Uzbekistan’s police have a new way to shake down drivers for cash.
Effective 01 January 2007 the GAI (Road Police) have stepped up the enforcement of new rules for registration and authorizations needed by vehicle drivers. At each Notary office is available a special form to be filled out by the vehicle owner and printed on special (difficult to forge) paper. This form lists all the authorized drivers of the vehicle. The owner may list more than one driver who is authorized to drive the vehicle. The cost of this new document is about UzS70,000 for non-close relative drivers. Close relatives can be listed as drivers for a discounted fee of approx UzS20,000
Few are apparently aware of the new rule, and the traffic police are taking advantage of the law’s poor promulgation by making frequent checks to make sure the new paperwork is all in order. All things considered, a bribe is probably a far more preferable penalty than the heavy fines or possible vehicle confiscation that are the punishments for which the law calls.
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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.