Customs officers at Tashkent International Airport have uncovered attempts by passengers to covertly import iPhone 18 and iPhone 17 smartphones, the press service of the Customs Committee reported.

Between September 20 and 22, officers at the border customs post of Tashkent International Airport, while inspecting the luggage of three passengers arriving from Dubai, discovered 8 new iPhone 18 and 6 iPhone 17 devices. The passengers failed to declare these mobile devices during oral questioning and in their passenger customs declarations. The total value of the seized phones amounted to 227 million soums.

Customs investigations into these cases are ongoing. According to current regulations, individuals are allowed to import up to two mobile devices for personal use. If the value of the mobile devices exceeds the duty-free import norm for individuals, a single customs payment of 30% of the excess value is levied.

Furthermore, mobile devices imported from abroad must be declared in the passenger customs declaration. The declaration subsequently serves as the basis for registering the phone in the UzIMEI system. For phones smuggled past customs control, the single customs payment must also be paid during registration in the UzIMEI system. The difference is that when a phone is declared, the payment is charged only on the amount exceeding the duty-free import norm. In cases of illegal import, the single customs payment is calculated at 30% of the full value of the device.

According to the committee, since the beginning of the year, the specialized customs complex Tashkent-AERO has prevented the illegal import of 162 mobile devices worth 7.8 billion soums. The Customs Committee urged citizens returning from abroad to declare their mobile devices in the passenger customs declaration.

Earlier, the Customs Committee provided information on the duty payable by individuals for mobile devices imported across the customs border for non-commercial purposes, explaining it using the example of the iPhone 17 Pro Max. It is recalled that, according to a presidential decree, starting January 1, 2027, the single customs payment rate for goods imported by individuals in excess of duty-free norms is planned to be reduced from 30% to 20%.

Source: www.gazeta.uz