Uzbekistan's president said on 30 August 2026 that a 30-day visa-free regime with India would help tourism, during Prime Minister Modi's state visit to Tashkent. Neither government's own rule book shows such a regime today: Indian ordinary passport holders still need an electronic visa to enter Uzbekistan.
In this guide4 sections
What exactly did Uzbekistan say?#
The statement is a single clause in President Shavkat Mirziyoyev's remarks to media on 30 August 2026: "the 30-day visa-free regime and 14 weekly flights between the two countries will contribute to the further development of tourism." No decree number, no start date and no scope were published with it, and the presidential press service carried it as a line about tourism rather than as a policy announcement.
What do the two governments' own lists say?#
Uzbekistan's foreign ministry visa page, checked on 31 August 2026, puts India at number 31 in the appendix of countries whose citizens obtain an electronic entry visa through e-visa.gov.uz or a simplified tourist visa at an Uzbek consulate. The visa-free list on the same page runs to 91 entries and does not include India. India's own Ministry of External Affairs agrees: its table of countries offering visa-free entry to Indian nationals has 27 entries, and Uzbekistan is not one of them — it sits in the e-visa table instead.
Was a visa document signed during the state visit?#
No. The Joint Statement and the List of Outcomes that India's foreign ministry published for the 29-30 August 2026 visit list no visa-waiver agreement. The tourism outcome is a partnership programme between India's Ministry of Tourism and Uzbekistan's Tourism Committee for 2026-28. The only visa-free arrangement the Uzbek page records for India covers diplomatic passports, for up to 60 days.
So what does an Indian traveller need today?#
An e-visa from e-visa.gov.uz, or a tourist visa issued in the simplified way at an Uzbek consulate. A separate appendix grants Indian citizens visa-free transit, temporary stay and exit for up to five days, which is useful for a stopover and nothing more. Treat headlines the way we treat free ETA scam sites for Sri Lanka: wait for the issuing country's own list to change before you book on the strength of a quote.
VisaGyan is an independent journal, not affiliated with any government. Facts here come from Uzbekistan's foreign ministry visa page and India's Ministry of External Affairs, both checked on 31 August 2026 — confirm your own entry conditions with an Uzbek consulate before travelling.
Frequently asked questions
- Can Indians enter Uzbekistan visa-free right now?
- No. Uzbekistan's foreign ministry page, checked on 31 August 2026, lists India at number 31 in the appendix of countries whose citizens use an electronic visa from e-visa.gov.uz or a simplified tourist visa at a consulate. India is not in the visa-free list on that same page.
- What did Uzbekistan's president actually say?
- Speaking to media with Prime Minister Modi in Tashkent on 30 August 2026, President Shavkat Mirziyoyev said that "the 30-day visa-free regime and 14 weekly flights between the two countries will contribute to the further development of tourism". No decree, start date or scope was published alongside it.
- Did the state visit produce a visa agreement?
- Not according to either side's own record. The Joint Statement and the List of Outcomes published by India's Ministry of External Affairs on 30 August 2026 contain no visa-waiver document. The tourism item on the outcomes list is a partnership programme between the two tourism ministries for 2026-28.
- Is there any visa-free access to Uzbekistan for Indian passports?
- Two narrow ones. Indian citizens appear in the appendix granting visa-free transit, temporary stay and exit for up to five days, and holders of Indian diplomatic passports have a 60-day visa-free regime. Neither covers an ordinary passport used for a normal tourist trip.