1. Basic situation

The Republic of Uzbekistan (referred to as Uzbekistan) is located in Central Asia, bordering Turkmenistan, Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan, Tajikistan, and Afghanistan. It is one of the two dual landlocked countries in the world. The capital, Tashkent, has a land area of approximately 448,900 square kilometers and a population of 36.02 million. According to data from the National Bureau of Statistics of Uzbekistan, the GDP of Uzbekistan in 2024 will be US$114.96 billion, a year-on-year increase of 6.5%, and the per capita GDP will be US$3093. In 2024, the bilateral trade volume between China and Uzbekistan will be US$13.78 billion. Among them, China's exports to Uzbekistan were US$11.77 billion, a year-on-year decrease of 4.9%; China's imports from Uzbekistan were US$2.01 billion, a year-on-year increase of 21.1%. In terms of China-Uzbekistan cooperation, in January 2024, President Uzbekistan visited China, and Uzbekistan became China's first all-weather comprehensive strategic partner in the new era. The development of China-Uzbekistan relations has entered a new historical period.

Uzbekistan is rich in resources, with a total value of mineral resource reserves of approximately US$3.5 trillion. There are currently nearly 100 mineral products identified. Among them, proven gold reserves are 3350 tons (fourth in the world), proven oil reserves are 584 million tons, proven natural gas reserves are 3.4 trillion cubic meters, coal reserves are 1.83 billion tons, and uranium reserves are 185,800 tons (seventh in the world, accounting for 4% of the world's uranium reserves), and copper, tungsten and other mineral deposits are also relatively abundant. Forest coverage is 12%.

2. Automobile market situation

Uzbekistan is the first country among the five Central Asian countries to develop the automobile industry and the most mature automobile industry chain in the region. In recent years, the automobile market in Uzbekistan has grown rapidly. According to official data from Uzbekistan, in 2024, automobile sales in Uzbekistan will reach 402391 units. In terms of imported cars, according to data from Uzbekistan's National Bureau of Statistics, in 2024, Uzbekistan will import approximately 74,700 light vehicles. Among them, about 61,000 vehicles were imported from China, accounting for 81.7%. In terms of new energy vehicles, in 2024, Uzbekistan will import a total of 24095 electric vehicles, of which 23999 electric vehicles from China are from China, ranking first, accounting for 99.6.

3. Policies and regulations on used car import

1. Import policy

In 2022, Uzbekistan passed the resolution "On Additional Measures to Stimulate the Development of the Domestic Motor Vehicle Market." From April to December 2022, the tariff on new cars will be reduced from 30% to 15%. The additional factor per cubic centimeter of vehicle engine power setting will also be halved, from $3 to $1.50. Starting from January 2023, customs taxes on hybrid vehicles have also been set at 15%-30% of cost, depending on engine type and production period.

At the end of 2023, in order to tighten the import of automobiles and electric vehicles, Uzbekistan plans to issue a draft on "Measures to Further Improve the Import of Automobiles into the Republic and its Compliance Assessment System", which stipulates that starting from January 1, 2024, individuals will be prohibited. Importing motor vehicles into the Republic for commercial purposes must be registered in their own name if they are for personal use, and no more than one vehicle per year. Vehicles imported by state-owned enterprises, production enterprises and commercial entities for their own use and not intended to be sold in China are exempted from compulsory certification.

Starting from November 1, 2024, the Technical Supervision Bureau of Uzbekistan will implement new regulations on imported car dealers. Cars imported into Uzbekistan by official dealers must be tested at the car inspection site in Pskent District, Tashkent Oblast before obtaining customs clearance certificates. However, the new rules do not apply to self-use cars imported from abroad.

According to the resolution of the Cabinet of Uzbekistan on January 31, 2025, the Uzbek government has approved a significant increase in recycling fees for vehicles driven only by electric motors (not applicable to hybrid vehicles, hereinafter collectively referred to as "electric vehicles"). The new standards vary according to the year in which the vehicle was produced: electric vehicles less than 3 years old must pay 120 BRV(approximately 45 million sum), and those more than 3 years old must pay 210 BRV(approximately 78.75 million sum). The implementation of this policy is expected to have a profound impact on Uzbekistan's electric vehicle market. The policy will officially take effect on May 1, 2025. At the same time, in order to encourage the development of the local electric vehicle industry, as of January 1, 2030, electric vehicles and hybrid vehicles produced in Uzbekistan will be exempted from refund fees, and imported parts, raw materials, equipment and technical tools will be exempted from tariffs. Before achieving a full production cycle (up to 24 months), automakers can exempt from tariffs and recycling fees under SKD mass assembly or CBU complete import methods, and import electric vehicles equivalent to up to 50% of the factory's production capacity, but no more than 10,000 vehicles per year.

2. Tax policy

Uzbekistan mainly imposes tariffs, value-added tax (12%), customs processing fees and recycling fees on imported used cars.

The tariff rate is comprehensively determined based on vehicle age, power type and engine displacement:

(1)Fuel vehicles less than 1 year old are subject to a fixed-rate tariff of 15% and a tariff of 0.8-1.5 US dollars/ml based on engine type and displacement.

(2)Fuel vehicles older than 1 year but less than 3 years old are subject to a fixed proportion tariff of 30% and a tariff of 1.8-3 US dollars/ml based on engine type and displacement.

(3)A fixed tariff of 40% and a tariff of US$3/ml are levied on vehicles older than 3 years old.

(4)Hybrid vehicles are only subject to a fixed proportion of tariffs based on their age, of which a 15% tariff is levied on hybrid vehicles less than 1 year old, and a 30% tariff is levied on hybrid vehicles 1-3 years old.

(5)Pure electric vehicles, regardless of whether new or used cars, are subject to zero tariffs.

(6)The customs processing fee is levied 0.5-75 times BCU(1BCU=300000 Uzbekistan som ≈27.16 US dollars) based on the customs value of the goods cleared.

(7)The refund charge is charged based on the age and displacement of the vehicle. Among them, cars less than 3 years old are charged 30-300 times BCU based on the displacement, and used cars more than 3 years old are charged 90-480 times BCU based on the displacement. Pure electric vehicles and hybrid vehicles charge 30 times BCU.

3. Documents required for import

● Invoice

● Automobile related information: type, brand name, manufacturing year, frame number, engine number

● Importers information, including company or individual name and address

● Transport bill of lading

● Export certificate 

Source: "China Used Car Export Country Guidelines2024"

This article is reproduced from the "2024 Country Guide" and is only used for information sharing. If infringement is involved, please contact and delete it. This site does not bear relevant legal responsibilities.