Money in Uzbekistan: cash, cards and ATMs

01

Should you bring cash or rely on a card?

Use both if your banking arrangements allow it. An international card can cover purchases and withdrawals where the merchant, ATM and issuing bank support the transaction. Keep enough accessible cash for the expenses you cannot postpone: reaching your accommodation, paying an outstanding room balance and eating before your next planned bank stop.

HUMO’s Uzbek-language documentation records integration with Visa and Mastercard. That establishes a payment route; it does not prove that a particular hotel, shop or ATM will accept your card today. Ask the business which international networks it accepts before placing an order or relying on a card-only checkout. HUMO

For a seven-day Uzbekistan itinerary, mark the payments due in each city. Separate prepaid bookings from money needed on the day. Our trip-cost guide helps build that list; this page explains how to access and spend your money.

• Carry a physical card and know its PIN; do not make your only withdrawal plan depend on a phone wallet.
• Keep your reserve separately from your everyday wallet. Two cards sharing one account or one phone are less independent than they appear.
• If you have only Russian-issued cards, read the Russian-card section before deciding how much cash to bring.

02

Which currency and banknotes will you use?

The local currency is the Uzbek som, written so‘m in Uzbek and abbreviated UZS. The CBU catalogue lists banknotes of 1,000, 2,000, 5,000, 10,000, 20,000, 50,000, 100,000 and 200,000 som, including more than one design for some denominations. Read the printed value rather than judging a note by its colour. CBU banknotes

Ask for some smaller notes when exchanging money, especially if your first purchase is inexpensive. A 200,000-som note is twenty 10,000-som notes: both totals buy the same amount, but the smaller notes avoid depending on a seller having change. Count the money at the counter and put the receipt with your travel documents.

03

Where should you exchange cash?

Use a bank’s exchange counter or an automated currency-exchange machine. For a first exchange, a staffed counter lets you ask about the final amount, note condition and smaller denominations. Check the bank’s own office information before travelling there, particularly on a weekend or before an early departure.

Hamkorbank’s Uzbek instructions describe buying or selling currency at an exchange counter and warn that its website rate may lag the transaction rate. Take your passport and ask the cashier to confirm the net sum before handing over the cash. Hamkorbank exchange instructions

Inspect the notes you plan to bring and keep them protected from damage. If a cashier questions a note, ask what service is being proposed and what it costs before proceeding. Do not assume that an offer to replace or check foreign banknotes has the same terms as an ordinary cash exchange.

1. 1

   Identify the transaction

   Say that you are selling your dollars, euros or other cash to receive som. A machine accepting cash for exchange is a different service from an ATM dispensing cash from your card account.

2. 2

   Check the net amount

   Confirm the currency, bank’s buying rate, any separate fee and the sum you will receive. If the offer is unclear, stop before confirming.

3. 3

   Finish at the counter

   Count the notes, request change while the cashier is handling the exchange and keep the transaction receipt.

04

How do buying, selling and CBU rates differ?

The bank’s buying rate applies when you give it foreign currency and receive som. Its selling rate applies when you spend som to buy foreign currency. The gap is the exchange spread. Compare offers for the same direction and channel: a branch quote and an app quote need not match.

Here is a dated cash example. Octobank’s branch page displayed USD buying at 11,710 UZS and selling at 11,840 UZS on 11 September 2026 at 12:09. At those quoted rates, selling $100 would produce 1,171,000 som; buying $100 would cost 1,184,000 som. The 13,000-som difference is our calculation, before any separate fee. Octobank branch rates

For scale, the CBU archive displayed 13,638.87 UZS per euro and 139.71 UZS per rouble for 14 September 2026. These are reference conversions. A bank’s cash quote, your card issuer’s conversion and the amount finally debited can differ. CBU archive

05

What will an ATM withdrawal cost?

Check two sets of charges: the ATM operator’s tariff and your own card issuer’s withdrawal and currency-conversion terms. A free-withdrawal allowance from your bank does not establish that the Uzbek ATM is free. The examples below concern other banks’ cards, which is the relevant distinction for most visitors.

These tariffs are examples, not a bank ranking. Confirm acceptance, currency and withdrawal limit for your card.

06

Should you select som or your home currency?

