Business licences, permits and notifications in Uzbekistan

The list of activities that require a license is set out in Annex No. 1 to the Law on licensing, permit and notification procedures (ZRU-701 of 14.07.2021). The application is filed through the Litsenziya information system (license.gov.uz) or the Unified Portal of Public Services, the review takes no more than 20 working days, and the license is issued electronically with a QR code. The state fee depends on the activity — from 440.000 soums for the practice of law to tens and hundreds of BRV for alcohol, energy and gambling.

In brief:

• The law distinguishes three procedures: the license (Annex No. 1), the permit document (Annex No. 2) and the notification (Annex No. 3). Introducing new procedures outside the law is prohibited
• A license is issued separately for each activity, is valid throughout the country and cannot be transferred to anyone else
• The application is electronic only, signed with a digital signature or Mobile-ID; the authority may not refuse to accept it and may not demand documents beyond the established list
• The state fee is set by the Law on the state fee; filing through the Unified Portal costs 90% of the amount. The fee has to be paid within 30 days of the decision to issue the license
• If the authority neither issues the license nor refuses it within the deadline, the applicant may start operating and cannot be held liable
• The fine on a legal entity for operating without a license is from 88.000.000 to 880.000.000 soums; if 50% is paid within 15 days, the remainder is written off

Updated: 02 September 2026

License, permit and notification: what the difference is

ZRU-701 merged the earlier laws on licensing and on permit procedures and established a single procedure for all three regimes.

A license is a document granting the right to carry out a licensed activity or a sub-type of it, subject to mandatory compliance with the licensing requirements and conditions. Licensing and permit procedures are introduced only where an activity may cause harm to the life and health of citizens, to the rights and interests of others, to public safety or to the environment.

A permit document is a permit, approval, opinion, certificate or registration certificate for a specific activity or for a single action listed in Annex No. 2. It is issued by the authorized body upon application, just as a license is, but more often covers a one-off action: putting a building into operation, transporting an oversized load, importing explosive materials.

A notification is the regime for the activities in Annex No. 3, where no decision by the authority is required: the applicant sends a notification, thereby undertaking to comply with the requirements, and may start work once it is confirmed automatically.

The law does not extend to intellectual property and franchising, to state registration of businesses and transactions, to accreditation, certification, standardization and technical regulation, to the state environmental assessment, or to permit documents for individuals not listed in Annex No. 2. Procedures within the competence of the Central Bank (banks, credit bureaus, payment organizations, microfinance organizations) follow the procedure established by the sectoral laws.

All three procedures run through the Litsenziya information system — a dedicated electronic system operated by the Ministry of Justice. The system receives applications and notifications, provides interagency cooperation on a single-window basis (the authority itself requests documents from other agencies), maintains the registers, carries out remote monitoring of licensees, and produces a rating of the authorities and a risk-analysis system. The Cabinet of Ministers must review every procedure at least once every five years and assess its objectives and the costs it imposes on business.

Which activities are subject to licensing

Below is the list of licensed activities under Annex No. 1 to the law, with the licensing authority and the state fee for issue under the Law on the state fee. Where no fee is shown, it is set by a separate act or determined by sub-type.

Healthcare and veterinary services

Education

Transport

Construction, design and telecommunications

Finance, insurance and the securities market

Digital sector and crypto-assets

Alcohol, tobacco, metals and chemicals

Energy and extraction

Customs

High-risk facilities and defense

Services, tourism and gambling

A license may be issued for a sub-type of an activity if the applicant asks for that. Licenses are either standard (simple) — available to any applicant who meets the uniform requirements — or individual: these are limited in number, territory or facility and are as a rule issued on a competitive (tender) basis. State institutions created by decisions of the President or the Cabinet of Ministers may carry out a licensed activity without a license if those decisions provide for it, but they still have to comply with the licensing requirements. A licensing authority may not establish enterprises that operate under the licenses it issues, or hold a stake in them.

This article covers only the licensing procedure itself. If you have not opened a company yet, start with the article on business registration: it explains how to choose a legal form, what charter capital is needed and how, since 2026, a license application can be filed together with registration. The requirements for construction work itself, the construction permit and the commissioning of a facility are covered in the article on land and construction, and the taxation of alcohol and tobacco in the article on excise tax.

