Migration registration: the 3-day rule

The rule: Every foreign national must be registered at their address of stay within 3 working days of arrival in Uzbekistan. Weekends don't count toward the 3 days.

If you're at a hotel or licensed guest-house: - Registration is automatic at check-in. You surrender your passport briefly (usually 20 min) for the front desk to enter your details into the OVIR (migration police) system. - You receive a small paper registration slip in Russian for each stay. - Keep all registration slips until you leave the country.

If you stay privately (friend's home, informal Airbnb, unregistered guesthouse): - Your host must register you via the online e-mehmon portal at emehmon.uz within 3 working days. - Alternative: your host takes you to the local OVIR (migration office) with your passport. - If the host doesn't do this, you can register yourself online at emehmon.uz — the interface has an English option.

Gaps between hotels: - Overnight trains count as registered accommodation — you get a registration slip on board or from the conductor. - Overnight yurt camps register you. - Rest-stop overnight in a car counts as unregistered — try to avoid or catch up the next night.

What happens if you don't register: - Enforcement has softened significantly since 2018. - Airport departure check: border officers may ask for registration slips. Missing slips typically means a $30–80 on-the-spot fine (paid in Uzbek som at the airport). - For unregistered stays over 1 week, fines climb.

Practical: - Ask for the registration slip at every hotel checkout. Some don't offer it automatically. - Keep slips in your passport pouch, not your suitcase. - If you lose them, contact any OVIR office to get replacement records from the digital system.