Before you start

Private medical insurance
Passport and PINFL
Registration at place of stay

Step-by-step

1
Arrange private cover before or on arrival
There is no general public entitlement for foreign residents outside specific categories. Employers frequently provide group cover; independent arrivals buy local policies or keep an international one. Costs are low. Check the clinic network the policy actually covers, and whether it includes medical evacuation, since complex cases from the region are sometimes referred abroad.
OnlineWho: All foreignersBefore or shortly after arrivalLocal policies are inexpensive; international nomad policies vary
2
Register with a private clinic
Tashkent's private clinics are the practical option for foreign residents, with same-day appointments normal and consultation fees a fraction of Western levels. English is not universal among doctors but is common at the clinics used by the diplomatic and corporate community. For anything complex, the major Tashkent hospitals are the national referral centres — Samarkand and Bukhara do not have equivalent capability.
In personWho: AllSame-day appointments commonConsultations are inexpensive by regional standards
3
If you hold an IT Visa, check what public access you actually have
The IT Visa extends access to public education and health services to holders and their dependants. That is a genuine benefit and it is not well publicised — many IT Visa holders buy full private cover without checking what they are already entitled to. It does not replace private insurance for elective and specialist care, but it changes the calculation on what level of cover to buy.
In personWho: IT Visa holders and dependantsFrom issue of the visaIncluded with the visa
4
Know the emergency numbers and how pharmacies work
The unified 112 service has been operational across all regions of Uzbekistan since 2025, integrating the interior ministry, emergency situations, health and gas hotlines. The older numbers 101 fire, 102 police, 103 ambulance and 104 gas remain in service, and 1173 is the tourist helpline. Pharmacies (dorixona) are dense and many are 24-hour, with looser prescription rules than Western Europe. Carry the active ingredient name of your regular medication.
In personWho: AllImmediateEmergency calls free

Documents you’ll need

Passport and PINFL
Insurance certificate
Registration at place of stay
List of regular medications by active ingredient
Vaccination records for school enrolment

Things most newcomers don’t know

Uzbekistan's unified 112 became operational across all regions in 2025, integrating five separate ministry hotlines into one platform.

Before that, callers had to pick between the interior ministry, emergency situations, health and the gas operator, which cost time in exactly the situations where time matters. 112 is now the number to know; the old 101, 102, 103 and 104 lines still work. There is also a dedicated tourist helpline on 1173, which is genuinely useful for a foreigner without the language.

Source: Ministry of Digital Technologies, via national reporting

IT Visa holders and their dependants get access to public education and health services — most do not realise it.

It is stated in the IT Visa's own terms and is one of the strongest arguments for taking that route over an ordinary work permit, especially for a family. It does not substitute for private cover on elective and specialist treatment, but it changes what level of insurance is worth buying and it removes the school question that dominates most relocations.

Source: Government of Uzbekistan — IT Visa

Tashkent is where the country's advanced medicine is, and the gap to the regional cities is wide.

Uzbekistan is centralised and the difference in capability between Tashkent's major hospitals and provincial facilities is substantial. Anyone considering Samarkand or Bukhara for the cost or the setting should understand that serious diagnostics and surgery mean a trip to the capital.

Costs here are low enough that the pay-out-of-pocket strategy works even better than in Tbilisi or Almaty.

Consultations and routine treatment are cheap in absolute terms, so insuring only against hospitalisation and paying cash for everything else is a rational approach for a healthy adult. It is not the right call for a family with young children or an existing condition, where the value of a policy is in the specialist and elective cover.

Common mistakes to avoid

Assuming a general public health entitlement exists for foreign residents — it does not, outside specific categories
Holding an IT Visa and buying full private cover without checking the public access it already includes
Basing outside Tashkent without accounting for where advanced care actually is
Not knowing the active ingredient of your regular medication — brand names differ regionally
Buying a short travel policy to satisfy a checklist and leaving most of a long stay uncovered

Some of this may be out of date. Spotted something inaccurate? Help us keep it right for the next newcomer.