How to obtain a license: the procedure step by step

For most activities the procedure is set by the Uniform Regulation on licensing through the dedicated electronic system (Cabinet of Ministers Resolution No. 80 of 21.02.2022) and by the public service passports for each activity. Individual regulators (NAPP for crypto-assets and the securities market, the Central Bank) apply their own regulations built on the same logic.

Step 1. Registration in the system. The applicant or a representative registers in the Litsenziya system or on the Unified Portal using a digital signature; individuals may use Mobile-ID instead of a digital signature. Applications are accepted around the clock, including weekends; an application filed outside working hours is treated as received on the next working day.

Step 2. The application. The applicant selects the activity and each sub-type of it. The application states: for a legal entity — the TIN, the full name of the director, a telephone number and an email address; for an individual — the full name and passport details or PINFL; the address at which the activity will be carried out; and the details required by the service passport. Attached documents are submitted in PDF, PNG or JPEG format. Demanding information or documents beyond the established list is prohibited, and the documents submitted are presumed accurate until the authority proves otherwise. Until the charge is paid, the applicant may correct errors in the application.

Step 3. Automatic verification and the charge. The system checks the data against the databases of other agencies. An application is not accepted automatically in six cases only: inaccurate information, non-payment of the charge, failure to confirm compliance with the requirements, an existing license for the same activity, suspension of the same activity, or a court ban. Acceptance may not be refused on any other ground. A charge is levied for reviewing the application in the amount set by the service passport — within the limits of the authority's costs; it is not refunded if the application is rejected or withdrawn.

Step 4. The review. The application must be reviewed and the license issued or refused within no more than 20 working days of acceptance; for particular activities the Cabinet of Ministers may set a longer period, while service passports often set a shorter one. The authority may examine the documents, request information from other agencies, inspect the premises on site and engage experts at its own expense. Where the approval of another authority is required, that authority has to respond no later than 5 working days before the overall deadline expires; silence from the approving authority counts as consent. The progress of the review is visible in the personal account.

Step 5. The decision. The decision to issue the license or to refuse it is signed with the official's digital signature and arrives in the personal account in real time; an SMS notification is available on request. A refusal must state the reasons, the specific provisions of the law relied on, and the period after which a new application may be filed.

Step 6. The fee and the license. After the decision to issue the license the applicant pays the state fee within 30 days; filing through the Unified Portal costs 90% of the rate. Failure to pay in time is a ground for annulling the decision to issue, after which a new application may be filed. Once payment is made, the license with a QR code is generated automatically, arrives in the personal account and is entered in the register. A license is verified by matching its QR code against the register; demanding it in paper form is prohibited, and a printout from the system has the same force as the electronic document.

If the authority does not respond

If the licensing authority takes neither a decision to issue nor a decision to refuse within the deadline, the applicant may carry out the activity after notifying the authority through the system. Once the fee is paid, the license is issued. The applicant cannot be held liable for operating without a license — the authorized bodies bear responsibility for the consequences. Agreeing to wait for the decision does not deprive the applicant of this right.

Preliminary assessment

Since 1 March 2026 the Litsenziya system has offered a voluntary preliminary assessment (Presidential Decree UP-214 of 14.11.2025): before the application is filed, the authority examines whether the planned buildings, equipment, material and technical base and the staff to be hired meet the licensing requirements, and issues its opinion within 20 days. The charge for it does not exceed the application review charge for the license concerned.

Licensing requirements and conditions

Licensing requirements and conditions are set in the regulations and service passports for each activity. The law allows them to include: mandatory compliance with specific provisions of the law; qualification requirements for staff, including special training; an exhaustive list of requirements for the material and technical base, equipment and premises; and registration of employment contracts in the Unified National Labor System where the activity requires staff. Requirements that restrict competition may not be introduced. Regulation No. 80 adds general conditions: the accuracy of the information provided, registration of employment contracts in the labor system, and reissue of the license within five working days of a change of name or address.

The authorities are prohibited (Presidential Decree UP-6044 of 24.08.2020) from refusing a service because the applicant has arrears for electricity, gas, water or waste collection or under enforcement documents; from replacing licenses with agreements between a state body and a business; and from directly or indirectly imposing paid services and documents that the licensing requirements do not provide for.

