Can a foreigner buy an apartment in Uzbekistan? Rules, price thresholds, the 7 steps and taxes

Yes, if your passport is on the government list, and with two limits. Without a residence permit a foreigner can buy only a new build, and only above a price floor: $150,000 (lex.uz, 27 Sep 2026) off-plan in Tashkent, $180,000 (lex.uz, 27 Sep 2026) in a finished building. A typical Tashkent new build asks $109,900: on 26 September 2026 only 30% (UyScan data as of 26 Sep 2026, listings: 13,829) of new-build listings cleared the floor.

Can a foreigner buy an apartment in Uzbekistan?

Yes. Since 1 May 2022 (lex.uz, 27 Sep 2026) a foreigner can buy a new apartment without a residence permit, as long as the price is at least $150,000 in Tashkent. The right comes from the presidential decree of 8 April 2022, and it has four strings attached.

• Your passport must be on the list. A Cabinet of Ministers resolution of 13 July 2022 names 108 (lex.uz, 27 Sep 2026) countries whose citizens may buy this way. Russia, Kazakhstan, Turkey, the US, the UK and Germany are on it; China and India are not.
• New buildings only. The decree speaks of new property, under construction or already commissioned, and the resolution treats a finished building as new for up to 3 years (lex.uz, 27 Sep 2026) after commissioning. Older resale apartments are closed on this route, and so is land.
• A price floor. It depends on the region and on whether the building is finished (see the table below).
• No residence permit in return. The decree says outright that such a purchase is no ground for residence registration or a permit.

The second route is a residence permit through property. It costs more, but there any apartment counts, new or resale.

What price floors apply without a residence permit?

In Tashkent city, Tashkent region and Samarkand city the floor is $150,000 for an apartment under construction and $180,000 for one in a finished building. In the rest of the country it is $70,000 (lex.uz, 27 Sep 2026) and $85,000 (lex.uz, 27 Sep 2026).

Rules as of 27 September 2026 on lex.uz: the decree of 8 April 2022, the Cabinet of Ministers resolution of 13 July 2022 and the decree of 5 January 2019. Practical details come from the Azizov & Partners memo of 1 June 2026.

Two details matter in practice. According to the memo, if you buy with a partner, each owner's share has to reach the floor on its own. And the decree sets the floor as a dollar equivalent without naming the exchange rate or the date, so a price just above the line is a risk.

How many Tashkent new builds clear the floor?

As of 26 September 2026, 4,196 (UyScan data as of 26 Sep 2026, listings: 13,829) new-build listings in Tashkent ask $150,000 or more: 30% of all new builds on sale. At $180,000, the floor for a finished building, 3,044 (UyScan data as of 26 Sep 2026, listings: 13,829) listings remain, or 22% (UyScan data as of 26 Sep 2026, listings: 13,829).

The floor cuts off the mass market. A typical apartment in Tashkent asks $90,000 and a typical new build $109,900. The new builds above the floor are a different class: a median area of 100 m² (UyScan data as of 26 Sep 2026, listings: 4,196), a median price of $224,900 (UyScan data as of 26 Sep 2026, listings: 4,196) and $2,319 (UyScan data as of 26 Sep 2026, listings: 4,196) per m², against $1,629 per m² for new builds overall. Mostly these are three- and four-room apartments.

They are spread very unevenly across the city:

UyScan data as of 26 September 2026: 13,829 new-build listings in 11 districts without Yangihayot, of them those asking $150,000 or more.

In Shaykhantakhur most new builds on sale already clear the floor. In Sergeli, Uchtepa and Bektemir only a handful do, so a foreign buyer there is left with almost nothing. Resale at that price exists too, 1,052 (UyScan data as of 26 Sep 2026, listings: 15,073) listings at $150,000 or more, but without a permit only a building commissioned in the last 3 years counts, and our data does not show that date.

All new builds are on the Tashkent new builds page, and in search you can set a minimum price.

How does the residence permit through property work?

In Tashkent city and region the threshold is $300,000: the same decree of 8 April 2022 cut it from $400,000 (lex.uz, 27 Sep 2026). Some sites still quote the old figure. In the Samarkand, Bukhara, Namangan, Andijan, Fergana and Khorezm regions it is $200,000, in Karakalpakstan and the other regions $100,000. The thresholds and the list of 111 eligible countries are set by the decree of 5 January 2019, and this list is wider: China and India are on it.

