Uzbekistan visa for Japanese citizens

No, for tourism of up to 30 days. Japan was among the first countries whose citizens received visa-free entry when Uzbekistan began opening up to tourism in 2018. Uzbekistan and Japan have close ties: Japanese prisoners of war built buildings in Tashkent after the Second World War, including the Navoi Theatre, and Japan has supported many projects in the country.

Before you leave, check the official portal e-visa.gov.uz and the overseas safety information of Japan’s Ministry of Foreign Affairs. 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 the Uzbek embassy in Tokyo. Use only official channels. Leaving and re-entering Uzbekistan during a regional trip generally starts a new visa-free period; check the current rules.

• Passport: valid at least six months beyond your stay is the safe rule, with blank pages.
• Travel insurance with medical and evacuation cover.
• Medicines: some medicines common in Japan, such as certain cold medicines containing codeine or pseudoephedrine, sleeping pills and ADHD medication, may be controlled in Uzbekistan. Carry them in original packaging with a prescription or a doctor’s letter in English.
• Drones require permission.

At immigration, present your passport; you may be asked for your first hotel and return 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.

Uzbekistan Airways has operated direct flights between Tokyo and Tashkent at times; check current schedules. Otherwise, travellers connect via Seoul, Istanbul, the Gulf (Dubai, Doha), or other Asian hubs. Total travel time is typically 9–15 hours, depending on the connection. See domestic flights.

Time difference: Uzbekistan is 4 hours behind Japan all year; neither country uses daylight saving time.

The currency is the Uzbek som. Japanese yen can be difficult to exchange outside Tashkent: bring US dollars in clean notes. ATMs accept Visa and Mastercard in the cities; JCB cards are accepted less widely. Cash is needed in bazaars, taxis and small cafés. See money in Central Asia.

Japanese visitors often visit places linked to the history of their compatriots in Uzbekistan: the Navoi Opera and Ballet Theatre, built with the labour of Japanese prisoners of war and famous for surviving the 1966 Tashkent earthquake, and the Japanese cemetery in Tashkent, where some of them are buried. See the Navoi Theatre.

Japanese 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 permit for the Pamirs. Turkmenistan requires a visa with a letter of invitation. See Central Asia visas and border crossings.

Most Japanese 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. Many also visit the Fergana Valley, where silk weaving in Margilan and ceramics in Rishtan continue centuries-old traditions. 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.

The Embassy of Japan is in Tashkent. Save its contact details before you travel and register your trip with the Ministry of Foreign Affairs’ Tabi-Regi service.