Grounds for refusal and correcting deficiencies

The law sets a closed list of grounds for refusal: the documents were not submitted in full; the applicant does not meet the licensing requirements and conditions; a one-year ban on obtaining a license or a court ban on engaging in the activity is in force; the documents contain inaccurate or distorted information; or a reasoned negative opinion has been given in a mandatory expert examination. Refusal on grounds of inexpediency is not allowed.

Four types of deficiency cannot lead to a refusal without a period being given to correct them: an incomplete set of documents, staff whose qualifications do not match, documents and programs that do not meet the requirements, and buildings that do not meet sanitary and fire safety requirements. In these cases the authority sends a notice within one working day listing the deficiencies, the ways to correct them and the deadline — no more than 30 working days; the review is suspended for that time. The authority is obliged to help the applicant find qualified staff and improve the documents unless the applicant has declined that help.

A refusal is possible only if the application is filed again without the deficiencies having been corrected or after the deadline has passed — and only on the grounds stated in the notice. At least 10 working days are given to remove the grounds for refusal; the repeat review takes no more than 5 working days and is free of charge. An application filed after that period is reviewed afresh on general terms.

How much a license costs

The cost of a license consists of three payments.

The state fee is charged for issuing, extending and amending a license in the amounts set by the Law on the state fee (the rates by activity are in the tables above). Amending a license (a new sub-type, branch addresses, a new address of operation) costs 50% of the rate. The law may set reduced rates for sub-types. Where the application is filed through the Unified Portal, any fee and charge is levied at 90% of the amount payable when applying through a public services center.

The application review charge is set by the service passport within the limits of the authority's costs; for a number of activities it is not levied at all. The charge is not refunded if the application is refused or withdrawn. Reissuing and extending a license costs half the charge, and no state fee is payable for a reissue.

Annual fees. For six activities the fee is paid for each year the license is in force: concert and entertainment activity, production of alcohol and alcoholic products, wholesale trade in alcohol, telecommunications networks, bookmaking and internet games. The next payment is made no later than 30 days before 1 January; if it is not paid, the license is suspended. For telecommunications the fee may be paid in equal quarterly installments.

Reliefs. Persons with disabilities of groups I and II and beginner performers in rating group IV are exempt from the fee for a concert and entertainment license while they are studying; pensioners pay 50%. A state notary moving into private practice is exempt from the license fee.

Example: a travel company obtains a license for inbound tourism through the Unified Portal. The fee is 2.200.000 soums, of which 90% is payable. If it later opens a branch in another city, adding the branch address to the license costs 50% of the rate; and if it changes its name, the reissue costs half the review charge with no state fee.

Validity period and extension of a license

Licenses are issued without a time limit. There are twelve exceptions: medical activity; pharmaceutical activity; trade in mineral fertilizers and chemical plant protection products; fumigation of quarantined products; circulation of narcotic drugs; cultivation of cannabis; mobile radiotelephone communications and broadcasting networks; extraction, processing and sale of oil, gas and gas condensate; refining of precious metals; organization of lotteries; bookmaking; and internet games. Their terms are set by the regulations but cannot be shorter than five years.

An application for extension is filed through the system before the term expires; work may continue until it is decided. Extension follows the same procedure as issue: half the review charge and the state fee for extension are paid. Where a fixed-term license is reissued, its term does not change.

Reissue and amendment of a license

A reissue is mandatory when a legal entity is transformed or changes its name or location, and for an individual when the name or place of activity changes. The application is filed within five working days of re-registration. When companies holding licenses for the same activity merge, the license is reissued to the new legal entity. A reissue takes five working days; until it is completed the licensee operates on the basis of the application filed. A reissue may not be refused where the grounds for it exist.

Since 1 January 2026 changes to primary data (name, company name, address, legal form) have been entered into licenses, permits and notifications automatically and free of charge through interagency exchange — from the Ministry of Internal Affairs ID-card system and the business registration system (Presidential Decree UP-214 of 14.11.2025).

