Tashkent, February 25, 2025 – The Europe Today: President Shavkat Mirziyoyev reviewed a comprehensive presentation on enhancing and digitizing Uzbekistan’s customs system, underscoring the government’s commitment to streamlining trade operations and improving efficiency.
Significant progress has been made in the customs sector to bolster regional and international economic ties. Preliminary information exchange mechanisms have been established with nearly ten countries, and customs clearance and data processing centers have been set up. Additionally, new terminals have been constructed at four key customs posts, and over 20 posts have been equipped with advanced technology. For entrepreneurs, 35 information systems have been implemented, reducing the export procedure from nine to three stages.
These measures have yielded remarkable results. The number of vehicles crossing Uzbekistan’s borders has increased eightfold, reaching almost five million annually. Budget revenues have surged ninefold, exceeding 63 trillion UZS last year. Moreover, cargo clearance times have been significantly reduced to three hours for imports and just 20 minutes for exports. Thanks to these streamlined procedures, nearly 6,000 exporters and about 20,000 importers have benefited from substantial savings in both time and financial resources. As a result, Uzbekistan has climbed from 140th to 74th place in the international logistics ranking for customs efficiency.
Despite these advancements, challenges remain in further digitizing processes, accelerating procedures, and enhancing convenience. During the presentation, the President reviewed measures to address these concerns and ensure continued improvement.
In recent years, the capacity for processing goods within the customs zone has expanded considerably, with such goods now accounting for more than $1 billion in exports. Further simplifications in customs regulations are expected to increase this figure to $1.5 billion within the year. Given the strengthening trade and tourism ties with neighboring states, passenger and road transport across borders is projected to double. This necessitates the development of additional infrastructure and an expansion of customs post capacities.
To facilitate international transport, the government plans to introduce an advanced passenger information system for bus routes, mirroring the system currently in place for air travel. This initiative is expected to expedite border crossings and reduce processing times for buses. Furthermore, an experimental implementation of red and green corridor systems for passenger cars and buses is being considered at major customs posts.
Special emphasis has been placed on integrating artificial intelligence (AI) into customs supervision. With the support of World Bank specialists, Uzbekistan will enhance its risk analysis system, which will assess the reliability of entrepreneurs based on 122 criteria, including financial stability, tax arrears, and trade history. Additionally, AI will be utilized for analyzing X-ray images of goods to automatically detect potential risks. President Mirziyoyev approved these initiatives and stressed the importance of creating even greater conveniences within the customs sector to ensure efficient services for entrepreneurs and tourists. Furthermore, efforts will be made to align customs legislation with World Trade Organization (WTO) requirements as part of Uzbekistan’s accession process.
The President also underscored the necessity of strengthening the Customs Institute’s capacity, enhancing the training of qualified personnel in AI, digital technologies, and risk analysis, expanding dual education programs, and improving the organization of practical work in the customs sector.
These efforts are expected to significantly enhance Uzbekistan’s customs operations, further integrating the country into the global trade network and supporting economic growth.
