Uzbekistan visa for US citizens

For years, US passport holders needed a visa for Uzbekistan, obtained online through the official e-visa system. In November 2025, Uzbekistan announced that US citizens would be able to enter visa-free from 1 January 2026. This makes a trip to Samarkand, Bukhara and Khiva much simpler.

Because new rules sometimes take time to be applied everywhere, and details such as the allowed number of days can change, always confirm the current rule on the official portal e-visa.gov.uz and with the US State Department before you travel. See our main Uzbekistan visa guide for the general rules.

Visa-free entry is for tourism and short visits. If you plan to stay longer than the permitted period, to work, study or for other purposes, you need the appropriate visa, which may be available as an e-visa or through an Uzbek embassy or consulate. Apply only on the official government portal; other websites that look official are intermediaries that charge extra.

Uzbekistan has offered visa-free transit of up to five days for citizens of many countries, including the USA, arriving by air with an onward ticket to a third country. With visa-free entry in place, this matters less, but it can still be useful for stopovers. Check the current conditions.

• Passport: valid for at least six months beyond your stay is the safe rule, with blank pages.
• Travel insurance with medical cover.
• Medicines: some common US prescription medicines, including certain strong painkillers, sleeping pills and ADHD medication, are controlled in Uzbekistan. Carry them in original packaging with a prescription or doctor’s letter.
• Drones need permission; leave yours at home unless a permit has been arranged.
• Enrol in the State Department’s STEP programme if you wish, and read its travel advice for Uzbekistan.

At passport control, show your passport and, if asked, your return ticket and first hotel address. Declare large amounts of cash. Foreign visitors must be registered where they stay; hotels and licensed guesthouses do it automatically. Keep any registration slips until you leave. See Tashkent airport for arrival details.

Uzbekistan Airways has operated direct flights between New York and Tashkent at times; schedules and frequency vary, so check what is currently offered. Most American travellers connect via Istanbul, Dubai, Doha, Frankfurt or other European hubs. Flying time is roughly 13–18 hours including the connection. Uzbekistan is 9–10 hours ahead of US Eastern Time, depending on daylight saving in the US (Uzbekistan does not change its clocks).

Some travellers fly into Samarkand or Urgench via Istanbul to avoid backtracking. See domestic flights.

The currency is the Uzbek som. US dollars in clean, recent banknotes are easy to exchange at banks and official exchange points. ATMs accept Visa and Mastercard in cities, and cards work in many hotels and restaurants, though cash is still needed for bazaars, taxis and small cafés. See money in Central Asia.

US 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 separate permit for the Pamirs. Turkmenistan requires a visa with a letter of invitation arranged in advance. Rules change; see Central Asia visas and border crossings.

The US Embassy is in Tashkent. Save its contact details before you travel, and keep a copy of your passport separately from the original.