Uzbekistan dress code and etiquette: mosques, alcohol, tips

01

Is there an official dress code for tourists in Uzbekistan?

No. We found no clothing rule for visitors in Uzbek law, and no dress guidance for tourists from the Tourism Committee or the Muslim Board of Uzbekistan. The one clothing offence in the Administrative Code is being in a public place with your face covered so that you cannot be identified: art. 184-4, added on 1 November 2023. The fine is 10–15 base amounts, which is 4.4–6.6 million som (about US$370–560) since the base amount rose to 440,000 som on 1 September 2026. Medical reasons, crash helmets, work and sports or cultural events are exempt. Administrative Code, art. 184-4, Decree UP-115, para 3, Central Bank rate, 24 September 2026.

Canada's advisory still lists "wearing religious attire in public" among illegal religious activities. We did not find that offence in the current Code when we read it on 24 September 2026. A headscarf that leaves your face visible is not covered by art. 184-4. Canada, updated 9 September 2026.

Everything else on this page is custom, not law: what people expect, what sites ask at the door, and what we suggest. We say which is which.

02

What should I wear in Tashkent, the old towns and villages?

Dress for the place, not the country. 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. Canada's advisory says Islamic practices are closely followed, particularly in rural areas, and advises visitors to dress conservatively. Canada.

The traveller reports in the table are dated field reports, not rules. They agree on one point: covering shoulders and knees is never wrong, and at religious sites it is expected. If you are heading for the Fergana Valley, pack for the last row of the table.

• Even in July, pack one light scarf (women) and one pair of long trousers (men): they cover a mosque visit, a village stop and the midday sun. More on travelling in the heat: Uzbekistan in summer.
• Tattoos: no Uzbek rule mentions them. Clothing that covers shoulders and knees at religious sites covers most of them anyway.

03

What do I wear in mosques and shrines, and how do I behave?

Cover shoulders and knees; women, bring a scarf for your hair; take your shoes off where the carpet or prayer area begins; and follow the sign or the attendant at the door. Each site sets its own rules, so a scarf asked for at one door may not be asked for at the next.

The difference that matters is between a monument you visit with a ticket and a place where people pray. A Samarkand or Bukhara route mixes both. The Bahauddin Naqshband complex outside Bukhara receives "thousands of pilgrims, tourists and Muslims" in every season, the national tourism portal says, and Hazrati Imam in Tashkent includes the Tillashayx mosque and the Imam al-Bukhari Islamic Institute. At sites like these, dress and behaviour matter most. Uzbekistan Travel: Bahauddin Naqshband, Uzbekistan Travel: Hazrati Imam.

The mosque etiquette on islom.uz, the Uzbek religious portal, is written for worshippers: enter with the right foot and greet the people inside. For visitors we add our own advice: keep your voice low, silence your phone and never walk in front of someone who is praying. We avoid working mosques at the Friday midday prayer. islom.uz, «Masjid odoblari».

1. 1

   Read the rules at the entrance

   Look for a sign or an attendant and follow them over anything written here, including this page.

2. 2

   Cover up before you enter

   Scarf on, shoulders and knees covered. Some sites hand out cloth; don't count on it.

3. 3

   Shoes off at the carpet

   Carry a bag for them so you can leave by another door.

4. 4

   Ask before photos

   Ask staff whether photos are allowed inside, and never photograph people at prayer.

04

Is it OK to visit Uzbekistan during Ramadan, and when is it in 2027?

Yes. We found no Uzbek rule against eating, drinking or smoking in public during Ramadan. The FCDO's advice assumes cafés and restaurants stay open: it says they may change their menus and get busy around the fast-breaking meal (iftar), and that areas around mosques are busy at prayer times. Canada asks visitors to be discreet when eating, drinking or smoking in public between sunrise and sunset. FCDO, Canada.

Ramadan 2027 is expected to begin on 7 or 8 February and to end in early March; the moon sighting decides the exact day, so the table gives both published estimates. A February trip is covered in Uzbekistan in winter, and Navruz, which follows on 21 March, in Navruz in Uzbekistan. The first day of Eid al-Fitr, Ro'za hayit, is a public holiday under art. 208 of the Labour Code, so expect closed offices and busy roads that day. Labour Code, art. 208.

What we suggest: in daylight, eat and drink in a café or on the train rather than while walking through a village or a Fergana Valley town; in Tashkent nobody will notice. If you are invited to an iftar, arrive before sunset and let the host serve you.

05

Can you drink alcohol in Uzbekistan, and where?

Yes, if you are 21 or older and you drink in a bar, restaurant or hotel licensed to sell by the glass, or at a wedding or another celebration. The law on alcohol and tobacco bans drinking at workplaces, on streets, at stadiums, in public gardens and parks and on all public transport. The fine is half a base amount: 220,000 som (about US$19) since 1 September 2026. Law ZRU-844, art. 24, Administrative Code, art. 187.

