On 11 November, a press conference in Tashkent on customs clearance of mobile devices and IMEI registration brought together journalists and Customs Committee officials to discuss how import duties affect phone prices in Uzbekistan. The main questions were how the final retail price is formed, why customs payments and the separate UzIMEI registration fee should be distinguished, and what conditions exist for formal importers competing with informal supply channels.
Key Takeaways: Customs duty on mobile device imports in Uzbekistan was cited at an average of 5%, with VAT at 12%, while officials said global averages are around 10–15% for duty and 18–20% for VAT. Customs payments contributed nearly UZS 63.5 trillion to the state budget over ten months of 2026, including UZS 2 trillion from mobile device imports. Officials stressed that customs duties and IMEI registration fees are different charges.
The debate focused on who ultimately bears the cost. A journalist noted that additional state charges on imported devices are effectively passed on to consumers because businesses include such costs in the final price. The journalist asked why ordinary people should suffer, and why goods that are cheaper in other countries should become more expensive in Uzbekistan because of taxes.
Husan Tangriyev, press secretary of the Customs Committee, explained that customs payments for importing mobile phones and the separate fee for registering IMEI codes in the UzIMEI system must be treated as distinct. Farhod Olimjonov, head of a committee department, responded to criticism by saying that if such logic were applied broadly, customs payments would have to be waived on all imported goods, including cars, furniture and phones. He proposed comparing Uzbekistan’s tax and customs rates with those in other countries.
According to Olimjonov, Uzbekistan’s rates are relatively low: the average customs duty on mobile device imports is 5% versus 10–15% globally, and VAT is 12% versus 18–20% in many countries. He also said that over ten months of 2026, customs payments brought about UZS 63.5 trillion to the budget, of which UZS 2 trillion came from mobile device imports; these funds, he said, finance public needs such as schools and kindergartens.
Officials also raised the problem of informal imports. Olimjonov recalled that in 2022, 60% of imports were attributed to individuals and described past practices in which entrepreneurs used passengers returning from Dubai or Turkey to carry phones across the border as personal goods. He said formal importers who pay duties, VAT and other taxes need equal competitive conditions, while buyers should have access to officially imported devices with warranties and service support. The discussion is expected to continue as authorities clarify customs and UzIMEI rules and seek to balance consumer affordability with support for legal imports.
Source: www.gazeta.uz