Uzbekistan: New Visa for Information Technology Investors, Specialists and Experts Now Available

• Validity period. The new multiple-entry visa is valid for up to three years, and is extendable.
• Application process.
  
  • Within Uzbekistan. Foreign nationals and their family members in Uzbekistan under a business (B-2), dependent (PV-2), or compatriot (VTD) entry visa (by invitation of local citizens) can obtain and extend an information technology visa at a Regional Department of Internal Affairs Office in Uzbekistan. Visas will be issued within three business days of the application.
  • Outside Uzbekistan. Foreign nationals abroad can apply for the visa by submitting a recommendation letter and other supporting documents to the Consular and Legal Department of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of Uzbekistan. The visa is typically processed within three business days and can be retrieved at an Uzbek embassy or at Tashkent Airport.  
  • Visa-exempt nationals. Foreign nationals who do not require a visa to enter Uzbekistan can submit a recommendation letter issued by the Information Technology Park Management office in Uzbekistan to obtain the same benefits as visa national information technology visa holders.
• Benefits of visa. Holders of the information technology visa (and their dependents) will benefit from:
  
  • access to public education and health services in Uzbekistan;
  • the right to stay in any region of Uzbekistan without residence registration; and
  • a streamlined residence permit application process.
• Information technology park applicants. Foreign nationals participating in a business plan that meets the requirements of an ‘information technology park’ in Uzbekistan (including, for example, the design, development, and implementation of software for any platform, or creating databases for information systems and software, among other related activities), are eligible to apply for the information technology visa based on a government recommendation letter.

This new visa type offers a streamlined residence and work authorization pathway for a new group of foreign workers, which was previously not available.

This visa encourages the entry of highly-skilled tech workers, which is part of the government’s aim to assist in the post-COVID economic recovery of the labor market.

The government will likely continue to implement immigration policies to streamline and simplify the requirements related to employing foreign nationals to support economic recovery.