A reader in the UK emailed to ask whether or not I have heard about Uzbeks being taxed upon returning to Tashkent based on how long they have been out of the country. The reader said that two students going home for New Year’s had to pay $200 for every month they had been out of the country and were told that the penalty could be avoided by registering with an Uzbek embassy abroad.
So, which is it? Has the Uzbek government quietly extended OVIR’s mandate to include controlling the movement of Uzbek citizens regardless of where they are in the world? Or have the employees of Tashkent International come up with a new money-making scheme?
This post was written by...
Nathan Hamm – author of 2040 posts on Registan.net.
Nathan founded Registan.net in 2003. He was a Peace Corps Volunteer in Uzbekistan 2000-2001 and received his MA in Central Asian Studies from the University of Washington in 2007. Since 2007, he has worked full-time as an analyst, consulting with clients on Central Asian affairs, specializing in how socio-cultural factors shape risks and opportunities. Follow him on Twitter or drop him a line.
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My wife (an Uzbek citizen but an ethnic Russian) just returned from Uzbekistan. She arrived in Tashkent in September and had no problems getting in. She had no problems leaving in mid-December either.
She tried once in 2002 to “register” by phone with the Embassy here in the US and was rebuffed by the embassy worker. So, take that for whatever its worth.
This sounds to me like a bribe, and a pretty exhorbidant one at that. Why doesn’t one of us contact the embassy and ask them to confirm or deny?
that is bullshit! i hope it is, or i’m never going back home!
hi Nathan,
I work for the radio show Open Source. We’re collaborating with Global Voices on a radio project that will feature bloggers across the globe. when you have a moment could you please email me so that we can continue this conversation?
chelsea@radioopensource.org.
Many thanks, C
This will send shockwaves through Dubai if true.