Uzbekistan travel restrictions/reopening Q&A

[Jd3313]

Oh and just one more thing - technically speaking they still make you fill out the quarantine form in which you commit to spend 14 days in quarantine upon arrival. As a practical matter no one cares about it and once you leave the airport you are basically free to do as you please.

[Utair]

Bars and restaurants are open and generally no one (except for policemen) wears a mask. That being said, if you're not bothered by lack of social distancing and masks[...]

From my point of view, surprisingly many Uzbeks wear a mask and obey basic rules, even on the streets. Especially at transportation facilities and so one many do so (while still several do not). Several waiters wear a mask as well. I would assume, that in places where it makes sense more than half of the people wear a mask. However, this is really varying depending on the place you are in and the region. In Tashkent, the share of people wearing a masks is the highest.

In comparison to the many other counties I have visited since the outbreak of the pandemic, Uzbekistan is well in the middle. Could be worse, could be better.

[ArtsyVandelay]

Spent a fantastic couple of weeks in Tashkent. I got my first shot of my Covid-19 vaccine a couple of weeks before I departed to Tashkent and got my second one as soon as I got back home a few days ago. Since I had at least one vaccine in my system before I arrived in Tashkent, I was somewhat at ease. Anyhow, I was still a bit skeptical about the Covid-19 situation in the country hence I didn't venture out to other cities and stayed in Tashkent. I took it as as opportunity to explore whatever Tashkent had to offer in terms of dining out, nightlife, entertainment, etc. Truth be told, I was very impressed by whatever I saw and experienced in Tashkent. Tashkent is a beautiful city and looks even more beautiful at night when it is lit up. The locals are very humble and helpful. Everyone from the immigration officials to the local shopkeepers was extremely courteous. I do know some basic Russian so it definitely helped me out a lot in terms of getting around.

I definitely thought about staying in Tashkent for another couple of weeks but then I figured it was a good idea to head back home as planned because the flights to South Asia are getting cancelled left, right and center and perhaps I should get out while I could.

Now that I am fully vaccinated and know Tashkent quite well, I do plan on visiting again over the next couple of months. I want to see the rest of Uzbekistan and a few other countries in Central Asia/Eastern Europe. Just need to sort out some business matters at home and then I should be able to travel for a few months at least.

If anyone has any questions about Tashkent, feel free to holler at me.

[dhop]

FYI, the e-visa site seems to be working now (it accepted my payment). I had many failures before switching to a different credit card (visa), so maybe try that if the payment is not working.

[johnbian8308]

Is there any recent updates on the status of the border? I see someone says the border is again closed to foreigners, is that currently the case?

[steven]

You didn't read it properly. Dostyk border is open for 32 nations, not for US citizens.

[johnbian8308]

You didn't read it properly. Dostyk border is open for 32 nations, not for US citizens.

You're right, my bad! I asked a friend who told me the situation hasn't changed

[Wesley]

So here is my report on arriving at Tashkent airport today. Upon arrival, there was a mad scramble for the exit just as if COVID-19 does not exist. The bus that ferries people from the aircraft to the terminal did not seem to have limitations on the number of people either: although the bus wasn’t completely full, there sure as heck wasn’t 1.5 m of distance between every individual either. Because our flight originated from Istanbul, we were told (implying that this may not be true for all airports of departure), we had to undergo a PCR test upon arrival. For this, the entire aircraft (some 120 people) were crammed into a very small hall with a bunch of medical officials in protective gear and another mad scramble to be the first to take the test began - again, no social distancing whatsoever even as this was a (makeshift) testing facility! The PCR test itself was not really worth its name: the lady stuck the swab into my nostrils for just a fraction of a second, way too short to get any meaningful result out of that. After that frankly quite bizarre show, we could proceed to passport control as normal and I was let into the country without a glitch. I suppose that if I do test positive (which seems impossible due to the way the test was administered), I will get a phone call on the number I provided on the quarantine form they still make you fill in while on the aircraft. But nobody informed us about what happens next.

[isma_t]

Hey everyone! I saw that list and was wondering, I have Spanish passport but Swiss permanent residency (Switzerland being in the list and not Spain). Was considering Bishkek-osh and then cross overland but with that list I'm not sure if residency is enough, does anyone know?

the reason : I had a flight to Tashkent supposed to be very soon but it was rescheduled and the new date is not convenient, but so close to the date all other alternative flights are very overpriced. Thanks!

[Wesley]

Hi Isma_t,

I’m in a similar situation (also permanent residence in Switzerland, Dutch passport also not on the list) and will report my findings here! Caveats: (1) I will only attempt the crossing in early June, which may be too late for you and (2) I’ll be crossing (or trying to) in the other direction, i.e. UZ -> KG.