An amendment of a license is required when the business expands into a new sub-type, when a branch starts operating under the parent company's license, and when the address of operation changes if licensing requirements apply to the premises. For a sub-type within the same field the applicant confirms only the additional requirements for that sub-type. An amendment follows the issue procedure: half the review charge and 50% of the state fee.

Branches, foreign companies and state institutions

Branches and representative offices do not need separate licenses: their addresses are entered into the parent company's license. If a branch starts an activity subject to the notification procedure, the company has to notify the authority before work begins.

A foreign legal entity that is a non-resident files applications for licenses and permits and completes notification procedures through its permanent establishment in Uzbekistan. The exception is permit documents for one-off actions in foreign trade and the transit carriage of goods: these may be requested without a digital signature.

A foreign company with no subsidiary in Uzbekistan goes through licensing via its permanent establishment here. If you are planning to set up a local company with a foreign founder instead, the article on business registration explains which legal form to choose, what charter capital is required and how a license application can now be filed together with registration.

Suspension, resumption and revocation

Suspension. A license may be suspended for breaching the licensing requirements or failing to comply with the authority's order to remedy violations: by the licensing authority for up to ten days, and by a court for longer than ten days but no more than six months. The decision, stating the reasons and the provisions of the law relied on, arrives in the personal account within one working day. The period given to put things right is at least five working days and no more than six months; if it is not met, the authority applies to the court to extend the suspension or to revoke the license. Evading an on-site inspection is a ground for suspension in itself.

A licensee may also suspend its own license for up to six months, for example while the business is temporarily on hold. If it does not apply for resumption within six months, the license terminates.

Resumption. Once the violations have been remedied, the licensee sends confirmation with supporting documents; the authority analyzes them within three working days, with an on-site visit if necessary, and takes a decision on resumption within the same period. If no decision is taken within three working days, the activity may continue after the authority has been notified.

Revocation. The authority revokes a license itself at the licensee's request, on liquidation or reorganization (other than a transformation or a merger where the license survives), on termination of an individual entrepreneur's certificate, on loss of legal capacity and on non-payment of the fee. Through the courts a license is revoked where the grounds for suspension are not removed in time, where the decision to issue was unlawful, for systematic (two or more times within a year) or a single gross breach of the licensing requirements, and where the license was obtained on forged documents — in that last case it is treated as revoked from the date of issue. The list of gross breaches is set out in the service passport.

Termination occurs without any separate decision by the authority where licensing is abolished, where the term expires, on the death of the licensee, and six months after a self-imposed suspension. If enforcement measures, a suspension or a revocation are found to have been unlawful, the authority compensates the licensee for the damage.

Permit documents

Annex No. 2 to the law lists the permits, approvals, opinions and certificates without which certain actions may not be carried out. The procedure for obtaining them is the same as for licenses: an application through the Litsenziya system or the Unified Portal, 20 working days for the review, tacit consent, an electronic document with a QR code, and the right of appeal. Permit documents are as a rule open-ended, except those issued for a one-off action and cases provided for by the regulations; where extension is by competition, a holder in good standing has priority. A charge in the amount set by the regulation is levied for issue or extension; an amendment costs 50% of the charge.

The permit documents businesses meet most often are these:

• Construction: a permit to repurpose and reconstruct a facility; approval of a change to the external appearance of a building; the act of putting completed buildings into operation; the opinion of the state expert examination on fire safety and seismic resistance; approval of power supply designs for facilities above 20 kW; a permit for construction and repair work on a road facility and for its operation.
• Transport: a certificate of the right to carry passengers by road on a regular basis; a permit to transport heavy and oversized loads; a permit to convert motor vehicles; clearance of an unmanned aerial vehicle for operation.
• Employment: confirmation of the right of a foreign employee to work (Migration Agency).
• Healthcare: the registration certificate of a medicine and of medical devices; a permit to import and produce biologically active substances and new chemical substances; an opinion that premises meet the requirements for storing narcotic drugs.
• Safety: a permit to import, acquire, store and transport explosive materials (Ministry of Internal Affairs); a permit to acquire, store and carry weapons; a permit to design and install technical security systems at especially important facilities (National Guard); the opinion of the Ministry of Emergency Situations that a warehouse meets fire and industrial safety requirements for storing chemical substances.
• Finance and the digital sector: a permit to engage in mining and a permit to reorganize an insurer (NAPP); the permit of the operator of the electronic public procurement system; the Central Bank's permits for a bank to acquire shares in other banks and to outsource banking operations.
• Other: a permit to import mineral fertilizers and chemical plant protection products; a certificate of registration of a mass medium; a permit for film and video shooting by foreign companies; a permit to carry out aerial photography; an opinion that a facility provides conditions for persons with disabilities.

