Step 1: Driver's license
In order to drive in Uzbekistan, you need either an international driver’s license or a certified translation of your home country’s driver’s license into Russian or Uzbek.
When you buy the car, the only people who can legally drive the car are you, your spouse, or someone else while you are in the vehicle. Later you can give power of attorney to other people to drive the car.
Step 2: Find a car to buy
Buy from a friend or other foreigner. Expats who are leaving will often post cars for sale in the expats' Facebook or Telegram groups or on community boards at the embassy or school where they work.
OLX or Avto Elon are the most popular online marketplaces for cars.
The Sergeli used car bozor has the largest collection of used cars in one place. The cars are parked there everyday with phone numbers in the windshield, but many sellers are only their on the weekend. Most of the sellers are agents who are selling the car on someone else’s behalf.
Step 3: Inspect the car
Check the car thoroughly for signs of an accident or things that may be broken or not working. The seller may not be forthright about these things. This is especially true if it is a middleman at the bozor.
It is a good idea to take a mechanically-minded friend with you, but if that’s not possible, you can ask the seller to take the car to an usta (mechanic) to look it over. The seller will want you to put down a couple hundred dollar deposit before he lets you take the car, and he will need to go too since you are not legally able to drive the car.
If the car is at the Sergeli Bozori, it will be hard to get it off the lot to take to an usta, and the seller will probably not want to do so. If you insist though, it can be done.
Step 4: Agree on price
It is standard to barter about the price. Who pays the notary fees is also up for negotiation. Although the buyer typically pays, sometimes the seller will agree to pay half.
After agreeing on a price, the seller will lock the car and give the keys to the buyer. Then they will go together to the notary. If you are buying a car from the bazar, there are notaries on site. The buyer will give the seller the money before going into the notary to sign the papers. The notary will ask for the price of the car, and the price reported often differs from the actual sale price.
Almost all car transactions in Uzbekistan are done in cash in USD. If buying a more expensive vehicle, the seller may agree to $20,000 in cash and the rest in a bank transfer.
As of April 2026, the government is cracking down on cash transactions for large purchases such as vehicles. Now it is required that the seller pay for the vehicle by depositing the funds in UZS into an escrow account at the bank. The notary can see in the system once that has been done, and only then is able to proceed with transferring the vehicle title to the new owner. The reality right now is that only a portion of the funds have to be placed in the escrow account, but I would expect this to get stricter over time.
Step 5: Go to the notary
The seller will need
- Passport
- Visa, registration, and PINFL (if seller is a foreigner)
- Spouse’s passport (or proof of singleness)
- Car’s guvohnoma (also referred to as “tex passport” in Russian)
The buyer will need
- Passport
- Visa
- Registration
- PINFL
Give all the documents to the notary and they will prepare the documents for transferring ownership. This will take a while, so they will either have you come back later in the day or the next day to sign.
Return to the notary with the seller and the seller's spouse and sign the documents. In Uzbekistan a spouse cannot sell a vehicle without the approval of the other spouse. First pay the notary fees (typically $100-200). Buyer, seller, and seller's spouse will need to give their thumb prints and buyer and seller will need to sign the documents. If either the buyer or seller doesn’t speak Russian or Uzbek an authorized translator must be present.
The seller is now done with his responsibilities and the buyer has 10 business days to register the car.
Step 6: Register the car
NEW in 2026: Foreigners must now go to the Department of Diplomatic Service which is located at 10 Alisher Navoiy Street in Shaykhantahur District near Webster University. Previously, only diplomats registered at this location, but currently all foreigners must register here.
You will need the owner’s passport, the car’s old guvohnoma, and deed of sale from the notary. At this point you will pay for the new guvohnoma and license plates. The amount is based on the age of the vehicle and size of the engine, so the cost varies from vehicle to vehicle.
During the inspection, they will check that the numbers on the engine match those of the car's guvohnoma. If the vehicle is more than ten years old, they will also do a technical inspection.
Remove the old license plates from the car and take them inside with you. If you forgot to bring a screwdriver there will be someone in the parking lot happy to help you for a couple dollars. Inside you will take a number and when called submit your documents. These consist of the owner’s passport, the deed of sale from the notary, the car’s old guvohnoma, and the technical inspection slip if required. The officer will prepare a document for you to sign. He will keep the car’s old guvohnoma and return the rest of the documents to you.
Then you need to wait for the car’s new guvohnoma to be printed. They will call out your name when it’s ready.
Step 7: Buy Insurance
It is mandatory to have basic insurance on the car. This is cheap and can be purchased near the GAI, but only covers a portion of damages incurred by an accident.
Additionally, you can buy comprehensive insurance. Plans differ, so ask what all “comprehensive” covers. Sometimes you need to purchase add-ons to cover passengers other than the driver, or other things.
If you are adventurous and know at least a little Russian or Uzbek, you should be able to use this guide to buy a used car on your own. If however, you found the guide useful in understanding the process, but you are not interested in doing it on your own, Charter Expat Services can assist you with every step from translating your driver’s license to buying insurance for a one-time fee of $600.
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