Applying for a work permit

A foreign citizen must obtain a work permit before commencing employment in Uzbekistan, unless such foreign citizen is eligible for exemption. Work permits are issued by the Agency of External Labor Migration of Uzbekistan.

An application for a work permit is reviewed depending on the qualification of a foreign specialist. The following qualification levels are in place:

• highly qualified specialist
• qualified specialist
• specialist, who does not belong to any of the above

Highly qualified and qualified specialists pay lesser state fee when applying for a work permit and may obtain a work permit with a longer expiry date.

Highly qualified and qualified specialists holding a work permit do not need to apply for another work permit to do a part-time job in addition to their full-time job in Uzbekistan.

Highly qualified specialist

A highly qualified specialist is a person who is a graduate of a Top-1000 university, has at least 5-year related work experience, is offered a job in Uzbekistan with a salary exceeding 60,000 US Dollars a year.

Work permit issuance fee for a highly qualified specialist is 375.000 Uzbek soums. A work permit for a highly qualified specialist can be issued for a period of up to 3 years.

Qualified specialist

A qualified specialist is a person who is a university graduate, has at least 5-year related work experience, is offered a job in Uzbekistan with a salary exceeding 30,000 US Dollars a year.

Work permit issuance fee for a qualified specialist is 750.000 Uzbek soums. A work permit for a qualified specialist can be issued for a period of up to 3 years.

Specialist

A work permit for a specialist will be issued for a period of 1 year.

Work permit issuance fee for a medical specialist is 1.875.000 Uzbek soums. Other specialists pay the fee of 11.250.000 Uzbek soums.

Application procedure

An application for a work permit will be submitted by a local employer through the public services portal my.gov.uz. The following documents are required to be attached to the application:

• copy of a national passport of a foreign specialist
• photo of a foreign specialist
• documents confirming the qualification of a foreign specialist
• draft of an employment contract
• business, work or professional visa (not required for citizens of visa-free countries)

Application acceptance fee is 375.000 Uzbek soums for all types of foreign specialists. Application review period is 15 business days.

When a work permit is issued, a foreign specialist can change its current visa to an employment visa for the term of the work permit.

A work permit may be denied to a foreign specialist, if the state authority resolves that local labor force for that kind of work is sufficient.

Termination of employment

When a work permit is expired, the local employer must terminate the employment contract with a foreign specialist.

If a foreign specialist is terminated before the expiration of a work permit, the local employer must notify the Agency of External Labor Migration of Uzbekistan within a week.

Exemptions from a work permit

The following list represents the cases when a work permit is not required for a foreign citizen employed in Uzbekistan:

• employees of a resident company registered with the Uzbek IT-park (techno-park of digital products and information technology)
• investors who made investments into the economy of Uzbekistan in the amount of at least 3.187.500.000 Uzbek soums – applicable to any employment position in the invested company
• employees of representative offices of foreign states, intergovernmental and foreign governmental organizations accredited in the Uzbek Ministry of Foreign Affairs
• persons having official diplomatic status invited to work in the field of tourism at the request of the Uzbek Ministry of Tourism - for a period of up to 3 months
• shareholders and management directors of joint-venture companies and companies with foreign investments - for a period of up to 3 months from the date of signing an employment agreement
• science and culture specialists employed in local organizations created in accordance with international agreements to which Uzbekistan is a party
• students engaged in industrial practice during vacations as per the programs endorsed by the higher education institutions of Uzbekistan
• journalists and mass media specialists accredited in the Uzbek Ministry of Foreign Affairs
• employees of non-profit organizations (subdivisions of international and foreign non-profit organizations), accredited in the Uzbek Ministry of Justice
• teaching staff invited to work in local presidential schools and higher education institutions
• persons having Uzbekistan residence permit
• persons enjoying special treatment as per the international agreements to which Uzbekistan is a party

Exemption from a work permit does not release a foreign citizen from obtaining a relevant visa.