Know before you go: Uzbekistan

Uzbekistan now runs one of the most liberal visa regimes in Central Asia, and the list keeps expanding. As of 2026, nationals of more than 90 countries can enter without a prior visa, with stays of up to 30 days permitted for most, while longer periods are available for several CIS and bilateral-treaty nationals. The 30-day visa-free group now includes the EU, UK, USA (effective 1 January 2026), Canada, Australia, New Zealand, Japan, South Korea, Singapore, UAE, Israel, Turkey, China, Saudi Arabia, Qatar, and most CIS countries. Note the change here: US citizens no longer need an e-visa at all, as from January 1, 2026, all U.S. citizens will be able to enter Uzbekistan without a visa and stay for up to 30 days. Some Gulf nationalities get a shorter window: citizens of Bahrain, Kuwait, Oman and China were historically granted a 10-day visa-free regime (subject to an onward ticket), though China’s main arrangement has since moved to 30 days.

If your nationality is not visa-free, apply online at e-visa.gov.uz. The standard single-entry e-Visa costs USD 20, is valid for 90 days from issue, allows a stay of up to 30 days, and processing takes about 2 business days (apply at least 3 working days before travel); double-entry costs USD 35 and multiple-entry USD 50. Beware of unofficial look-alike sites: only e-visa.gov.uz is the genuine government portal, and the fee is non-refundable if your application is refused.

Special provisions remain for older travellers and third-country visa holders: a visa-free regime has been established for citizens of China (in tourist groups), the USA and Vietnam aged 55 and over for stays up to 30 days, and since 1 September 2026 Indian citizens holding a valid multiple-entry business or tourist visa from Australia, Canada, Japan, New Zealand, South Korea, a Schengen country, the UK or the US can enter visa-free for up to 30 days (within that visa’s validity), provided they show an onward ticket home or to a third country; other Indian travellers still need an Uzbek visa.

Practical entry checklist: your passport should be valid for at least 3 months beyond your arrival date and carry a blank page. Hotels and guesthouses generally register foreign guests automatically and issue a paper or digital slip; keep these until departure, as border officers may ask for them. Because the visa-free list, durations and fees have changed multiple times within the past year alone, always confirm your specific category, permitted stay and required documents directly on the official e-visa and Ministry of Foreign Affairs portals before booking flights.

Trains remain the most comfortable way to link the Silk Road cities. The high-speed Afrosiyob and the slower Sharq services connect Tashkent, Samarkand, Bukhara and Khiva; buy tickets online via Uzbekistan Railways well in advance, since popular routes and dates sell out.

Buses and shared minivans are the budget option between towns; you’ll typically need your passport to book a seat, and buying a day or more ahead is wise.

Tashkent Metro, Central Asia’s oldest, remains the easiest way around the capital, with four lines serving 50 stations, including an elevated Circle Line, famed for stations decorated with marble, mosaics, and chandeliers. Fares changed on 1 October 2026: the cost of a single trip when paying with a transport card will rise from 1,700 to 2,500 soums, while a cash paper QR ticket costs 3,000 soʻm. There’s now a one-hour transfer system too: if a passenger changes to another bus route within one hour, the second trip will cost 1,500 soums, and the third and fourth bus trips within the same hour will be free, with one metro ride also included once per hour-long period. The metro runs roughly 05:00 to midnight, with frequent trains.

For repeat rides, the ATTO card is Uzbekistan’s unified transport card, usable on the metro and city buses in Tashkent and numerous other cities, and it also carries discounted daily, weekly and monthly passes not available with cash. You don’t strictly need one: a contactless Visa, Mastercard, UzCard or Humo card can be tapped directly on the turnstile for the same electronic fare.

Taxis and ride-hailing apps, Yandex Go being most common, work well in Tashkent; cash remains the norm in smaller towns.

The currency is the Uzbek som (UZS). Common banknotes include 2,000, 10,000 and 20,000 denominations. ATMs are now widespread in Tashkent, Samarkand, Bukhara and Khiva, and most accept Visa, with fewer accepting Mastercard and almost none accepting American Express; expect a withdrawal surcharge, typically in the 1–3% range. Despite growing card acceptance in big cities, cash is still essential for markets, local transport, small cafés and smaller towns; always choose to pay in local currency rather than “convert to USD” at the ATM, since the conversion option usually costs more.

On customs, cash rules are being liberalised but the change isn’t live yet: currently, individuals carrying more than the equivalent of 100 million soums in cash, whether in Uzbek soums or foreign currency, into or out of the country must declare it on a customs form. A presidential decree signed in August 2026 approved raising this threshold to USD 10,000, but a draft law formalizing this change is to be developed by December 2027, so the 100-million-som (roughly USD 8,500) rule still applies as of November 2026; check the current figure before you travel since exchange-rate movements shift its dollar equivalent.

Uzbekistan remains inexpensive by international standards, with simple accommodation, local meals, short taxi rides and modest extras keeping daily budgets well below Western European levels for most travellers.

Uzbekistan’s continental climate makes spring and autumn the sweet spots. Spring (April–May) and autumn (September–early November) bring mild temperatures and clear skies, ideal for exploring cities, deserts and mountains. April is frequently singled out as one of the best months for sightseeing, with pleasantly mild conditions for walking tours in Bukhara and Khiva. Autumn has its own charm, with late September and early October considered an excellent window for Samarkand, Bukhara and Khiva as the summer heat eases and crowds thin, plus markets overflowing with melons, grapes and pomegranates.

Avoid high summer if you dislike extreme heat: June to August brings very high temperatures in lowland cities, though it’s a good season for trekking in the cooler Nuratau Mountains. Winter is the quiet, budget season for visiting the historic cities on a tighter budget, with lower prices for accommodation and transport, even though some days can be crisp and cold. If your trip coincides with Navruz (the Persian New Year, around 21 March), book trains and hotels to Samarkand and Bukhara well ahead, as this is a major domestic travel holiday.

Uzbekistan uses a unified European-style number alongside separate Soviet-era service lines. The general emergency number is 112, police is 102, ambulance is 103, and fire service is 101; there’s also a gas emergency line (104) and a dedicated Safe Tourism Call Center / Tourist Police line at 1173. For genuine emergencies, call 112, 102, 103 or 101 directly first; for non-urgent tourist issues such as getting lost, a dispute, or needing a translator, use 1173, whose operator can also transfer you to the ambulance service if needed. These numbers are free to call from any phone, including mobiles, anywhere in the country, though operators primarily speak Uzbek and Russian, with English not guaranteed, especially outside Tashkent.

Response times vary by region, so travel insurance with medical evacuation cover is worth having, particularly outside the main cities, given that specialised trauma care remains concentrated in Tashkent and Samarkand. Uzbekistan is widely regarded as a safe, low-risk destination for tourists, with petty theft and scams in busy bazaars and stations being bigger practical concerns than violent crime. Save your embassy’s emergency contact number, keep digital and paper copies of your passport, visa and any registration slips, and report serious incidents to the police (102) before contacting your insurer.