Uzbekistan visa for Australian citizens

No, for tourism of up to 30 days. Australia is on Uzbekistan’s visa-free list, which expanded as the country opened up to tourism from 2018–2019. A month is plenty for the Silk Road cities, and long enough to add a neighbouring country.

Before you travel, check the official portal e-visa.gov.uz and the Australian government’s Smartraveller advice for Uzbekistan. See our Uzbekistan visa guide for the general rules.

For more than 30 days, or for work, study or business, you need a visa obtained in advance, as an e-visa where available or through an Uzbek embassy or consulate. Apply only through official channels. Leaving Uzbekistan for a neighbouring country and returning generally starts a new visa-free period, but check the current rules before you rely on it.

• Passport: valid at least six months beyond your stay is the safe rule, with blank pages.
• Travel insurance with medical and evacuation cover; Medicare does not cover you in Uzbekistan.
• Medicines: some common prescription medicines, including codeine-based painkillers, sleeping pills and ADHD medication, are controlled in Uzbekistan. Carry them in original packaging with a prescription or doctor’s letter.
• Drones require permission.

At immigration, present your passport; you may be asked for your first hotel and onward ticket. Declare large amounts of cash and keep the form. Foreign visitors must be registered where they stay; hotels and licensed guesthouses do it automatically. Keep the registration slips. See Tashkent airport.

There are no direct flights from Australia to Uzbekistan. Common routes connect via Dubai, Doha or Abu Dhabi, via Istanbul, or via Asian hubs such as Delhi, Kuala Lumpur, Seoul or Bangkok, depending on current schedules. Total travel time from Sydney or Melbourne is typically 18–24 hours. Some connections reach Samarkand directly. See domestic flights.

Time difference: Uzbekistan is 5 hours behind Sydney and Melbourne in the Australian winter, and 6 hours behind during Australian daylight saving time; it is 3 hours behind Perth.

The currency is the Uzbek som. Australian dollars are difficult to exchange: bring US dollars or euros in clean notes. ATMs accept Visa and Mastercard in the cities, and cards are accepted in many hotels and restaurants; cash is needed for bazaars, taxis and small cafés. See money in Central Asia.

Uzbekistan’s seasons are the reverse of Australia’s. The best months are April–May (the Australian autumn) and September–October (the Australian spring). July and August are very hot, with highs above 40 °C in Bukhara and Termez; December to February are cold, especially in Khiva and Nukus. See Khiva weather and Termez weather.

Australian citizens can usually visit Kazakhstan and Kyrgyzstan visa-free for limited stays. Tajikistan offers visa-free entry or an e-visa to many nationalities, with a GBAO permit for the Pamirs. Turkmenistan requires a visa with a letter of invitation. Given the long journey from Australia, combining two or three countries makes sense. See Central Asia visas.

Most Australian visitors spend 8–14 days in Uzbekistan. A classic route is Tashkent → Samarkand by the Afrosiyob train → Bukhara → Khiva across the desert, then a flight from Urgench back to Tashkent. Because the flight is long, many add a few days in Kyrgyzstan or Kazakhstan to make the journey worthwhile, or a night in a desert yurt camp near Lake Aydarkul. The busiest months are April–May and September–October, when trains and good hotels sell out, so book early. See our 7-day and 10-day itineraries, and Tashkent to Samarkand for the first leg.

Australia does not necessarily have a resident embassy in Tashkent; check Smartraveller for the Australian embassy responsible for Uzbekistan, and save its details. Subscribe to Smartraveller updates for the latest advice.