Uzbekistan Visa Requirements 2026–2027: Visa-Free Countries, E-Visa and Registration

Most travellers from Europe, the UK, North America, Australia, New Zealand, Japan and South Korea do not need a visa for Uzbekistan: they can stay up to 30 days visa-free with a valid passport. Citizens of many other countries can apply online for an electronic visa on the official portal, e-visa.gov.uz. This guide explains who is visa-free, how the e-visa works, how registration of foreigners works, and what to check before you cross into Tajikistan for the Seven Lakes. The rules below are as of November 2026 — visa rules change, so always check the official sites before you travel.

Key facts

• Visa-free: citizens of all EU countries, the UK, Switzerland, Norway, Canada, Australia, New Zealand, Japan, South Korea and many more can stay up to 30 days without a visa. US citizens have been visa-free for 30 days since 1 January 2026.
• The 30 days start on the day you cross the border. For a longer stay you need a visa.
• E-visa: for other nationalities, apply only on the official portal e-visa.gov.uz, a few working days before your trip.
• Registration: foreigners must be registered within 3 days of arrival. Hotels do this for you.
• Passport: valid well beyond your trip — see the passport section below.
• Tajikistan (Seven Lakes): a separate country with its own rules. Many Western passports are visa-free there; British citizens need a Tajik e-visa.

Who can visit Uzbekistan without a visa

Uzbekistan's Ministry of Foreign Affairs publishes the list of countries whose citizens can enter without a visa for up to 30 days. It includes all member states of the European Union, plus the United Kingdom, Switzerland, Norway, Iceland, Liechtenstein, Monaco, Andorra, San Marino and the Vatican. Outside Europe it includes Canada, Australia, New Zealand, Japan, South Korea, Singapore, Malaysia, Indonesia, Israel, Turkey, the United Arab Emirates, Qatar, Brazil, Argentina, Chile and Mexico, among others.

Several neighbours have even longer arrangements: citizens of Kazakhstan, Russia, Azerbaijan, Georgia, Armenia, Belarus, Moldova and Ukraine are listed without a fixed limit, and citizens of Kyrgyzstan can stay up to 60 days. Tajik citizens can stay up to 30 days.

Recent changes: a presidential decree made US citizens visa-free for up to 30 days from 1 January 2026, with no age limit. A Cabinet of Ministers resolution of October 2025 added visa-free entry for citizens of Bahrain, Qatar, Kuwait, Oman, Saudi Arabia and Jordan and extended visa-free stays for Chinese citizens to 30 days. If your country is not named here, check the current list on the Foreign Ministry's site or with the nearest Uzbek embassy.

Visa-free does not mean rule-free. The 30 days count from the moment you cross the border, and you must leave before they run out — staying longer without a visa breaks the rules of stay for foreigners. You still need to be registered (see below).

US citizens

Travelling on a US passport? Since 1 January 2026 you can stay up to 30 days without a visa. We wrote a separate guide with the details: US citizens: visa-free travel to Uzbekistan in 2026.

The Uzbekistan e-visa: for everyone else

If your country is not on the visa-free list, you can usually apply for an electronic entry visa. Uzbekistan's Foreign Ministry runs it on one official portal: e-visa.gov.uz. Countries eligible for the e-visa are listed by the Ministry, and the portal tells you whether your passport qualifies.

• Apply online only on e-visa.gov.uz. Look-alike sites that charge extra are not official.
• When: the e-visa has been issued in about two working days, and the official advice is to apply at least three working days before your trip. Apply earlier if you can.
• How you receive it: the e-visa is sent to your email. Print it or keep it on your phone to show at the border.
• Stay: the standard tourist e-visa has allowed a stay of up to 30 days, but always read the dates and number of entries on your own e-visa.
• Entries: the Ministry lists single-entry, double-entry and multiple-entry e-visas. If you plan a day trip to Tajikistan and want to come back into Uzbekistan, choose a visa that allows a second entry.

There is also visa-free transit of up to five days for citizens of a list of countries who transit through an Uzbek international airport with an onward ticket to a third country issued by Uzbekistan Airways. Check the conditions with the airline before you rely on it.