According to the memo, any property counts on this route, residential or not, new or resale. In Tashkent that is a thin slice of the market: 1,098 (UyScan data as of 26 Sep 2026, listings: 28,902) listings ask $300,000 or more, 4% (UyScan data as of 26 Sep 2026, listings: 28,902) of the total, and only 123 (UyScan data as of 26 Sep 2026, listings: 1,098) of them are resale.

How long the permit lasts and how it is renewed, we could not confirm: the sources we checked disagree. Ask a migration lawyer before you buy with a permit in mind.

How does the purchase go, step by step?

There are 7 steps, and the first three happen before you sign anything. Every payment goes through a bank, and a notary checks it.

1. Pick your route. Below $300,000 in Tashkent only the no-permit route is open, and only for a new build. From $300,000, any apartment qualifies and the purchase can back a permit application.
2. Shortlist apartments above the floor. Compare full prices with finishing, not a first installment. How a down payment ends up in the price field is explained in Price or down payment.
3. Check who sells and how old the building is. The floor route covers new property only: a building under construction or one commissioned no more than 3 years ago. Of the new builds above the floor, 10% (UyScan data as of 26 Sep 2026, listings: 4,196) are posted by private sellers. Ask who signs the contract and when the building was commissioned, and check with a notary before paying.
4. Open an account in an Uzbek bank. Ask the bank in advance which documents it needs from a non-resident and how long a transfer from abroad takes.
5. Agree the contract. Check the full price, the finishing, the completion date and what is included. If the price is in sums, its dollar value moves with the exchange rate (the Central Bank rate was 11,825.4 sums per dollar on 26 Sep 2026), so keep a margin above the floor.
6. Pay through the bank and sign at a notary. The money goes through bank accounts, and the notary certifies the contract only once the bank confirms the payment.
7. Register ownership. After a sale is certified, the notary sends the data to the state register. In a building under construction there is nothing to register yet, so ask the developer when and how your ownership will be recorded after completion.

The general procedure for any buyer, from the viewing to the cadastre, is in Buying an apartment in Tashkent: 10 steps. How much more a square meter costs in a new build than in resale, district by district, is in New build or resale. If you plan to rent while you look, start with Renting an apartment in Tashkent as a foreigner.

How do you pay, and what taxes apply?

Since 1 April 2026 (lex.uz, 27 Sep 2026) real estate in Uzbekistan is bought and sold only through banks, for local and foreign buyers alike. Cash handed to the seller will not get you through the notary: the contract is certified only once the bank confirms the payment.

Taxes come at three moments:

• Buying. We found no separate purchase tax in official sources. The notary charges fees for certifying the deal: ask for the amount in advance.
• Owning. An owner pays annual property tax, calculated from the cadastral value.
• Selling. A resident who owned a home for more than 3 years (podrobno.uz, 27 Sep 2026) pays no personal income tax on the sale. For a non-resident seller, sources disagree on both the rate and whether this exemption applies. Ask a tax adviser before buying: this decides how much you keep if you sell within a few years.

What changes with the realtor law?

On 8 November 2026 (lex.uz, 27 Sep 2026) the Law on Realtor Activity takes effect. From then realtors and agencies must be in an open state register, a realtor needs a qualification certificate, and the contract with you, on paper or electronic, must state the fee and how money is refunded if the service is not delivered.

For a foreigner who does not speak Uzbek or Russian this is a real safeguard: before paying a fee, ask for the certificate and check the name in the register. The floors and the new-build limit come from the 2022 decree, not from this law.

How we counted

• Asking prices from OLX and uybor listings for apartments in 11 Tashkent districts, active on 26 September 2026. Each apartment is counted once, even if several agencies list it. These are asking prices, not transaction prices.
• A new build is what the seller marked in the listing: new building, primary market or from the developer. Whether and when the building was commissioned is not in the data, so both floors are applied to all new builds and the counts are a ceiling.
• We keep prices from $8,000 and areas from 15 m². Yangihayot district is not in the data.
• Legal rules were checked on lex.uz and in the Azizov & Partners memo on 27 September 2026. The full method is in the methodology.

New apartments above your floor can also come to you in Telegram: the UyScan bot sends new listings and price drops by district and budget.