Regional visas are available in several countries to make traveling easy for its citizens. It also helps goods and services to move in and out of the country faster. In Uzbekistan, a new regional visa is going to be the new standard and it is the “Silk Visa.”

What is the Silk Visa?

On Tuesday, Uzbekistan’s trade minister Sardor Umurzakov said that the government aims to create a unified visa for Central Asia. The visa, “Silk Visa”, aims to boost tourism and promote regional integration.

In his interview with the Nikkei Asian Review, Umurzakov said that they hope that with the new Silk Visa, they will be able to inspire their neighbors to open its doors to tourists.

Under the proposed visa, it will allow bearers to move around participating countries like the EU Schengen Visa. Uzbekistan planned to launch the visa this year. However, the government had to push the release back because of the legal requirements for the visa. Now, they say only technicalities are left to push the visa forward.

Uzbekistan has been leading the campaign to open its doors to the world with its visa under President Shavkat Mirziyoyev’s tenure. Since 2016, international trade with Kazakhstan, Tajikistan, Turkmenistan and Kyrgyzstan increased to 54%. In August, Uzbekistan also announced 30 more countries were added to its eVisa list, bringing the total of 86 countries.

Umurzakov was in Tokyo to negotiate with Japanese investors to invest in the country. Japan has been a major donor to Uzbekistan since it gained its independence 28 years ago. However, China has dwarfed Japanese investment as they have stocks in 786 Uzbek companies. Japan only have stocks in 17 companies. He said that Uzbekistan will accept any investment from countries who can help the country get high-tech industries. These industries are going to help certain regions in the country that can benefit from it.

Aside from high-tech industries, Uzbekistan is also looking for investors to help its manufacturing, energy, agriculture, and infrastructure sector. These investors will help the country stay protected from global pressures, especially with the US-China trade war.

Uzbekistan Travel Tips

If you like to visit Uzbekistan anytime soon, there are a lot of articles online to help you organize your travel plans. A great resource is the government tourism agency of Uzbekistan website.

For those who wish to work in the country, we have a guide on Tashkent’s salary and where you can stay.

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The former Soviet Republic of Uzbekistan is known for being a key hub in the Silk Road and its Muslim heritage. Many travelers also love Uzbekistan’s natural landmarks and history. However, traveling to the country requires visitors to get a Uzbekistan eVisa before flying into the country.

On Wednesday, August 14, the country announced that it will be launching a 30-day visa-free travel for tourists hailing from 20 countries. The new scheme will start from January 1, 2020.

Uzbekistan eVisa Details

According to the presidential decree released reported by Xinhua, most of the countries included in the Uzbekistan eVisa scheme are from Central America. It will also bring the number of countries able to apply for the eVisa scheme up to 85 countries.

Deputy Prime Minister Aziz Abdukhakimov said that the numbers will not stay at 85 countries. “I must say that the head of the country gave very serious instructions to introduce a visa-free regime with a number of large states. I think that within a month these decisions will be brought to your attention,” he said during an interview for the event.

This is not the first time Uzbekistan took measures to assist the growth of its tourism. The Uzbekistan eVisa scheme started in July 2018 and was first offered to 51 countries. The scheme also included a transit visa-free procedure for 101 countries. This allows travelers to visit Uzbekistan even while on transit.

Foreign citizens under 16 are exempt from the visa requirements to Uzbekistan. All visa applications is online and cost $20 per application. The visa applications must be submitted three days before departure to the country.

The Uzbekistan eVisa is valid for 30 days for single entry and for 90 days since date of issue.

With the new announcement, the country aims to bring in 9 million tourists by 2025. They also aim to increase the tourism sector’s contribution to the economy from 2.5% to 5% in 2025.

Uzbekistan Travel Information

Reaching Uzbekistan is easy through air travel, especially for tourists from North America, Europe, Russia and the Middle East. Asian tourists will need to take connecting flights from Seoul, Jakarta, Tokyo, Singapore or Kuala Lumpur to get to the country.

It is also possible to travel by land to Uzbekistan. The country is a part of the Eurasian Railway Connectivity network and the North-South Transport Corridor.

If you like to visit Uzbekistan anytime soon, there are a lot of articles online to help you organize your travel plans. A great resource is the government tourism agency of Uzbekistan website.

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