Business inspections in Uzbekistan: procedure and rights

A business inspection is lawful when a competent authority conducts it on a registered basis, through authorized inspectors and within the inspection program. A three-year moratorium has applied to small businesses since 28 August 2026, but six expressly stated cases remain outside it.

In brief:

• The authority and its control function must appear in the approved registers.
• An ordinary inspection is registered in the Unified System and announced to the business in advance.
• An inspector may not go beyond the subject, period or program of the inspection.
• The outcome is recorded in a report; objections may be entered immediately and followed by an appeal.
• A business is protected by a verifiable basis, authorized inspectors and clear program limits.

Updated: 05 September 2026

Inspection rules and grounds

How an inspection differs from a preventive measure

An inspection is a control measure used to establish compliance with the law by obtaining materials, documents or information and carrying out legally permitted actions. This definition appears in the current regulation. Not every contact between a public authority and a company is therefore an inspection.

The statutory forms of state control are inspections, including audits and follow-up inspections, analysis of statistical and other information, and inspection of subordinate authorities. The separate statutory rule lists these forms. A preventive measure, by contrast, should help prevent a breach without interfering in the entrepreneur’s operations.

All state control is governed by legality, objectivity, transparency, protection of business rights and non-interference. Irremediable conflicts and ambiguities in the law are interpreted in favor of the entrepreneur under the control principles.

When the small-business moratorium applies

A three-year moratorium on any inspection of small-business entities took effect on 28 August 2026. An inspection outside the exceptions is unlawful during this period. The moratorium applies specifically to entities classified as small businesses; other companies remain subject to the general procedure.

This is the complete list of exceptions. Referring to “risk” alone does not turn an ordinary small-business inspection into an exception. The authority must identify which of the six cases supports its action.

Who may inspect a business

Only authorities on the approved list may inspect businesses, and only within their assigned fields. Since 2023, an inspection has been prohibited if the control function is absent from the register of state control functions. The restriction is set out with the registration rule.

The Business Ombudsman coordinates inspections, monitors their legality, provides legal support to entrepreneurs and maintains electronic registers. The Ombudsman’s role is defined by a special law.

The general regime has boundaries. Desk tax inspections and forms of customs control are not registered in the Unified System. Tax inspections are also governed by the Tax Code, while supervision of entities regulated by the Central Bank follows Central Bank legislation. These exclusions and institutional limits appear in the control framework and the general regulation.

Tax-specific procedures are explained in Tax audits. For control of licensing requirements, see Licences and permits.

How risk analysis affects an inspection

Since 1 January 2025, the electronic Risk Analysis system has divided activities into low, medium and high risk. Low-risk activity is not inspected. For medium and high risk, an authority uses a preventive measure or an inspection. An inspection based on specific facts to prevent a threat to life or health, public or national security, the environment or property may nevertheless proceed regardless of the resulting risk score.

Preventive measures take seven forms and must not interfere in the business. An on-site examination is permitted only for the expressly listed hazardous facilities and for fire-safety matters. These limits are stated in the prevention rules.

A risk category is not proof of a breach. It determines the method of control; the authority must still establish an actual violation through documents and lawful action within a registered inspection.

Notice and admission of inspectors

How an inspection is initiated and notified

Since 1 January 2025, inspections have proceeded through notification of the Business Ombudsman and registration in the Unified System. An unregistered inspection is unlawful. A timing exception applies to inspections on a special list when the business cannot be identified in advance or an urgent risk exists: registration may be completed within 24 hours after the start.

The company must receive notice of a risk-based inspection at least 10 working days in advance. The notice identifies the authority and business, taxpayer or personal identification number, activity code, addresses, basis, duration, subject and period to be reviewed. The attached program is confined to the stated basis.

After notice, the authority issues an order within three working days and enters it in the system within one working day. The notice, program and order requirements are stated in the initiation procedure.

