Foreign employee (the “Employee”) coming to Uzbekistan for work purposes is generally required to have a work permit and a work visa. However, there are several exceptions provided by the law regarding the need for a work permit, including:  
1. Foreign individuals with a permanent resident status;  
2. Foreign individual shareholders, who have:

• purchased shares/participatory interest in Uzbek companies approximately at least USD 229 000(as of 30 April 2024) or invested this amount into their own newly incorporated Uzbek companies;
• incorporated foreign and/or joint venture Uzbek companies and directors employed by such companies, but only for a period of up to 3 months;  

1. Employees recruited by IT-park residents;
2. Employees conducting remote work abroad (online).
The main legal act regulating the procedures and requirements for obtaining a work permit is the Regulation «On issuance of work permits granting the right to work in the Republic of Uzbekistan» of the Resolution of the Cabinet of Ministers of the Republic of Uzbekistan No.86 dated 22 February 2022. 

In general, the process for obtaining a work permit for the Employee consists of six steps:
Step No.1: Accrediting of an Uzbek employer (the “Employer”, e.g., company, permanent establishment, etc.);
Step No.2: Getting an entry visa for the Employee;
Step No.3: Registering the Employee at the place of residence;
Step No.4: Getting a work permit for the Employee;  
Step No.5: Getting a work visa for the Employee;
Step No.6: Re-registering the Employee at the place of residence.
It is worth noting, that citizens of certain countries (e.g., Azerbaijan, Georgia, Kazakhstan, Russia) are entitled to stay in Uzbekistan without any visa. Therefore, in case of employment of citizens of these countries Steps No.1, No.2, and No.5 are not required.  

Step No.1: Accrediting of an Uzbek employer
To initiate the process of attracting the Employee to Uzbekistan, the Employer should undergo accreditation with the Consular-Legal Department of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of Uzbekistan (the “MFA”) to issue an invitation to the Employee for entry into Uzbekistan.
Accreditation is a quite straightforward process and requires submission of a set of Employer-related corporate documents (e.g., charter, extract from the trade register, power of attorney and passport details of the authorized representative).
The accreditation process typically takes an average of 10 working days after document submission. There is no state fee for the Accreditation. After completion of this state, the Employer will be entitled to apply for the Employee invitation.

Step No.2: Getting an entry visa for the Employee
Depending on the Employee’s country of residence, it might be required to obtain the entry visa. Generally, after receiving the accreditation the Employer submits the application for the Employee invitation and requests the MFA to issue the (multiple-entry) business visa (B2 type visa). The MFA processes the Employer’s application for up to 3 working days and issues the invitation. The state fee for consideration of the application is USD 5 per invited individual.
Please note, that while Uzbekistan has removed the visa requirement for many Western countries, we understand that this primarily applies to tourism. In practice, Uzbek state authorities require a proper business entry visa (B2 type) before issuing the work permit and subsequently the work visa.

Step No.3: Registering the Employee at the place of residence
Upon arrival in Uzbekistan and obtaining the business entry visa, the Employee should proceed to register at the place of residence. Hotels and hostels can register the Employee online and issue a registration card containing a QR code. If the Employee stays in a private apartment, both the apartment owner and the Employee should visit the nearest police passport office to register the Employee’s residence address or conduct the online registration. This registration should be completed within 3 working days after the day of border crossing.   

Step No.4: Getting a work permit for the Employee
To obtain the work permit, the Employer should submit an application to the Agency for External Labor Migration under the Ministry of Employment and Poverty Reduction of the Republic of Uzbekistan (the “Agency”). The application should include, among others, personal information of the Employee, passport details, draft employment contract, copy of the business entry visa, registration card at the place of residence, border stamp of entry to Uzbekistan, etc.
The Agency usually reviews the application within 15 working days from the day following the submission. The state fee for reviewing the application is approximately USD 30 and approximately USD 810 for issuing the work permit (as of 30 April 2024).

Step No.5: Getting a work visa for the Employee
Upon receiving the work permit, the Employer may apply for a multiple-entry work visa (E-type visa) issuance either through:

• the MFA, if the Employee is abroad; or
• the Ministry of Internal Affairs, if the Employee is in Uzbekistan.   

The set of documents for obtaining a work visa includes but is not limited to, a copy of the entry business visa, border stamp of entry to Uzbekistan, work permit, Employer corporate documents, etc.
The work visa processing time is 10 working days from the day of document submission. The state fee for issuing the work visa is approximately USD 161 (as of 30 April 2024). The work visa is issued for the period not extending the period of the work permit.

Step No.6: Re-registering the Employee at the place of residence
The Employee after receiving the work visa may apply to the police passport office for prolongation of the term of registration at the place of residence for the period of the work visa.     
As a final note, please bear in mind that the work permit, as well as the work visa, should be renewed annually.
Should you require more information or assistance with obtaining a work permit or other employment matters, please contact us.

DISCLAIMER:
The content of this article is provided for informational purposes only and should not be construed as legal advice. It is not intended to create, and receipt of it does not constitute, a lawyer-client relationship. Readers should not act upon this information without seeking professional counsel and should not rely on it as a substitute for obtaining legal advice from a qualified attorney licensed in their jurisdiction.
 
Saidaziz Alimov