Customs at Tashkent Airport suspends clearance of new smartphones

According to Tangriev, clearance has been halted until questions related to determining IMEI identifiers and confirming the legality of importation are clarified. The measure applies to new smartphones brought from abroad and devices whose IMEI codes have not yet been registered on the networks of Uzbek operators, while tourists are not affected. Answering a question from Gazeta.uz, the press secretary clarified that importing phones is not prohibited, but devices brought by passengers will be temporarily seized: “Once customs clearance resumes, they will be cleared and returned to their owners.” He did not specify a timeframe for the resumption.

The committee explains the decision by citing increasingly frequent attempts to circumvent duty-free import allowances: forging IMEI codes, using the identifiers of other people's devices, and transferring data from one smartphone to another. Since the beginning of 2026, the Tashkent-Aero customs complex has stopped 185 cases of illegal importation involving 1,185 devices worth 8.8 billion soums. Together with other agencies, according to Tangriev, measures have been identified to clarify the inspection and clearance procedures.

On the morning of November 10, reports from passengers appeared on social media claiming that controls had been tightened since November 6, that smartphones were being sent for examination for up to 30 days, and that the procedure could allegedly be expedited for $400–1,100 depending on the model. The committee dismissed reports of a 30-day examination as untrue, did not confirm any extra payments, and urged the public to report corruption to the 1108 hotline. As Nuz.uz reported, citing vendors at the Malika market, the 256 GB iPhone 18 Pro Max rose in price from $1,700 to $1,880.