Confirmation of the right to work is the permit document companies with foreign staff need most often. The article on the work permit for foreign specialists sets out who has to obtain it, what it costs and when it is not required at all.

The notification procedure

The activities in Annex No. 3 may be carried out once the authorized body has been notified. By notifying, the applicant confirms that it meets the requirements of the service passport and undertakes to comply with them. The notification is sent with a digital signature through the Litsenziya system or the Unified Portal around the clock, before the activity begins; documents beyond the service passport may not be demanded. The information is verified automatically through interagency databases, the notification is accepted automatically, the applicant receives a confirmation with a QR code, and an entry is made in the register of notifications, which can be downloaded from the personal account at any time.

The charge for sending a notification is up to 220.000 soums (half a BRV), except for notifications about the retail sale of alcohol and its sale by catering businesses. A notification is not accepted in six cases only: inaccurate information; non-payment of the charge; failure to confirm compliance with the requirements; an existing entry in the register for the same activity; suspension of the applicant's activity; or a court ban. Refusal on any other ground is prohibited.

Within ten working days the applicant has to inform the authority of the registration of a new name or address or the opening of a branch or representative office, and to register employment contracts in the Unified National Labor System where the service passport requires it.

The notification procedure applies, among others, to:

• Education and training: supplementary educational activity, including foreign language courses (Ministry of Preschool and School Education); professional development and retraining of personnel (Ministry of Higher Education); services of professional participants in the occupational safety market.
• Trade in alcohol and tobacco: the retail sale of alcoholic products and their sale by catering businesses (district tax inspectorates); the production of and wholesale trade in beer; the retail sale of beer; the wholesale and retail sale of tobacco products.
• Catering: the operation of catering and entertainment venues at night, from 23:00 to 06:00 (internal affairs authorities).
• Construction and design: the start of construction and installation work; the development of category I architectural and urban-planning documentation; the installation, commissioning and maintenance of technical security systems.
• Precious metals: work with precious metals and stones; the manufacture of jewelry; the sale of jewelry (Assay Supervision).
• Transport: the operation of a bus station; the technical inspection of vehicles; changes to the design of motor vehicles (Traffic Safety Department of the Ministry of Internal Affairs); the delivery of international courier consignments; customs brokerage.
• Professional services: legal consultancy services by commercial organizations; investment advisers; travel agency activity; publishing and printing; geodetic and cartographic activity; non-state archival activity; veterinary treatment and prevention; the sale of cultural property.
• The financial sector: opening and closing branches of a bank, a pawnshop, a microfinance or a factoring organization; acquiring a stake in a non-bank credit organization; reorganizing a payment organization; issuing electronic money.
• Communications and equipment: the use of high-frequency devices.

From 24 September 2026 the notification procedure also covers e-commerce operators — operators of electronic trading platforms, order aggregators and digital streaming services; the authorized body is NAPP and the confirmation is issued within one working day.

The activity of a notifying party may be suspended by the authority or by a court; the authority may ask the court for a ban of up to three months, and where the court terminates the activity for violations, up to six months. Such a ban also extends to new companies of the same founder or beneficial owner.

Supervision of licensees and inspections

Compliance with licensing, permit and notification requirements is monitored in three forms: remote monitoring through the Litsenziya system; an on-site inspection where there are grounds for one; and analysis of statistical information and of the data requested. The authorities may not request or check information unrelated to the licensing requirements, or demand compliance with conditions that the law does not provide for.

In remote monitoring the system uses employee data and information from other agencies to send automatic messages about possible violations to the authority's account; the authority then issues an instruction to remedy them, which the licensee must comply with within ten working days and report back on. Failure to comply is a ground for an inspection under the risk-analysis system.

