Most goods passing through Uzbekistan’s borders are cleared under simplified procedures. This was reported during a meeting between President Shavkat Mirziyoyev and World Customs Organization (WCO) Secretary General Ian Saunders.
The president discussed expanding cooperation in improving customs administration, strengthening the capacity of customs authorities and combating violations. The sides noted that, with WCO assistance, Uzbekistan has joined a number of international conventions on trade facilitation.
Modern customs control mechanisms have been introduced in the country. A customs service development strategy through 2030, titled “New Uzbekistan Customs — 2030,” has also been adopted.
Around 94% of export shipments and 87% of import shipments are currently cleared under simplified procedures. Customs reforms have reduced the time required to process declarations to 20 minutes.
Digital solutions for interaction between customs authorities and businesses are also being actively introduced. Work is underway to reduce administrative procedures and corruption risks.
Special attention during the talks was paid to digitalization and harmonization of customs procedures, improving the regulatory framework, and training and upgrading the skills of customs personnel. The importance of these measures was emphasized as Uzbekistan prepares to join the World Trade Organization.
Following the meeting, Uzbekistan and the WCO agreed to adopt a joint “roadmap” outlining measures to deepen cooperation and improve the customs sector.
The customs reform strategy adopted in late August sets a target of reducing the average time for import clearance to two hours and export clearance to 30 minutes by 2030. Currently, the figures stand at 4 hours 10 minutes and 2 hours 20 minutes, respectively.
The government also plans to increase the volume of goods processed within the customs territory to $3 billion and raise the number of authorized economic operators to 500. By December 2027, authorities have been instructed to submit a draft law raising the amount of foreign currency that can be taken out of the country without declaration to $10,000.
The English version of this material was generated with the assistance of AI translation tools and may differ slightly from the original text.
