44,000 Contraband Phones Seized by Uzbek Customs
Uzbekistan
Uzbekistan's customs authorities have blocked the illegal import of over 44,000 mobile devices within the past six months. The agency also denied rumors about increased official registration fees for mobile phones.
According to the State Customs Committee, approximately 44,000 mobile phones worth 16.4 billion soums were prevented from being smuggled into the country since the beginning of 2025. The statement was issued in response to online speculation about rising fees for IMEI registration.
The Committee clarified that the current fee for registering a device in the UzIMEI system is 20% of the base calculation amount (BCA) — currently 75,000 soums, and set to rise to 82,400 soums as of August 1. “There has been no increase in this amount,” the statement emphasized.
Authorities noted that social media claims of a jump in fees to $100–400 are mostly being spread by individuals involved in "gray" market imports, who use this narrative to justify rising retail prices. If a phone is brought into the country without customs declaration, its IMEI registration incurs a single customs payment of 30% of the device’s value. For example, for a $1,000 device, the user would be required to pay $300.
Since the beginning of the year, 1.813 million mobile phones valued at around $180 million have been officially imported into Uzbekistan. All of these devices are already registered in the UzIMEI system and require no additional action from buyers.
Citizens were urged to declare each imported device with its corresponding IMEI code. Additionally, consumers were advised to buy phones only from official retailers and avoid purchasing devices with unregistered IMEI numbers.
The Committee clarified that the current fee for registering a device in the UzIMEI system is 20% of the base calculation amount (BCA) — currently 75,000 soums, and set to rise to 82,400 soums as of August 1. “There has been no increase in this amount,” the statement emphasized.
Authorities noted that social media claims of a jump in fees to $100–400 are mostly being spread by individuals involved in "gray" market imports, who use this narrative to justify rising retail prices. If a phone is brought into the country without customs declaration, its IMEI registration incurs a single customs payment of 30% of the device’s value. For example, for a $1,000 device, the user would be required to pay $300.
Since the beginning of the year, 1.813 million mobile phones valued at around $180 million have been officially imported into Uzbekistan. All of these devices are already registered in the UzIMEI system and require no additional action from buyers.
Citizens were urged to declare each imported device with its corresponding IMEI code. Additionally, consumers were advised to buy phones only from official retailers and avoid purchasing devices with unregistered IMEI numbers.
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