Importing from China to Uzbekistan: duties, VAT and WTO in 2026

China is Uzbekistan's top supplier with 31.58% of total imports in 2023, ahead of Russia (17.84%) and Kazakhstan (8.12%), according to Uzbekistan's trade profile on the World Bank's WITS portal, accessed 27 September 2026. The country's total imports reached $36.66 billion in 2023, against $21.02 billion in exports driven by gold, natural gas and copper.

Capital goods account for 38.82% of Uzbek imports, a sign of a country investing in its industrial base. The largest lines identified by WITS are petroleum oils ($1.11 billion), pharmaceutical products ($1.02 billion) and aircraft ($908 million), a structure that leaves broad room for machinery, electronics and industrial equipment sourced from China.

Uzbekistan is not a member of the World Trade Organization: it has been negotiating accession for several years and had completed bilateral negotiations with twenty-five WTO members by August 2025, according to the official US trade guide on the country's trade agreements, updated 10 December 2025. It therefore remains free to set its own tariff rules, without a member's multilateral commitments.

The country joined the Eurasian Economic Union as an observer on 11 December 2020, without becoming a member: it benefits from neither the common external tariff nor the free movement applied between Russia, Kazakhstan, Belarus, Armenia and Kyrgyzstan. It maintains free trade agreements with ten former Soviet republics and preferential agreements with Turkey, Pakistan, Iran and Afghanistan (2023-2024), according to the same source, but no such agreement is confirmed with China: Chinese goods enter under the standard tariff regime. Closer ties with China currently run through infrastructure: in September 2022, Uzbekistan, Kyrgyzstan and China signed a feasibility study agreement for a $4.7 billion rail project linking the three countries, according to the same guide, updated 9 December 2025 for the Uzbek market.

Presidential resolution PP-3818, adopted in 2018 and updated in 2025, sets Uzbekistan's customs tariff; the detail by Harmonized System code is published on the official lex.uz portal, referenced by the official US trade guide updated 10 December 2025. No average rate replaces the actual line: each code carries its own duty, to be checked before placing an order, via the Customs Info Database tool referenced in the same guide.

Import VAT was lowered from 15% to 12% starting in 2023, according to the Uzbek tax code cited by the same source; its exact calculation base is not detailed by our official sources and still needs verifying before costing a project. On a customs value of $50,000 with no duty or excise on the line in question, a 12% VAT would already come to $6,000.

A customs processing fee is added, in base calculation units, one unit being worth 412,000 som, about $32.51 in August 2025. Exemptions exist: goods of a foreign investor exempt permanently, re-export exempt for six months, temporary import exempt for up to two years.

The official US trade guide on import formalities in Uzbekistan, updated 9 December 2025, cites the customs goods declaration and cargo tracking documents as required paperwork for any commercial import. The certificate of origin is not systematic: it is produced at the interested party's discretion, or when an international treaty requires it.

A specific review targets projects financed by external public debt and concluded without a prior tender, including import contracts of one million dollars or more: they are examined, before execution, by the center for comprehensive expertise of investment projects and import contracts, Ministry of Economy and Finance.

Presidential resolution PP-181, adopted in May 2025, aligned Uzbek tariff classification codes with World Customs Organization and World Trade Organization rules, according to the official US trade guide on trade barriers, updated 9 December 2025, which makes it easier to identify the product code before researching a standard.

Our official sources do not detail a certification body, cost or timeframe specific to Uzbekistan: this point remains unconfirmed and must be checked product by product, before production, with the Uzbek technical authorities or a local freight forwarder. An upfront regulatory compliance review avoids discovering a blockage once the goods have arrived.

Uzbekistan flatly prohibits the import of narcotic drugs and psychotropic substances, writings aimed at undermining the state or promoting violence, terrorism or hatred, portable laser emitters, and explosives and pyrotechnic articles, according to the official US trade guide on prohibited and restricted imports, updated 9 December 2025.

Prior authorization is required for ozone-depleting substances, cultural property, firearms and ammunition, drones, wild fauna and flora, and hazardous waste. A Cabinet of Ministers licence is also required for weapons, uranium and radioactive materials, and precious metals, except gold and silver bullion from the central bank.

Uzbekistan has no coastline: all freight from southern China transits through a third country, most often by rail across Kazakhstan, or by sea to a neighboring port followed by a rail or road leg. The direct China-Kyrgyzstan-Uzbekistan rail line project mentioned above has, to our knowledge, no confirmed launch date or transit time as of 27 September 2026: with no verified figure, have the actual route quoted by a freight forwarder at order time.

Air freight to Tashkent airport remains an option for urgent or light shipments. On incoterms, FOB works well when the Uzbek buyer arranges transport from a Chinese port; DDP remains inadvisable as long as Sorva is not a licensed customs broker in Uzbekistan, which is always the case.

Always pay the Chinese supplier into its business account, never a personal account, and verify any change of bank details received by email with a direct phone call before making any transfer.

A first order follows a set sequence: specifications, factory verification, approved sample, proforma invoice with incoterm, production follow-up, pre-shipment inspection, documents gathered, then transport and customs clearance by the Uzbek importer.

Sorva is a sourcing and trading house between China and the world, based in Guangzhou's Tianhe district, backed by a Chinese subsidiary whose business scope covers the purchase, resale and export of goods, and by a parent company in France. Our Chinese-speaking team finds and vets factories, negotiates, arranges pre-shipment quality inspection and organizes freight to the chosen exit point. Sorva is never the official importer in Uzbekistan, does not clear customs locally, and does not export vehicles without a licensed Chinese exporter. Our base offer is priced in dollars, supplemented on quotation by options specific to the destination zone.