12-Hour Queues: New Car Import Rules in Uzbekistan Turn into a Nightmare for Owners

This article is also available in: Русский (Russian) Uzbek

In Uzbekistan, car owners and private entrepreneurs who want to import vehicles now face serious difficulties. New rules require each vehicle to undergo electromagnetic compatibility testing before receiving a certificate of conformity. On the surface, this appears to be a safety measure, but in practice, it has turned into a serious ordeal for car owners.

To complete the testing, importers must travel to the Pskent testing ground, located 60 kilometers from Tashkent. And this is where the problems start: people are stuck in long lines for hours, sometimes waiting at the testing ground for more than 12 hours. Massive traffic jams, a lack of amenities, and insufficient staffing have shown that the facility is wholly unprepared for such a high flow of vehicles needing testing.

The current situation raises many questions. Why wasn’t the Pskent testing ground prepared for the new rules? It was obvious that introducing this requirement would bring an influx of vehicles. Nevertheless, no measures were taken to prevent a breakdown in service. The number of employees could have been increased in advance, additional testing lanes could have been set up, and a more efficient system could have been implemented. As it stands, this process only slows down certification and creates difficulties for car owners, strengthening the monopoly of official dealers.

“This is idiocy in all its glory… Now those who buy imported cars must check each one in this way. All kinds of hoops are created just to support the monopoly,” remarked blogger Umid Gafurov (Troll.uz), who shared a video from the testing ground.

“Do I understand correctly that all electric vehicles imported into Uzbekistan from abroad are now required to be certified at the only testing ground in Pskent? Do people from Urgench, Nukus, and Termez all have to bring their cars there? Perfect, they should just leave a single window with one employee so everyone immediately understands the purpose of this setup,” wrote digital security expert Shukhrat Kurbanov.

There is only hope that the authorities will hear the complaints of car owners and experts, addressing the issue with queues in Pskent by creating a truly accessible and transparent vehicle certification system. In its current form, the regulations seem more like an attempt to create an appearance of order, ignoring the interests and convenience of citizens. It appears that the new rules are more about creating a facade of “organization” and bolstering monopolies than providing real benefits.

The article may contain inaccuracies as it is translated by AI. For more details, please refer to the Russian version of the article. If you notice any inaccuracies, you can send corrections via the Telegram bot: Uzvaibik_bot.

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