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Uzbekistan is officially reopening its borders for tourism and resuming international flights starting on October 1, 2020.
The formal Soviet nation located in Central Asia first closed its borders on March 15 in response to the virus and has virtually stayed shut for tourism ever since.
On September 18th the Republican Special Commission made the announcement that border will reopen on October 1st, once again allowing tourists to arrive from select nations.
Countries that are allowed to enter in October are classified under a traffic light system that is determined by current infection rates and will dictate the specific entry requirements for the tourist.
Below we have all the available information about Uzbekistan reopening for tourism, including which nations are permitted to go, all entry requirements, and everything else you need to know.
Entry Requirements for Uzbekistan
Countries that can visit Uzbekistan
Uzbekistan is adopting a traffic light system for entry after October 1st. All countries will be classified as red, yellow, or green – each having their own entry rules.
Green Countries
- Austria
- China
- Finland
- Georgia
- Hungary
- Japan
- Latvia
- Malaysia
- South Korea
- Thailand
Asymptomatic travelers from GREEN nations are permitted to enter Uzbekistan with no restrictions, meaning no tests and no quarantines.
Yellow Countries
- Azerbaijan
- Belarus
- UAE
- All EU countries (excluding the UK and Spain)
PCR Test Required
All travelers from YELLOW nations will be required to perform a PCR test no longer than 72 hours before arrival into the country and present the negative results to both the airline prior to flights, and customs upon landing. The PCR test must be in English or Russian.
If no negative PCR test is done, the passenger will have to undergo testing on arrival AND quarantine for 14 days.
Red Countries
- UK
- USA
- Canada
- Rest of world not listed in ‘Green’ or ‘Yellow’ categories
PCR Test + 14 Day Quarantine Required
All travelers from RED nations will be required to perform a PCR test no longer than 72 hours before arrival into the country and present the negative results to both the airline prior to flights, and customs upon landing. The PCR test must be in English or Russian.
Upon arrival, all RED passengers will also need to quarantine for 14 days, even if the test is negative.
Group Tour Exception – Quarantine ‘bypass’
There have been multiple reports of a ‘group tour exception' for tourists who come as part of a guided tour from 5 to 15 people.
For example: Let’s say a tourist from the UK, which is currently classified as a ‘red’ country, enters Uzbekistan with a local guided tour company, they will get to bypass the 14-day quarantine, as long as they bring a negative PCR test.
CONFIRMED: From 1 Oct, tourists arriving in Uzbekistan from the U.K. can enter without restrictions if a) they have a negative Covid test within 72 hours of flying; & b) they are on a group tour of 5-15 people. Individual tourists must still self isolate as U.K. is red country.
— Uzbekistan Tourism Ambassador (@UZAmbassador) September 19, 2020
Is entry based on residency or location?
It seems that Uzbekistan is more concerned with the passenger’s location than their residency. The US embassy site suggests that the criteria of country (red, yellow, green) is based on location for the last 10 days. They state “Passengers entering from “green” countries (persons who have been there for the last 10 days) are not subject to any sort of quarantine control.”
Other Entry Requirements:
- All tourists must have valid travel health insurance for the duration of their stay
- Passengers will also undergo temperature and symptom checks upon arrival
- Mask wearing in all public places is mandatory
- All normal visa requirements are still in place
Credit: TwoFortnights
Flights into Uzbekistan
As the news of Uzbekistan reopening is still quite new, many airlines have not yet resumed their normal schedule, but here are some flights we know of so far:
- Minsk to Tashkent on Belavia, already resumed
- Istanbul to Tashkent on Turkish Airlines and Uzbekistan Air, already resumed
- Almaty to Tashkent on Air Astana, already resumed
- Dubai to Tashkent on FlyDubai, already resumed
- Novosibirsk to Tashkent on S7, resuming Oct 25
- Destinations like Moscow, Seoul and 40+ other cities should resume in a few months
Uzbekistan Pays Tourists $3000 If They Become Infected?
Every news outlet in the world covered the story when Uzbekistan launched their “Uzbekistan: Safe Travel Guaranteed” campaign back in June. The eye-catching campaign promised to compensate tourists with up to $3000 if they contracted the virus while on vacation in Uzbekistan.
The nation also said it was planning to reopen to a list of countries, but then, silence.
Case numbers started to soar soon after the announcement, and the government kept the borders closed for all non-essential travel, effectively canceling the campaign.
Travel Off Path does not believe the campaign, or the cash offer, is in effect.
Credit: Worldometers
Read More: See which countries in Asia have reopened for tourism, what companies are offering travel insurance that covers covid, and what countries are open with NO testing or quarantines
Sources: Uzbekistan Tourism Board / uz.usembassy.gov / garda / IATA / ozodlik.org /
Disclaimer: Uzbekistan’s reopening news is ever-changing and being updated constantly. We do our best to keep this article up to date with all the latest information, but the decision to travel is ultimately your responsibility. Contact your consulate and/or local authorities to confirm your nationality’s entry and/or any changes to travel requirements before traveling.
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Martina
Tuesday 30th of March 2021
Any updates on Uzbekistan? Have they lifted the quarantine requirement? Thanks.
Blake
Thursday 22nd of October 2020
Quick update for those wanting to travel to Uzbekistan. Currently the electronic visa website is still not working, I called the Uzbek embassy in D.C. and was told it would be down until November 3rd, possibly longer. Right now, the only way for Americans to get a travel visa is to pay an Uzbek tour agency to plan a trip to Uzbekistan on your behalf. Once you pay, they will apply for a Telex number, and once received you will put this Telex number on your visa application and send you passport to the Uzbek embassy. A very long and inefficient process compared to the online Evisa application.
Kashlee, love your posts, keep up the great work!
Kashlee Kucheran
Thursday 22nd of October 2020
Wow, that is a long time to be down - thank you so much for the update! I hope you can get one soon, good luck! :)
Blake
Tuesday 29th of September 2020
I am an American currently in Ukraine attempting to go to Uzbekistan. I just finished a call with someone who works at the call center of tourism development in Uzbekistan (+998 71 200 0088). I was told, in OK English, that there is no longer a quarantine requirement as long as you have negative PRC test taken no earlier than 72 hours before you begin your travel. So in my case, coming from Ukraine which is a red country, I will not need to quarantine as long as I have a Negative PRC test. Also I was told the website for the Uzbek Evisa (link) will not wok until October 1st. Keep in mind this is Uzbekistan, so take everything I said with a grain of salt. I will travel to Uzbekistan early next month once I have my visa, and I will report back what happens. Hopefully I wont get quarantined.
Kashlee Kucheran
Tuesday 29th of September 2020
Hi Blake! Super helpful, thank you for posting. I would love to hear your update one you travel next month :) Thank you so much!
James
Thursday 24th of September 2020
i will wait until a vaccine is out, would love to go there but i cannot risk it.. as hospitals in these countries and sanitary standards are very low and mass testing is not available..