Foreign trade and currency regulation in Uzbekistan

Exporting from the Republic of Uzbekistan is constrained by currency control rather than by tax. The contract is registered in the state information system, the proceeds arrive within a set period, and delivery is evidenced by documents the bank accepts without argument.

The monitoring procedure is approved by Cabinet of Ministers of the Republic of Uzbekistan Resolution No. 283 of 14.05.2020. The requirement itself is simple, but breaching it blocks the payment rather than merely attracting a fine.

Does a foreign trade contract have to be registered?

Yes. Export and import contracts for goods and services are registered by all legal entities and individual entrepreneurs of the Republic of Uzbekistan engaged in foreign economic activity, in the Unified Electronic Information System of Foreign Trade Operations. Since 2025 registration runs through the E-Contract system at contract.customs.uz.

The practical consequence matters more than the wording: a bank will not process a payment under a foreign trade contract until the contract is visible in the system, and customs will not accept a declaration under an unregistered import contract. Registration is completed before settlements begin, not after the first payment.

Access to the system requires an electronic digital signature. Contract data in the system must match the signed document: a discrepancy in amount, currency or settlement terms halts the operation until it is corrected.

When must export proceeds arrive?

Proceeds from export operations are due within 180 calendar days from the date the customs declaration is issued under the export regime. The same 180-day period applies to counter-performance under import contracts, running from the date of payment.

For exports of works and services the period runs from the signing of the acceptance act rather than from the contract date. That changes planning: a long project with a single closing act and payment on completion risks breaching the period, while staged acceptance acts fit inside it.

Breaching the period gives rise to liability under the legislation of the Republic of Uzbekistan for overdue receivables. The practical conclusion is one: align contractual payment terms with the statutory period before signing, not after the delay.

How is an export of services documented?

Exporting services is the core scenario for IT companies, design studios and consultancies in the Republic of Uzbekistan. It requires no customs clearance, but it does require documents that show the service was actually delivered.

The act should be worded so that it is clear what was done and in what volume. "Services rendered under the contract" evidences nothing — neither to the bank nor to the tax authority.

Can payment go to the founder's account abroad?

No, where the services are supplied by a legal entity of the Republic of Uzbekistan. Proceeds must reach the company's account with an authorised bank: any other route breaches currency legislation and leaves the export unevidenced.

An arrangement where the foreign client pays the founder directly, or a related foreign company, creates three problems at once: overdue receivables in the monitoring system, unrecorded income in the Uzbek company's accounts, and a reclassification risk at the next inspection.

The rule is not relaxed for a resident of the Technological Park of Software and Information Technologies (IT Park): tax incentives do not remove currency obligations — see the IT Park cluster.

How do you pay abroad and distribute profit?

Payments abroad go through an authorised bank under a registered contract. The bank checks that the payment matches the contract terms and the data in the information system, and requests documents under its internal control procedures.

When importing services from a foreign supplier, the Uzbek company often acts as tax agent: it withholds tax at source and accounts for value added tax on behalf of the foreign supplier under the Tax Code of the Republic of Uzbekistan of 30.12.2019.

Dividends to a foreign founder are paid after the annual result is approved and are taxed at source at 10% under Article 353 of the Tax Code. A double taxation treaty may reduce the rate, but only where a tax residency certificate for the recipient is held — the mechanics are covered in the taxes cluster.

Which foreign trade mistakes cost the most?

Foreign trade errors do not surface immediately: the contract works, payments arrive, and the problem appears at the first reconciliation or when the next payment stalls.

• Contract not registered before the first payment. The bank halts the operation, the deal stops and the client waits.
• Payment terms longer than 180 calendar days. Overdue receivables arise automatically, under the company's own contract.
• A single act for a long project. The proceeds deadline runs from one date and the time buffer disappears.
• Contract data differs from system data. The payment does not clear until the records are aligned.
• Payment to a founder's personal account. Proceeds never reach the company, the export is unevidenced, and a breach is recorded.
• No tax residency certificate for the counterparty. A treaty rate applied without the document is reversed with interest.

What comes next

Currency control is cheaper to design into the contract template than to fix after the first missed deadline. Payment terms, the acceptance procedure and the schedule of acts are the three conditions that decide whether the company stays inside the statutory period.

TheBux supports foreign trade contracts end to end: reviewing terms, registration, tracking proceeds deadlines and preparing the evidencing documents — the scope is set out on the service page.