A new content from the series about moving to Central Asia. Earlier we told you what you need to know about Kazakhstan and Kyrgyzstan. Today it's about Uzbekistan.
About Uzbekistan
Uzbekistan or the Republic of Uzbekistan is a state located in the central part of Central Asia. The country borders Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan, Tajikistan, Afghanistan, and Turkmenistan. It has no outlet to the World Ocean.
The state language is Uzbek. Russian is widely spoken.
The capital, Tashkent, is the largest city in Central Asia, with more than two million people. Other major cities are Samarkand, Namangan, Andijan, Bukhara, Nukus, and Fergana.
In total, about 35 million people live in Uzbekistan.
Immigration
To enter the country, you must present a certificate with a negative PCR test result for not more than 72 hours or take an express test at the border crossing. A PCR test is not required if a certificate of vaccination is available.
Countries with unlimited visa-free limit: Armenia, Azerbaijan, Georgia, Armenia, Belarus, Kazakhstan, Moldova, Russia, Ukraine.
Countries for citizens of which a visa-free regime for up to 30 days is established: Tajikistan, Commonwealth of Australia, Austria, Argentina, Bosnia and Herzegovina, Vatican City, Luxembourg, Hungary, State of Brunei Darussalam, Israel, Greece, Ireland, Iceland, Italy, Canada, Andorra, Liechtenstein, Monaco, Belgium, Denmark, Spain, Netherlands, Norway, Sweden, Latvia, Lithuania, Malaysia, Mongolia, New Zealand, UAE, Portugal, Bulgaria, Indonesia, Cyprus, Korea, Malta, Poland, San Marino, Serbia, Slovenia, Croatia, Chile, Romania, Singapore, Slovakia United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland, Turkey, Brazil, Czech Republic, Estonia, Finland, France, Germany, Montenegro, Switzerland, Japan, Antigua and Barbuda, Barbados, Belize, Grenada, Dominican Republic, Costa Rica, Cuba, Guatemala, Honduras, Jamaica, Nicaragua, Panama, Trinidad and Tobago, El Salvador, Saint Lucia, Saint Vincent and the Grenadines, Commonwealth of the Bahamas, Commonwealth of Dominica, Federation of Saint Kitts and Nevis, United States.
Countries with visa-free travel for up to ten days: Kingdom of Bahrain, State of Qatar, State of Kuwait, Sultanate of Oman, People's Republic of China, Hong Kong SAR and Macau.
Registration
Foreigners arriving in Uzbekistan must register temporarily with the internal affairs bodies or host institutions within three days, and in accommodation facilities: hotels, apartments or houses - within two days. This can be done remotely through the portal of public services: gov.uz
There you can also extend the registration for the duration of the visa, if necessary.
Foreigners can permanently reside in Uzbekistan on the basis of a residence permit or ID-card.
Money
The monetary currency of Uzbekistan is sum, which can be used to pay for all purchases. Bank cards are accepted for payment in major cities, in smaller towns — it is worth to have cash.
It is better to exchange currency in banks or official exchange points.
Exchange rate for 16.04.2022:
— 1 $ = 11 320 sum
— 1 euro = 12 354 sum
— 1 ruble = 137 sum.
List of foreign banks operating in Uzbekistan:
— J.P. Morgan Chase Bank, USA
— Gazprombank, Russia
— Kyongnam Bank, Korea
— Commerzbank AG, Germany
— Landensbank Baden-Wurttemberg, Germany
— Shinhan Bank, Korea
— Korea Eximbank, Korea.
List of popular Uzbek banks:
— National Bank of Uzbekistan, nbu.uz
— Madad Invest Bank, madadinvestbank.uz
— People's Bank of the Republic of Uzbekistan, xb.uz
— Agrobank, agrobank.uz
— Trastbank, trastbank.uz
— Turkesrton, turkistonbank.uz
— TBC Bank, tbcbank.uz
— Ravnaq-bank, ravnaqbank.uz
Residential
There are several international hotels in Tashkent, which offer rooms for everyone. These are Hilton Tashkent City, Courtyard by Marriott Tashkent, Radisson Blu Hotel, Hyatt Regency Tashkent, Lotte City Hotel Tashkent Palace, Wyndham Tashkent, Ramada by Wyndham Tashkent. Read more about each of them here.
Useful services for those who want to rent apartment by themselves for any period:
— airbnb.com, airbnb.com
— zor.uz, zor.uz
— uybor.uz, uybor.uz
— olx.uz, olx.uz
— bisyor.uz, bisyor.uz
— booking.com, booking.com
Transport
The largest airport in the country, the Islam Karimov International Airport, is located in Tashkent. Samarkand, Bukhara, Urgench, Namangan, Nukus, Navoi, Fergana, Termez, Andijan and Karshi have their own airports.
Major airlines include Uzbekistan Airways, Samarkand Airways, Qanot Sharq Airlines. Tickets can be purchased online with aviasales.
You can buy train tickets at: e-ticket.railway.uz
There are cab services in the country: Yandex.Taxi, MyTaxi, and InDriver. For orientation in the city you can download the application 2GIS.
Communication
Popular cellular operators in Uzbekistan:
— Beeline Uzbekistan, beeline.uz
— UCell, ucell.uz
— Uztelecom, uztelecom.uz
— Humans, humans.uz
— Mobiuz, mobi.uz
Food
Large supermarket chains:
— korzinka.uz, korzinka.uz
— Makro Supermaket, makromarket.uz
— Havas, havasfood.uz
Food delivery services from restourant: Express24, Bringo, Dostavkin, Glovo.
Food delivery: Makro Supermaket, Lebazar, GoMart.
Famous restaurant chains that operate in Uzbekistan: KFC, Wendy's, Black Star Burger, DodoPizza, Paul, and others.