A second offence within a year costs 220,000–880,000 som or up to 15 days' administrative arrest. A seller must ask anyone who looks under 21 for ID and refuse the sale without it. The same law bars alcohol shops within 100 metres of schools, sports venues and religious organisations (large markets excepted), so don't expect a bottle shop beside a working mosque. Law ZRU-844, art. 21.

06

Why won't the shop take cash for my beer?

Because since 1 April 2026 alcohol and tobacco can be paid for only by bank card or through an electronic payment system: Presidential Decree PF-246 of 10 December 2025, para 2. Decree PF-100 of 26 May 2026 let hotels and restaurants take cash for them again from 1 June 2026. Shops were not included. PF-246, PF-100, para 3.

If your card works in Uzbek terminals, this changes nothing. If it does not (cards issued in Russia are the usual case), order your wine or beer with a meal in a restaurant, where cash is allowed, or ask a companion whose card works to pay in the shop. Our money guide covers which cards work and how much cash to carry.

07

Is service included in restaurants, and should I tip?

Often a service charge is already on the bill. On 21 November 2025 the Competition Committee said it had complaints about restaurants and cafés adding 10–15%, sometimes up to 20%, for service on top of the menu prices, and asking for deposits in advance. Citing arts. 4, 19 and 21 of the consumer-protection law, it warned them to tell customers in advance about prices, service terms and the waiter fee, to offer self-service where the type of venue allows it, and not to charge for services not provided. Competition Committee, 21 November 2025.

At the table, this means: look for the service percentage on the menu or a sign before you order. If a charge appears that nobody told you about, ask for it to be removed. The committee's complaints line is 1159.

Tipping beyond that is up to you. We found no official or local source on tips for guides and drivers, so this page gives no amounts. Where service is already on the bill, rounding up is enough in our view.

08

Do I bargain at the bazaar?

At bazaar stalls and souvenir stands, yes; in supermarkets, pharmacies, museum shops and anywhere prices are printed, no. This is custom, not a rule, and the tips below are our advice. Bazaars are also where the FCDO says pickpockets work, so see crime and scams before a busy morning at Chorsu or Siyob.

• Ask the price first, and bargain only if you mean to buy.
• Once you agree a price, pay it; walking away after agreeing is the one real breach of bazaar manners.
• Carry small notes, count your change at the stall and keep the bag in front of you.

09

What if I'm invited to someone's home?

Accept if you can: hospitality is taken seriously. The Republican Centre for Spirituality and Enlightenment, a state body, describes the custom: when a guest arrives, the dastarkhan (the tablecloth laid with food) is spread at once and bread is broken, and the guest is seen off with honour. oyina.uz, 28 July 2023.

The practical points below are our advice, not a rule book.

• Take your shoes off at the door, or where the family does.
• Bring something small: sweets, fruit or a gift from home.
• Let the host break the round bread (non). Don't put it face down or leave it on the floor.
• The host pours the tea, often a little at a time; a refill is hospitality, not a hint.
• Taste what is offered, even a little. If you don't drink alcohol, say so; declining is fine.

10

Photos, greetings and couples: what should I know?

Ask before you photograph people, and never photograph anyone at prayer. The FCDO adds that photos near government buildings, and sometimes in local bazaars that few tourists visit, can upset the authorities, and that disrespectful social-media posts about public buildings, the flag, national food or customs can lead to fines or detention. Strategic sites, the Tashkent metro rule and the Afghan border are on our safety page. FCDO.

Greetings are custom, and this is our advice: men shake hands with men, often with the left hand on the heart; with a woman, wait for her to offer her hand, and a nod with a hand on the heart is always polite. Couples should keep public affection low-key, more so in villages. Sex between men is a crime; see LGBT travellers.

Women travelling alone should expect some unwanted attention: Canada says they may face harassment and verbal abuse. Modest dress outside Tashkent draws less of it. More in women and solo travellers.

11

What problems should you plan for?

A headscarf is asked for at one site and not at the next, so carry it all day. A 10–20% service charge appears on a bill without warning; that is the complaint the Competition Committee answered in November 2025. A shop refuses cash for beer, and the card you brought doesn't work in its terminal. A beer on a park bench or on a train is a fine. Shorts that nobody noticed in Tashkent draw stares in a Fergana Valley village. Women alone get comments.

What we could not verify: we found no written dress rules for any named mosque or shrine, no local source on tipping amounts, and no legal hours for alcohol sales in shops (the current law sets none, and traveller reports differ, so we give none). The dress reports we cite are dated forum posts from 2017 to 2025. We have not yet photographed the dress signs at Shah-i-Zinda, Bahauddin Naqshband, Bolo-Hauz or Khiva's Juma mosque.

If you would like someone to handle site rules at the door, compare independent or guided travel, or start from our 10-day Uzbekistan itinerary. For the season you are travelling in, see when to visit.

Common questions