What to verify before admitting an inspector

Before starting, the inspector presents official and special identification and delivers copies of the order and program against acknowledgement. Delivery of these documents marks the start of the inspection. Only employees named in the order may conduct it.

The right to refuse access for these defects and other business rights are stated in the participant regulation. Since 1 July 2026, an inspection by an employee not registered in the system, without a recorded basis or without special identification is expressly treated as unlawful.

Any refusal should be calm and evidence-based: record the inspectors’ details, retain the notice and a screenshot of the system record, and prepare an internal note stating the reason. If the documents are proper, the business must not obstruct a lawful inspection.

Duration and inspection powers

How long an inspection lasts and what period it covers

The general limit is 30 calendar days (Article 11 of Law No. 717-I). The statutory mechanism for extending that general period does not apply to small-business entities. A special law may set a shorter limit.

The conduct procedure combines these rules on period, repetition, postponement and extension. A small business should first determine whether the moratorium applies: without an exception, the duration question does not arise.

What an inspector may do and the limits

Within the inspection subject, an inspector may request and examine related documents and electronic information, inspect premises where the law permits, obtain explanations, issue a direction, and engage an auditor or expert. The company must not obstruct a lawful inspection and must provide relevant materials.

At the same time, a business may decline demands outside the subject, participate personally or through a representative, withhold documents already submitted to the same authority, review the materials and expert findings, receive the report and appeal. The inspection takes place during the company’s working hours, and the inspector may not exceed the order or program. On request, a representative of the Chamber of Commerce and Industry or an association may attend; a tax adviser, interpreter or attorney may participate by contract. These powers and limits appear in the participation rules and the inspection procedure.

A business must disclose a trade secret without charge only in response to a reasoned demand from an authorized authority. The demand states its purpose, legal basis and deadline; after refusal, the authority may apply to court. This is the disclosure procedure. Once information is received, the authority must keep it confidential and may not disclose it or use it for personal purposes under a separate confidentiality safeguard.

For licences, permits and notifications, a narrower rule applies. An on-site inspection may follow risk analysis or complaints, requires notice to or approval from the Business Ombudsman, and lasts no more than 10 days. The authority may not inspect information or requirements outside the relevant procedure passport.

Results, appeals and liability

How the report and objections are recorded

The inspection report is prepared in at least two copies: on the same day for a one-day inspection, or no later than the last day of a longer inspection. One copy is delivered to the business. Written objections may be entered in the report or attached as a separate document, with proof of delivery retained.

Refusing to sign or receive the report does not prevent completion. A copy is then sent no later than the next working day. The report and proof of notice are entered in the Unified System within three working days; a measure imposed is entered within one working day. The reporting procedure governs each step.

When reviewing the report, separate facts from legal conclusions. Identify the documents contradicted by each finding, actions outside the program and procedural defects that affected the outcome. A point-by-point objection with attachments is more useful than a general statement of disagreement.

How to challenge an inspection or direction

A business may apply to the higher authority, the Business Ombudsman, the Chamber of Commerce and Industry or a court. These routes are stated in the appeal procedure.

A complaint to the Business Ombudsman is filed within one year after the applicant learned of the breach or after the last decision in another protection procedure. A missed deadline may be restored for a valid reason. The one-year period comes with no state fee. The Ombudsman may monitor inspections, issue warnings, make binding submissions and bring proceedings without a state fee for a business under the protective powers.

An application to the administrative court is normally filed within six months after the business learned of the breach. The court may invalidate a decision or declare action unlawful and require the authority to correct the violation. The authority reports compliance within one month unless the court sets another period.

Applying to court suspends the challenged action or decision. Measures responding to an emergency, epidemic or other genuine threat to life or health are exceptions, and the business must notify the authority of the court filing. This safeguard is set out in the state control law.

Liability for an unlawful inspection

Loss caused by unlawful decisions or acts of a control authority, including lost profit, must be compensated. The statute creates a right to compensation, but the business must evidence the amount and causal link.