For a som purchase or withdrawal, select billing in UZS if you want your card’s normal conversion process. A screen offering to bill in your home currency may be offering dynamic currency conversion (DCC). Read the offered rate and markup before choosing; the banknote currency and billing currency are different questions.

Visa says the DCC offer should disclose both currency amounts, the exchange rate and additional fees, and leave the choice to you. Declining that conversion is different from cancelling the purchase or withdrawal. Visa’s DCC guidance

Before leaving home, check your card’s foreign-use settings, daily withdrawal limit, expiry and available funds with its issuer. Make sure you can still receive the bank’s authentication messages. Visa’s travel guidance also recommends discussing the trip with the issuer and explains the markup associated with home-currency conversion. Visa travel preparation

07

What if your cards were issued in Russia?

Do not make a Russian-issued Visa or Mastercard your Uzbekistan payment plan. The Bank of Russia’s notice of 6 March 2022 states that their cross-border use is unavailable. The issuer’s country matters: being a Russian citizen and holding a card issued by a bank outside Russia are different cases. Bank of Russia

For MIR, plan on a confirmed alternative. UZCARD announced suspension of MIR service through its infrastructure from 23 September 2022; we found no official restoration announcement in this source check. Its exception for domestic UZCARD–MIR co-badged cards does not establish acceptance of a Russian-issued MIR card. UZCARD notice

Kapitalbank’s August 2026 tariff still includes a MIR fee line. A price entry does not demonstrate an operational transaction. If your bank claims acceptance, ask it to identify an Uzbek acquiring bank and a type of transaction currently supported; obtain confirmation from that bank too. Keep an independent way to pay. Kapitalbank tariff, printed p28

08

How much cash should be accessible on arrival?

Build the arrival reserve from actual bills rather than a universal daily dollar allowance. Include the airport transfer, any accommodation payment due on arrival, meals and the next transport payment. Then add a separate amount for a failed card or a delayed visit to a bank. Prepaid bookings change this calculation substantially.

• Save the transfer price and payment method; if a driver is booked, confirm exactly what is already paid.
• Check whether the first accommodation balance is prepaid, due in cash or payable by your specific card network.
• Obtain som for the next unavoidable payments and some smaller notes.
• Save the addresses of a bank office and an alternative near your accommodation, together with the current opening information.
• Keep the issuing bank’s support contact available without relying on access to the same phone that holds your payment wallet.

09

What should you do when a payment fails?

Identify whether the problem concerns the card, the terminal or a completed debit before trying again. Repeatedly entering the same transaction can make the situation harder to follow. Save the receipt or error, check your banking app and switch to the reserve when a time-sensitive transfer or meal needs paying.

If an ATM retains the card, note its operator and machine number and contact the operator immediately. Ziraat Bank’s Uzbek FAQ directs customers to the number on the ATM or the responsible branch staff. Your issuer must handle blocking or protecting your card; do not assume that a foreign card will be returned during your stay. Ziraat Bank FAQ

If your account shows a debit but no cash was dispensed, record the amount, time and ATM location and contact both banks through their official channels. Do not send your PIN, security code or full card photo to someone offering help. For a failed train payment, check whether a ticket actually exists before paying again; follow the train-booking guide.

10

What should you do with leftover som?

Review the remaining cash a day or two before departure. Keep enough for the final transfer and meals, then ask a bank about buying back the currency you need. Confirm its selling rate, available denominations and documents required for your circumstances. Keep your original exchange receipts available without assuming they are the only documents needed.

Do not postpone a significant exchange until the last minutes before boarding, or assume your home bank buys som. Ask that bank directly before taking a large remainder home. If you want OxusRoad to arrange transfers, accommodation or part of the route, agree those payments in advance through the contact page.

11

How much cash can you bring through customs?

Declare your combined cash when it exceeds 100 million som equivalent. Cash entry is unlimited subject to customs rules; leaving above that amount has separate conditions. A nonresident's unspent declared arrival cash is the main tourist exception. Resolution No. 66, checked 14 September 2026.

Our cash limits and customs guide covers the passenger declaration, red/green channels, taking som out and how much to carry for 7, 10 or 14 days. It also gives a dated $100-to-som conversion and separates prepaid bookings from spending cash.

Common questions