Uzbekistan’s Customs Committee has resumed customs clearance of mobile phones imported through Tashkent International Airport. The announcement was made by the committee’s press secretary, Khusan Tangriyev, at a joint briefing with UzIMEI on November 11, Spot reports.
On the evening of November 10, the committee announced a temporary suspension of customs clearance for imported mobile phones at the capital’s airport. The agency said the decision was prompted by an increase in attempts to bring in devices exceeding the duty-free allowance by using various methods to falsify IMEI codes.
Violators use identifiers assigned to other devices when registering phones or register several handsets under the same code. Detecting such cases requires “specialised knowledge and expertise”, the customs authorities said.
Starting November 11, if customs officers at Tashkent Airport suspect that a phone’s IMEI code has been replaced or falsified, they will consult representatives of UzIMEI. The organisation has a permanent office at the airport terminal.
According to the customs authorities, the new procedure will ensure that issues related to mobile phone imports are handled in a legally correct and consistent manner. It is also intended to prevent future violations.
“Following the clarification of the situation, customs clearance of mobile devices is resuming under the established procedures from today,” Tangriyev said.
The customs press secretary also reiterated that reports circulating on social media about the mandatory seizure of phones for up to 30 days and an option to have them cleared within one day for an additional fee were false. No such procedure had been introduced, the agency said.
What happened
On November 10, reports appeared on social media claiming that iPhones and other smartphones worth more than $1,000 were being temporarily held for examination. The reports also alleged that passengers were being offered expedited clearance in exchange for an additional payment. According to these reports, the checks had begun on November 6.
The publication Oblako reported that passengers were allegedly offered two options: leave their device for 30 days for examination and pay $150, or have it cleared within one day for $400−1,100, depending on the model.
The Telegram channel “RASTAMOZHKA” called for clarification on whether additional examinations were required for all expensive phones or only in cases involving suspicious IMEI codes. It also warned that holding devices for 30 days could cause inconvenience to passengers.
The channel also reported alleged violations of legislation governing the import and customs clearance of mobile phones and IMEI registration. According to its authors, the Customs Code allows goods imported for personal use within certain limits to be brought into the country without customs duties.
However, subordinate regulations require mobile phones to be declared. If no customs declaration is available, a charge equal to 30% of the device’s full customs value may be imposed when registering it with UzIMEI.
The requirement to declare mobile phones upon import, regardless of their value or quantity, was introduced in October 2023 and has been in effect since January 2024. Individuals may bring in up to two phones by air, with a combined value of no more than $2,000, without paying customs duties.
The duty-free limit is $1,000 for arrivals by train and $300 for those entering by car. If the limit is exceeded, a 30% customs duty is charged on the portion of the value above the threshold.
Customs authorities regularly report attempts to smuggle mobile phones into Uzbekistan. For example, on November 4, officers at Tashkent Airport discovered a shipment of 20 latest-model iPhones worth a total of 310 million soums. On November 9, customs officers identified another nine devices valued at 432.85 million soums.
The English version of this material was generated with the assistance of AI translation tools and may differ slightly from the original text.
