Starting April 1, 2026, Uzbekistan will implement significant changes to its legal framework, including a shift in the working schedule of state hospitals. According to a presidential decree dated November 9, 2025, state medical institutions will transition to a five-day workweek. This move aims to optimize the workload of medical staff and improve service quality. To ensure uninterrupted medical assistance during holidays and weekends, a duty system will be introduced, which authorities claim will not restrict public access to healthcare. Additionally, employees of state medical facilities will receive annual bonuses equivalent to the minimum wage from the Material Incentive Fund on the occasion of "Medical Workers' Day."
Traffic violations will now incur not only monetary fines but also penalty points. From April 1, 2026, drivers will accumulate penalty points for infractions recorded by surveillance cameras (radars). Vehicle owners must register the transfer of their car to another person in a personal electronic cabinet, and the recipient must confirm the receipt. If confirmation is not provided, penalty points will be charged to the owner's account. If the owner lacks a driver's license and points exceed 12, the vehicle will be temporarily impounded and placed in a penalty parking lot. The penalty point system was launched on June 1, 2025, initially applying only to violations manually recorded by traffic police officers.
The era of cashless transactions begins. Under a presidential decree "On additional measures to popularize cashless payments and reduce the share of the shadow economy," from April 1, 2026, certain payments must be made exclusively via bank cards or electronic payment systems. This measure is purportedly designed to curb the shadow economy, with a target to increase the share of cashless payments in trade and services to 75% by 2030. All legal entities engaged in trade and services are required to implement a unified QR code for accepting electronic payments.
A tax-free system for foreigners will be operational. Starting April 1, 2026, Uzbekistan will introduce a value-added tax (VAT) refund system for foreign citizens – tax free. This system will be available at all international airports in the republic. Foreigners can opt to receive 85% of the applicable VAT rate in cash, with the remaining 15% allocated to cover tax-free operator services. VAT refunds to a foreigner's bank card will be processed within three business days from the date of export. The minimum purchase amount for a VAT refund is set at 300,000 soums (including VAT). The tax-free system applies to all goods except food items, and a limited list of eligible goods has been abolished.
Source: kun.uz