Uzbekistan Integrates Phone Customs Clearance With UzIMEI System

Tashkent, Uzbekistan (UzDaily.uz) — The mandatory process for registering IMEI codes of mobile phones imported by individuals into Uzbekistan has undergone major infrastructure changes.

According to representatives of the state's Customs Committee during a press tour organized at the Tashkent international airport, the procedure for registering devices in the UzIMEI system is now carried out simultaneously with their customs clearance, thanks to the complete technical integration of the information databases of both agencies.

To implement this mechanism, modern digital info-kiosks have been deployed in the arrivals hall of the capital's air terminal, allowing passengers to file customs declarations online directly on the spot.

In parallel, a specialized mobile application named Yo’lovchi Deklaratsiyasi was launched for travelers. Since its release, the application has been downloaded by users more than 580 thousand times.

To date, the agency has received around 603 thousand electronic documents through the mobile platform, while citizens generated another 538 thousand declarations using the installed info-kiosks. The introduction of these digital tools has reduced the circulation of traditional paper forms by three times and doubled the overall speed of passing through the procedures.

Shahobiddin Normuradov, Chief Inspector of the Tashkent-AERO customs complex, explained the key advantages of the new system in detail.

According to Normuradov, citizens can now quickly declare a new mobile device within the duty-free limit established by law, after which the device is registered in the UzIMEI database automatically and without the need to apply to third-party agencies. The entire process is automated: entering data into the program requires only the phone's IMEI code and the passenger's passport details, which are verified using Face ID biometric verification.

The innovation eliminates the need for people to visit the offices of the system operator or third-party websites, combining declaration, registration, and fee payment into a single interface. This has reduced the average waiting time in lines by 85–90%, and the procedure itself takes between 1.5 and 2 minutes, saving time for up to 70% of arriving passengers.

The simplification of administrative procedures has had a direct impact on the legalization of the mobile phone market in the country. Customs statistics show a multiple-fold increase in the volume of official cellular phone imports by individuals.

While citizens legally brought only 5.6 thousand mobile devices into the republic throughout 2024, this figure increased to 716 thousand units by the end of 2025. The growth dynamic continues this year: during the first five months, about 420 thousand devices were officially imported into Uzbekistan. Furthermore, out of 180 thousand customs declarations filed by passengers at the Tashkent airport since the beginning of the year, more than 85% contained information about imported phones.