Passport validity

Your passport must be valid beyond the end of your trip. The UK government's travel advice says the expiry date must be at least 3 months after the day you arrive in Uzbekistan. The Uzbek Foreign Ministry's visa rules ask for a passport that stays valid for several months beyond the visa itself. If you are also visiting Tajikistan, the UK advice for Tajikistan asks for 6 months and 2 blank pages. The simple rule: travel with at least 6 months left on your passport and you are covered on both sides of the border.

Registration of foreigners: what it means for you

Every foreign visitor must be registered at their place of stay within 3 days of arrival, visa-free or not. It sounds complicated, but for most travellers it happens automatically:

• In hotels and guesthouses the staff register you when you check in. You do not need to do anything except hand over your passport.
• In a private home or apartment the host registers you online through the official E-Mehmon system.
• Camping or travelling independently: the UK government's advice is to register yourself online through E-Mehmon.
• Moving on: if you move to another city and stay more than 3 days, you are registered again at the new place — again, hotels do this.

Keep any registration slips or emails your hotels give you. On departure you may be asked for a record of where you stayed in Uzbekistan. On our private tours, the hotels we book register you, so you do not have to think about it.

Customs basics

Two points from the UK government's travel advice are worth knowing. Large amounts of foreign currency must be declared on arrival, and you cannot take out more foreign currency than you brought in — so declare cash above the official limit when you arrive. If you travel with prescription medicines, bring your doctor's prescription and declare the medicines on your customs form; some common painkillers that contain codeine can cause problems on entry. Check the current limits with the Uzbek embassy before you travel.

Crossing to Tajikistan for the Seven Lakes

From Samarkand, Tajikistan is close: our Seven Lakes day tour crosses the border to Panjakent and the Seven Lakes (Haft Kul) in the Fann Mountains and comes back to Samarkand the same day, and the two-day Pendjikent and Seven Lakes tour adds a night on the Tajik side. Tajikistan is a different country with its own entry rules, so check both visas before you book.

• Visa-free for 30 days in Tajikistan: since 1 January 2022 Tajikistan has had a one-sided visa-free regime for citizens of 52 countries, including the United States, Canada, Australia, New Zealand, Japan, South Korea, Germany, France, Italy, Spain, the Netherlands, Belgium, Austria, Switzerland, Poland, the Czech Republic and the Nordic and Baltic countries. From 1 May 2024, 25 more were added, including Ireland, Bulgaria, Romania, Cyprus, Malta, Slovakia, Slovenia, Brazil and Mexico.
• UK citizens need a visa for Tajikistan. The UK government advises applying for a Tajik e-visa on the official site, www.evisa.tj, at least two weeks before travel. The e-visa is valid for 60 days after approval.
• Other nationalities: if your country is not on Tajikistan's visa-free lists, apply for an e-visa on www.evisa.tj, the official site of Tajikistan's Foreign Ministry.
• Registration in Tajikistan: visa-free visitors who stay more than 10 days must register. A day or two-day trip is well under this.
• Coming back into Uzbekistan: visa-free travellers simply re-enter. If you hold an Uzbek visa, make sure it allows a second entry.
• Passport: at least 6 months of validity is the safe rule for Tajikistan.

On the day tour, help at the border and an English- or Russian-speaking driver on the Tajik side are included. Read more in our guides Day tour to Tajikistan from Samarkand and Samarkand to Panjakent by car.

After the paperwork: planning your trip

Once your entry is sorted, the rest is easy. Most visitors land in Tashkent and travel on to Samarkand and Bukhara by the high-speed train — see our Afrosiyob train guide — and we can meet you at the airport: read about airport transfers in Uzbekistan. In Samarkand, start with a private Samarkand city tour, or join our Classic Silk Road 8-day small-group tour through Tashkent, Samarkand, Bukhara and Khiva.

Plan it with TravelBliss

We arrange private tours, guides, trains and transfers across Uzbekistan and to Tajikistan's Seven Lakes. We cannot issue visas — please always apply on the official sites yourself — but we are happy to tell you what to check for your passport. Write to us on WhatsApp and we will plan a trip that fits your dates.