An on-site inspection is carried out on the basis of risk analysis, applications from individuals and legal entities or reports through the system, only with the agreement of the Business Ombudsman or after notifying them, and lasts no more than ten days. A report is drawn up on the results; the authority may issue an order, suspend the license, apply to the court or impose a fine on the legal entity. A person who reports unlicensed activity receives, if the violation is confirmed, a reward of 10% of the fine collected.

This section covers only the supervision exercised by licensing authorities. The general rules on business inspections, the powers of the tax authorities, the sanctions for violations and the appeal procedure are set out in the article on tax evasion and tax audits.

Liability for operating without a license

Fines for legal entities

A fine is imposed on a legal entity by the authorized body following a supervisory measure, with a report drawn up; a refusal to sign the report is recorded on video or by two witnesses. The amounts are set by Annex No. 4 to the law for each activity:

The fine can be reduced: if 50% is paid within 15 days or 70% within 30 days of the decision being sent, and the offender applies for the license or permit or sends the notification, the rest is written off. If the fine is not paid voluntarily within a month, the authority applies to the court for recovery within five working days. Ten percent of the amount recovered goes to the authority's extra-budgetary fund and the rest to the state budget.

Since 1 March 2026, where a fine is imposed on a legal entity, its officials are not held administratively liable for the same violation (Presidential Decree UP-214 of 14.11.2025).

Administrative liability of individuals and officials

For individuals and officials Article 165 of the Code of Administrative Liability applies: activity without a license carries a fine of 6.600.000 to 8.800.000 soums for individuals and 8.800.000 to 11.000.000 soums for officials; without a permit document, 4.400.000 to 6.600.000 and 6.600.000 to 8.800.000 soums; without a notification, 2.200.000 to 4.400.000 and 4.400.000 to 6.600.000 soums; false information in a notification, 1.320.000 to 2.200.000 and 2.200.000 to 4.400.000 soums. Carrying passengers by road without a license is punishable under Article 176-3 of the Code: 3.080.000 soums for individuals and 13.200.000 soums for officials, and 4.400.000 and 22.000.000 soums for a repeat violation within a year.

Employees of an organization other than its head are not liable for the fact that it operates without a license: performing duties under an employment contract does not constitute an offense (Resolution No. 20 of the Plenum of the Supreme Court of 11.12.2013).

Criminal liability

Where activity without a license generates income on an especially large scale — 220.000.000 soums or more — Article 190 of the Criminal Code applies: a fine of 24.200.000 soums, deprivation of certain rights for up to five years, up to 300 hours of community service or up to three years of corrective labor; where the offense is committed by a group or by a dangerous recidivist, a fine of 44.000.000 soums or 300 to 480 hours of community service. Without a permit document the fine is 17.600.000 soums, and without a notification 11.000.000 soums. Income here means revenue less the costs of carrying out the activity. A first-time offender is released from liability if within thirty days of the offense being discovered they have eliminated its consequences and compensated the damage. Crypto-service providers operating without a license are covered by a separate Article 278-8 of the Criminal Code.

Liability of the authorities

Breaching the procedure and deadlines for issuing licenses and permits, including the unlawful introduction of new licenses, exposes officials to a fine of 8.800.000 to 17.600.000 soums under Article 241-5 of the Code of Administrative Liability, and to criminal liability under Article 192-5 of the Criminal Code for a repeat violation.

How to appeal a refusal, a suspension or a fine

Decisions and actions of a licensing authority are appealed within 30 days of notification: against a territorial body, to the superior body; against a republican-level body, to the Appeals Board attached to that body. The Board has five members, and a representative of the Chamber of Commerce and Industry attends its meetings as an observer. A complaint may be filed in writing, orally or electronically through the personal account; a deadline missed for a valid reason is restored. The authority requests the case materials within three working days, and the decision is taken within 15 days; at the applicant's request the complaint is heard with their participation, including by video link. The Board may uphold the decision, vary it, set it aside or order the authority to take specific action. From the moment the complaint is registered, enforcement of the contested decision and the period for voluntary payment of the fine are suspended, except for decisions suspending a license. A decision may also be appealed directly to the court.

