Plan
Drone rules: Uzbekistan
Last checked: October 1, 2026
Flight ban
You may not fly here at present: operating drones is generally prohibited in this country. The details below are for context only — they do not permit a flight.
Import, possession and use of drones are prohibited for private individuals; only transit with mandatory customs declaration is allowed.
A permit and registration route (cabinet, ministry, Uzaviation) is only open to state bodies and individual cases, not to tourists.
For tourists
Do not pack a drone for Uzbekistan: according to the German Foreign Office, importing drones of any kind is prohibited and their use is generally not allowed. Only toy model aircraft up to 50 metres height are exempt.
Further rules
- Important: import, sale, purchase, storage and use of drones are prohibited in principle in Uzbekistan; only transit with mandatory customs declaration is allowed. Pure toy model aircraft are exempt and may fly without permission up to 50 metres height and at least 150 metres from aerodrome approach paths.
- Regular drones require approval from the Cabinet of Ministers, clearance from the Ministry of Information Technologies (because of the radio frequency) and registration with the aviation authority Uzaviation – a procedure that in practice is only open to registered companies, film crews or state-commissioned projects, not to recreational pilots or tourists.
- Violations are prosecuted under the Uzbek Criminal Code: reportedly with fines and in some cases prison sentences, although some sources have recently described a softening for first-time offenders towards a fine plus confiscation of the device. At customs, undeclared drones are reliably detected during X-ray screening.
- For foreign media groups there is a simplified procedure via the tourism ministry or the Uzaviation platform; the authority provides no route for private holiday flights.
- For a trip to Uzbekistan, the rule is therefore: better not to take your drone at all. For short-term tourists, there is no practical legal way to fly there.
Sources
This overview is not legal advice and not an official statement — laws change, and we cannot guarantee that every entry is fully up to date. Before your flight, please also check the official source or the local civil aviation authority.