An official who conducts an unlawful inspection or breaches the inspection procedure faces a fine of 17.600.000 to 35.200.000 BRV. The offence is defined by the rule on procedural breaches (Article 241² of the Administrative Liability Code).

Example. The lower limit renders as 440.000 × 40 = UZS 17.600.000, and the upper limit as 440.000 × 80 = UZS 35.200.000. The tokens update automatically when the BRV changes.

Unlawfully demanding reports or documents carries a fine of 8.800.000 to 17.600.000 BRV; a repeat offence within one year carries 17.600.000 to 26.400.000 BRV. These unlawful demands (Article 241¹⁰ of the same Code) form a separate offence.

Example. The ordinary range renders as 440.000 × 20 = UZS 8.800.000 and 440.000 × 40 = UZS 17.600.000; the repeat range as 440.000 × 40 = UZS 17.600.000 and 440.000 × 60 = UZS 26.400.000.

Changes and management checks

What changed in 2026–2027

On 1 July 2026, the Unified System gained a mobile application, electronic special identification, alerts about unauthorized controllers and automatic detection of procedural violations. These functions form part of the digital reform.

Since 1 August 2026, an inspector scans the Biznes Himoya QR code before an inspection, and special identification is electronic. If information on the inspection or official dialogue has not been entered through the QR code, the entrepreneur may refuse access and decline the dialogue. Two unjustified dialogues between the same official and business within a year trigger an internal investigation and a 12-month ban on the official taking part in control. These consequences appear in the digital record rules.

The moratorium described above took effect on 28 August 2026. Judicial protection also became stronger: when a court orders an authority to reconsider a decision, the court’s legal position is binding, the new decision may not worsen the business’s position, and reconsideration must be completed within 30 days.

From 1 January 2027, any repeat inspection of the same business within one year will require the Business Ombudsman’s permission, except for a desk tax inspection. On the same date, a first violation that causes no harm to life, health or another person’s property will initially produce a 10-day correction period instead of a financial penalty. Both future safeguards are set by Decree PF-175.

What management should do before and during an inspection

1. Determine whether the company is a small business and whether the stated basis falls within one of the six moratorium exceptions.
2. Verify the authority and control function against the approved registers, then locate the inspection in the Unified System.
3. Compare the notice, order, program, duration, period reviewed, inspectors and electronic identification.
4. Appoint one company representative, keep a document-release log and retain copies of everything delivered.
5. Record demands outside the subject, working-hours violations and any difference between actual action and the program.
6. Obtain the report, state specific objections and record the date from which administrative or judicial deadlines run.

The practical dividing line is straightforward: the company cooperates with and documents a lawful inspection; when registration, authority or a lawful basis is missing, it records the defect and uses the appropriate refusal or appeal procedure.

Frequently asked questions

May a small business be inspected now?

Only when one of the six exceptions to the three-year moratorium applies: a criminal case, impact on human health, labor-law compliance, a citizen’s complaint, VAT reimbursement or refund, or liquidation. An inspection of a small business outside those cases is unlawful.

May the company refuse access to an inspector?

Yes, if there is no properly prepared and delivered order, required Business Ombudsman notice, valid special identification or inspection registration. The reason should be recorded. Properly documented lawful control must not be obstructed.

Must the business submit the same documents again?

No, if those documents have already been submitted to the same control authority. The company may also decline demands unrelated to the subject of the inspection.

Does an appeal suspend a direction?

A court challenge generally suspends the contested action or decision once the authority is notified. Emergencies, epidemics and other genuine threats to life or health are exceptions.

Where can an unlawful inspection be challenged?

Depending on the remedy sought, a business may apply to the higher authority, the Business Ombudsman, the Chamber of Commerce and Industry or the administrative court. The Ombudsman route has a one-year deadline; the court deadline is normally six months after learning of the breach.