How to check a license

The registers of licenses, permit documents and notifications are kept in the Litsenziya system separately for each activity, and the information they contain is public. The register shows the register number, the name and TIN of the licensee (for an individual, the PINFL), the licensing authority, the activity and each authorized sub-type, the address at which the activity is carried out, information about branches, the term of a fixed-term license, its status (in force, suspended, revoked, terminated) and the grounds for each change of status. The authenticity of a particular document is verified by matching its QR code against the register. Electronic copies of the attached documents are kept in the authority's closed database and are not disclosed to third parties.

Sector-specific rules

Medicine and pharmaceuticals

A medical license is issued by the Ministry of Health for at least five years, and the fee is 2.200.000 soums. Pharmaceutical activity is licensed by the Agency for the Development of the Pharmaceutical Industry (4.400.000 soums); the retail sale of medicines is a sub-type of it, and a separate license is not issued for pharmacy branches — the branch address is entered into the main license. The retail sale of ophthalmic products (optics) has not required even a notification since 1 March 2024 (Presidential Decree UP-8 of 09.01.2024).

Education

Non-state educational organizations operate under a license, except organizations providing supplementary education, retraining and professional development (Article 31 of the Law on education). Supplementary education for children and family preschool organizations operate on notification to the Ministry of Preschool and School Education, and professional development on notification to the Ministry of Higher Education. Driver training is licensed by the Ministry of Internal Affairs: the review charge is 880.000 soums, or 90% of that when filed through the Unified Portal. The notification for driver professional development was abolished on 1 March 2024.

Construction and design

The license for developing architectural and urban-planning documentation is divided into sub-types with different fees, from 17.600.000 to 33.000.000 soums; category I designs were moved to the notification procedure in 2024. The start of construction and installation work requires a notification, and putting a facility into operation requires a permit document. For high-risk facilities UP-8 set a review period of 14 working days, and for bridges and tunnels 10 working days.

Transport and taxis

Licensing covers the carriage of passengers in urban, suburban, intercity and international traffic, as well as the international carriage of goods; domestic freight transport needs no license. The fee for a car with up to 4 seats is 880.000 soums, and for a bus with up to 14 seats 440.000 soums. Regular routes additionally require a certificate of the right to carry passengers on a regular basis (a permit document). Operating without a license is punishable under Article 176-3 of the Code of Administrative Liability.

Tourism

Tour operator activity is licensed by the tourism departments: domestic tourism 880.000 soums, inbound and outbound 2.200.000 soums. Travel agency activity was moved to the notification procedure in 2024. Certification of tour operator services has been voluntary since 2021; certification of accommodation facilities remains mandatory.

Alcohol and tobacco

The production of alcohol and alcoholic products and the wholesale trade in alcohol are licensed by the Inspectorate for the Regulation of the Alcohol and Tobacco Market, with an annual fee of 11.000.000 to 110.000.000 soums; the next payment is made 30 days before the following year of the license begins, failing which the license is suspended. The retail sale of alcohol and its sale in catering, and the wholesale and retail trade in tobacco and beer, are carried out on notification to the district tax inspectorate.

Crypto-assets and mining

Service providers in the circulation of crypto-assets — exchanges, depositories, shops and mining pools — obtain a single NAPP license under Regulation No. 3380 of 15.08.2022. The requirements include an electronic platform hosted on servers in Uzbekistan, retention of information on all transactions for five years, and disclosure of information about the management and the founders. Mining is carried out under a NAPP permit (Regulation No. 3461 of 29.09.2023), using electricity from a solar photovoltaic plant and in separate premises; the fine on a legal entity for mining without a permit is 66.000.000 soums.

The securities market and insurance

Since 9 June 2026 new regulations have applied to the licensing of the professional activity of an investment intermediary and a trust manager and of a stock exchange and an organizer of over-the-counter trading. The licensing authority is NAPP, and the fee for an exchange license is 1.760.000 soums. Insurers are set up as joint-stock companies, and an insurance license is issued separately for life insurance or for general insurance; the fee is 4.400.000 soums. Non-residents may be founders of insurance organizations.

Payment organizations and non-bank credit organizations

Licenses for payment organizations and payment system operators are issued by the Central Bank under the Law on payments and payment systems: a business plan is required, and the managers must meet qualification requirements (higher education and at least two years of experience in finance or ICT). Microfinance and factoring organizations operate after registration for record-keeping purposes with the Central Bank, and pawnshops on notification no later than three months after state registration.

