How to get your visa for Uzbekistan in 2020

It is now the best time to visit since Uzbekistan has new visa policies for tourists announced in 2018 and beyond. This has been an effort from the President Shavkat Mirziyoyev’s government to create favourable conditions for the development of tourism for the country. Uzbekistan is a wonderful country, we had the opportunity to drive through The Silk Road right into Uzbekistan and we can’t believe it is still not yet among the most popular places to go. We suggest you to really consider a trip to Uzbekistan before it gets crowded ! As of January 8th 2019, Uzbekistan introduced a brand new visa-free regime for 45 more countries.

Uzbekistan tourist visa requirements

For some people, you will need a visa to visit Uzbekistan which you should get before you arrive. Far in advance if you can. Luckily 45 more countries have a visa-free option as of February 1st 2019. Others can apply for an e-visa but a few will still have to apply the traditional way. You will find all the useful information you need in this article to apply for the Uzbek visa.

Do Canadians need a visa to visit Uzbekistan?

If you are a Canadian passport holder, you need a visa to visit Uzbekistan for business and tourist purposes. Canadians citizens under the age of 16 years of age are visa-free. Adults require a visa which you can apply online as Canadian are eligible for theUzbek e-visa. If you struggle to use the e-visa system, you will have to contact a company from the states like ITS EASY or the embassy directly since the Uzbek Embassy to Canada is located in the United States.

All of this is valid until February 2019 if you plan to travel until then. As of February 1st 2019, Canadians will be granted access with NO visa required.

Visa-free countries for Uzbekistan

Some nationalities can visit Uzbekistan without a visa.  The visa-free rule is valid in airports and on land borders for these countries.

As of February 1st 2019, more countries will be granted 30 days visa-free to Uzbekistan: Australia, Canada, UK, New Zealand, Switzerland, Andorra, Austria, Argentina, Belgium, Bosnia and Herzegovina, Brazil, Brunei, Bulgaria, Chile, Croatia, Czech Republic, Denmark, Estonia, Finland, Greece, Hungary, Ireland, Iceland, Italy, Latvia, Lithuania, Liechtenstein, Luxembourg, Monaco, Mongolia, Montenegro, Netherlands, Norway, Portugal, Republic of Cyprus, Malta, Poland, Romania, San Marino, Serbia, Slovakia, Slovenia, Spain, Sweden  and Vatican City

Uzbek Visa for kids under 16 years old

Children under 16 years old don’t need visa to travel to Uzbekistan. They should be registered in the visa application of their parents.

Online visa application for Uzbekistan

Only 39 countries are eligible for a simplified visa application process and can go through the newly electronic entry visa obtention system. This entails that the applicants will no longer need to submit a letter of invitation to receive the visa. This simplified Uzbekistan visa procedure also means that consular offices of Uzbekistan are issuing visas within two working days.

Advisory about the Uzbekistan e-visa

The online system to apply for e-visa is quite new and there have been some problems for some people trying to apply. With the new system having some bugs, you should still try but make sure to be in advance to be able to contact them via e-mail if you don’t succeed. bugs. If the online system really fails you, you will have to apply the old school way through the embassy. We would love it if you can share your experience in the comments section about your visa application.

Uzbekistan e-visa rules

• Cost: Total cost of your e-visa is 20 $US
• Length of wait: It will take you around 2-3 working days to receive the e-visa. The e-visa works at all types of entry points: land borders and airports. You won’t have the full page visa sticker in your passport but only an entry and exit stamp.
• Time of validity of the e-visa: Your Uzbekistan e-visa will be valid for 30 days within a period of 90 days from the day you applied for it
• Apply on the official website of Uzbekistan visa applications.

Travel to Uzbekistan

For all other citizens of countries not mentioned, you will have to apply at the nearest Uzbekistan embassy or go through a visa agency to facilitate your application. Uzbekistan is a beautiful country that awaits for visitors! Some cities don’t quite have the best accommodation facilities, but we are not worried that it will evolve very soon. We invite you to read below and our other resources that will help you plan well your upcoming Uzbekistan trip.

How to get a multi-entry visa for Uzbekistan?

It is possible to get a double entry visa simply by paying 10$ extra. It is important to know that the 2 entries are on the same visa for the 30 days but not two separate 15 day visas as was the case in earlier times. So if you are thinking of doing a road trip and getting in and out the country, this will be for you.

How to get an Uzbekistan visa through the embassy

Like we mentioned earlier, if you are not part of the countries that can get an e-visa, this is the only way you can get it. It is quite an easy process, but we understand not everyone lives in the same city as the embassy. In our case, from Dubai, it was easier to work with a third party visa company to take care of our visa, considering the embassy issuing the visa isn’t in town.

Requirements for the tourist visa application for Uzbekistan

1. Valid passport for 6 months
2. 2 empty pages left
3. A photocopy of your passport (you can keep your passport during processing)
4. 2 passport photos (make sure they are real glossy ones, just in case!)
5. Uzbekistan visa application form filled in online and printed. Download the document from here
6. A hotel booking confirmation, this is easier if you also are going through a tour by the way. This won’t always be asked, but you want to have it just in case.
7. A Letter of Invitation (LOI) if you are not from any of the countries mentioned in the above lists (this wasn’t needed for us as we applied through a third party visa company that takes care of all the extra paperwork)
8. Make sure to verify if your country is visa free or is eligible for e-visa application online that will save you time.

Here is the list of things you need to get ready for when you go to the embassy. Again, to be 100% sure that there has been no changes since the time we are writing this guide, we advise you to call the embassy of Uzbekistan in your country to confirm if you have all the right documents.

Inconveniences from applying for the Uzbekistan visa at the Embassy

Unlike the e-visa, when you apply through the embassy way you will need to mention the exact dates you plan to be travelling in Uzbekistan. This has been one of the most inconvenient things for us as we had to also leave the country at a specific deadline date. Note that you can’t modify them and will have to reapply if you can’t make it to the dates you’ve submitted. A real pain. Does this mean you need to go exactly on the date you submitted? Not really. It simply means that you can’t enter the country before the entry date you submitted and can’t leave after the exit date you have been honoured for the visa.

How much does the Uzbekistan application cost?

The standard tourist visa lengths are 30-day visas, single-entry or multiple-entry visa. They cost is 60$US to 100$US for most of the nationalities. To be honest, the cost all depends of if you applied through a third party, with their help or from what nationality and embassy you’ve been at. In our case, going through a third party in Dubai cost us around 120$US each (Canadian and Australian passports).

How to get your LOI for the Uzbekistan visa

The LOI isn’t required if you can apply for the e-visa. If you are part of any of the countries mentioned earlier, you don’t need the LOI even if you apply in person at the embassy. So everyone that is from a nationality not mentioned on the above lists, you will need to get in your hands the LOI document from either an agency or a tour operator for Uzbekistan. Some hotels also can provide you this piece of document so when you are looking for accommodation do count into consideration if they can provide all travellers the LOI document. The process should cost you around 45$US  taking around 8 to 10 working days. You can have it “express” if you pay extra. Classic ! Note that once you have your LOI, you visa can be issued on the same day right away when you apply. So even if you don’t need your LOI, this is a cheat to be able to get your visa on the same day you apply for it at the embassy, wining!

How long does it take to get the Uzbekistan visa

If you are not applying online, it can take some time. Make sure to get all the documents you need and do your application process in advance. Getting the LOI can take you around 8 working days and it will take also between 5 to 8 working days to process your visa if you don’t have that LOI.

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