no prices, ask before ordering, and count change and exchanged money at the counter.

Taxis, trains and roads: apps and rail are the safer choice

Book cars through Yandex Go or MyTaxi, or at the official airport desk, not in the street. The FCDO says unlicensed taxis are still common, many taxis have no rear seatbelts, and many buses and taxis run on compressed natural gas without following the safety rules. Canada advises avoiding taxis and using ride-hailing apps with fixed fares: licensed and unlicensed cars are hard to tell apart, often have no roof sign or seatbelts, and drivers do not always take the shortest route. If you do take a taxi, Canada advises ordering it through the hotel reception, agreeing the fare first, carrying small notes and never sharing the car with strangers. At Tashkent airport, licensed cars load in lane 1: airport taxis.

Trains are the safer way between cities: Canada calls the rail network extensive and the trains generally safe, and notes that some routes cross neighbouring countries, so keep your passport and the documents for those borders on you. You also show your passport to book train tickets (FCDO). On night trains the FCDO advises keeping valuables out of sight, never leaving the compartment empty and locking the door from inside. City buses are crowded, often without air conditioning, and pickpockets work them; Damas minibuses often have no seatbelts (Canada). On the roads the risks are poor surfaces, bad lighting and erratic driving (FCDO), and Germany advises against driving between cities at night. Install Yandex Go at home, while your usual number still receives codes: SIM and eSIM. Canada.

Travelling alone as a woman: what the advisories report

None of the four advisories warns against travelling alone. Canada lists harassment and verbal abuse among the risks for women travelling alone, and advises conservative dress in rural areas, where Islamic practice is closely followed. Canada, updated 24 September 2026.

Night trains offer a 4-berth coupé or a 2-berth SV compartment. A solo woman who asked on the Caravanistan forum in June 2026 was told, in one traveller’s reply, that berths are often empty and conductors move passengers on request. If sharing an SV with one stranger worries you, book a coupé berth or buy both SV berths.

Modest dress draws less attention outside Tashkent: what to wear. After dark, take app taxis and leave your route with someone at home.

Laws that catch visitors out

Five areas of Uzbek law catch visitors out: drugs, medicines, sex between men, photography and drinking in public. The table cites the official Uzbek text on lex.uz, read on 24 September 2026; for the passport rule it cites the FCDO and Germany.

Hotels register your stay; staying in a private flat, read visa and registration before you arrive.

During Ramadan, cafés and restaurants change their menus and fill up around iftar, the evening meal that breaks the fast, and streets near mosques are busy at prayer times; the FCDO asks visitors to take particular care not to offend religious feelings then. FCDO.

Prescription medicines: the limits and how to declare them

Cabinet of Ministers Resolution No. 191 of 8 June 2016, last amended on 30 June 2026, sets the limits. Up to 10 different medicines, 5 packs of each, enter without a medical document. Psychotropic medicines are always declared; narcotic ones need a medical document, a declaration and at most 7 days’ supply. The Customs Committee’s own summary gives the same figures. Resolution No. 191, paras 5–14, Customs Committee.

The narcotic and psychotropic lists are in Resolution No. 330 of 2015: codeine is on its List II of narcotic drugs, which matches the FCDO’s warning about codeine on entry. From 12 January 2027 the new lists of Resolution No. 359 of 2 July 2026 replace them. Resolution No. 330, Resolution No. 359, FCDO.

Germany reports travellers held at exit over medicines treated as drugs in Uzbekistan and not declared on entry: lab tests lasting days, blood samples and heavy fines. Anything beyond the document or the declaration is confiscated and destroyed (para 14). Auswärtiges Amt.

1. 1

   Check the substance

   Look up each active ingredient, not the brand name, and ask a pharmacist whether it is narcotic or psychotropic.

2. 2

   Get the document

   A doctor’s letter naming the medicine, form, dose and length of the course, plus the original prescription (Canada).

3. 3

   Declare and keep the form

   List the medicines on the customs declaration, keep them in the maker’s packaging in hand luggage and keep the stamped form until you leave.

LGBT travellers: sex between men is prosecuted

Article 120 of the Criminal Code punishes sex between men with up to 3 years in prison, and it is applied: the Interior Ministry’s prison directorate told local media that 44 people were prosecuted under it in 2016–2020 and 49 were serving sentences in April 2021. Gazeta.uz, 22 April 2021.

The article does not cover women, but Germany notes that LGBTIQ relationships are not socially accepted, the FCDO advises against showing affection in public, and Canada tells 2SLGBTQI+ travellers to weigh the risks carefully. Auswärtiges Amt, FCDO, Canada.

Border areas: the Afghan border is the one to avoid

The Afghan border in Surkhandarya is the only area where a government advises against all travel: Canada, within 5 km of it. Germany advises against non-essential trips near every border. The table covers the other border areas on travel routes; the Tashkent–Samarkand–Bukhara–Khiva route carries no area warning in any of the four advisories.

Open crossings: Tashkent to Almaty, Tashkent to Bishkek, Penjikent and on to Dushanbe and, from Karakalpakstan, the train to Beyneu. Which Termez sites lie inside the 5 km belt: Termez. The valley and the Aral: Fergana Valley, Aral Sea.

Terrorism, earthquakes, medical care and air quality

Terrorism is a background risk. The FCDO says attacks cannot be ruled out, and the last cross-border incident it cites is the April 2022 rocket fire from Afghanistan, claimed by Islamic State Khorasan Province. Germany says the extremist threat has not so far been aimed at tourism. FCDO.

Uzbekistan lies in an active seismic zone with regular tremors (FCDO). Medical care is the larger practical risk: the FCDO calls it generally poor, especially in rural hospitals. From November to February air pollution is high in Tashkent and the Fergana Valley. FCDO health. Summer heat from June to August: summer in Uzbekistan.

Demonstrations are rare, and security forces control crowds tightly, Canada says; the large protests in Karakalpakstan in 2022 over constitutional reforms ended in violent clashes. Keep away from gatherings and follow police instructions. Canada.

Emergency numbers: 112 and the 1173 tourist line

Save 112 and 1173. The unified 112 line was set up by Cabinet Resolution No. 304 of 29 May 2024: Tashkent from 1 June 2024 and every region, including Karakalpakstan, by the end of 2024. The FCDO says the old numbers still work. Resolution No. 304, para 6, FCDO.

1173 is the Interior Ministry’s Call Centre for Safe Tourism: 24 hours a day, with operators who speak English, Uzbek and Russian and direct callers to local help. Tourist police have worked in Tashkent since June 2019 and in Samarkand, Bukhara and other cities since the same year; their offices sit in the tourist information centres, and patrols cover the main sights, stations and airports. APTA, Uzbekistan Travel. After a theft, call 102 or 112 for the police and 1173 for help in English.

Watch out

• Canada names harassment and verbal abuse as the risk for women travelling alone; after dark, take app taxis.
• Pickpockets work bazaars and public transport, and men posing as police rob foreigners (Canada).
• Street taxis: unlicensed cars are common and many have no rear seatbelts.
• An undeclared medicine can mean days of lab tests and a heavy fine at exit (Germany).
• Traffic police stop drivers and, Canada says, sometimes ask foreigners for bribes.
• Land crossings close at short notice (Germany); check yours the day before.

Common questions