Electric power

The Law on electric power (ZRU-939 of 07.08.2024) introduced eight separate licenses, from generation and storage to electricity trading and the functions of central purchaser. They are issued by the Energy Market Regulator without a time limit, and the fee is 13.200.000 soums for each. Licensees may not suspend or expand their activity without the regulator's written consent.

Many IT companies worry about whether they need a license. Software development, IT services and consulting are not licensed; a license is needed only for cryptographic information protection, telecommunications networks and the circulation of crypto-assets. The incentives and conditions for an IT business are covered in the article on the IT Park.

What changed in 2024–2026

• From 1 March 2024 UP-8 of 09.01.2024 abolished a number of procedures (the notifications on optics, driver professional development and the sale of cultural property), merged the licenses for atomic energy and ionizing radiation sources, and moved travel agency activity and category I design work to the notification procedure. The same decree ran a legal experiment until 1 January 2025 — the "into business without a license" regime for operating X-ray equipment and for veterinary laboratory diagnostics: a free notification to start with, and three months to obtain the license without any liability. The Ministry of Justice was instructed to propose extending it to other activities.
• From 1 January 2026, a license or permit application may be filed, or a notification sent, at the same time as the state registration of a business — together with the digital signature, the bank account and the online cash register, and paid for with a single QR code (UP-214 of 14.11.2025).
• From 1 January 2026, changes of name, address and legal form are entered into licenses, permits and notifications automatically and free of charge.
• From 1 March 2026, officials are not held administratively liable where the legal entity has been fined for the same violation, and the voluntary preliminary assessment in the Litsenziya system became available.
• From 9 June 2026, new regulations apply to the licensing of professional activity on the securities market and of the stock exchange.
• From 24 September 2026, the notification procedure is introduced for e-commerce operators.

Frequently asked questions

How much does a taxi license cost in Uzbekistan?

The carriage of passengers by car is licensed by the territorial transport departments. The state fee for a car with up to 4 seats is 880.000 soums (2 BRV), for more than 4 seats 1.540.000 soums, and for international carriage 3.080.000 soums per vehicle. Filing through the Unified Portal costs 90% of the amount, plus the review charge set by the service passport. Operating without a license is punishable under Article 176-3 of the Code of Administrative Liability with a fine of 3.080.000 soums for individuals and 13.200.000 soums for officials.

Does a training center need a license?

It depends on the services. General, specialized secondary, vocational and higher education require a license from the Ministry of Higher Education, with a fee of 4.400.000 soums. Supplementary education, including foreign language courses, and the professional development of personnel are carried out under the notification procedure: it is enough to send a notification through license.gov.uz and pay a charge of up to half a BRV.

Can a business operate while the application is being reviewed?

As a general rule no: carrying out a licensed activity without a license is prohibited. There are two exceptions. If the authority fails to take a decision within the deadline, the applicant may start operating after notifying it through the system, and cannot be held liable. Where a license is being reissued or extended, work may continue on the basis of the application filed. For activities under the notification procedure there is nothing to wait for: the confirmation is generated automatically as soon as the notification is sent.

Does a branch of a company need its own license?

No. Branches and representative offices operate under the parent company's license; the authority enters the branch addresses into it under the amendment procedure, with 50% of the state fee payable. If a branch starts an activity subject to the notification procedure, the company has to notify the authority before work begins.

How can I check whether a company holds a license?

The registers of licenses, permits and notifications are kept in the Litsenziya system, and this information is public. The register shows the name and TIN of the licensee, the activity and its sub-types, the address, the number and date of the document, its term and its current status — in force, suspended or revoked. The authenticity of a particular license is verified by matching its QR code against the register; demanding a paper license is prohibited.

What happens if a business operates without a license?

A legal entity faces a fine of 88.000.000 to 880.000.000 soums depending on the activity, an individual 6.600.000 to 8.800.000 soums, and where the income reaches 220.000.000 soums, criminal liability under Article 190 of the Criminal Code. The fine is halved if it is paid within 15 days and the offender applies for the license, and a first-time offender is released from criminal liability if within 30 days they have eliminated the consequences and compensated the damage.