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Visitors to Uzbekistan may bring any amount of cash into the country, but a single threshold — the equivalent of 100 million soums — determines whether that money must be declared and, crucially, whether it can leave again without difficulty.
Under current customs rules, travellers carrying cash whose total value in any combination of currencies exceeds 100 million soums are required to declare the full amount on arrival. The equivalent is calculated at the Central Bank of Uzbekistan’s official exchange rate on the day of crossing. Smaller sums may also be declared voluntarily.
The rule carries practical weight on the way out. Travellers leaving Uzbekistan may export up to the equivalent of 100 million soums in cash without a declaration. Above that threshold, additional customs requirements apply — and for foreign nationals, the amount declared on entry becomes the key document. A tourist who arrived with, say, $15,000 (which at current rates exceeds the 100-million-soum threshold) and failed to declare it on arrival may find that the undeclared remainder cannot be freely exported, even if a large portion was spent during the trip.
The scenario is common enough to warrant attention. A traveller brings a substantial sum, spends part of it, and assumes the reduced balance is no longer a problem. But without an entry declaration on file, customs officers at departure have no documentary basis to confirm the money was legally imported in the first place.
What travellers should do
Customs authorities advise declaring all cash in full if the total exceeds the 100-million-soum equivalent at entry, retaining the personal copy of the declaration throughout the stay, and presenting it at departure. The soum equivalent is recalculated at the Central Bank rate on the day of arrival, not departure, so travellers uncertain about whether their holdings cross the threshold should check the rate before reaching the border. Any questions can be directed to customs officers before passing through the control point.
The rules apply to both foreign currency and Uzbek soums. There is no cap on the amount that can be brought in; the obligation is one of disclosure, not restriction.
The guidance comes as Uzbekistan’s inbound tourism continues to grow sharply. According to figures cited alongside the customs advisory, 10.3 million foreign tourists visited the country in the period since the start of the year, a 20.4 percent increase on the same period in the prior year, with rising interest from countries beyond Uzbekistan’s immediate neighbours.