Before you start

Passport (registration mandatory)
Local address for fixed-line contracts
Unlocked or eSIM-capable device

Step-by-step

1
Buy the SIM at an operator shop with your passport
Ucell, Beeline, Uzmobile and Mobiuz all have shops in the malls and along the main avenues, plus airport kiosks. Registration against your passport is mandatory and done at purchase. You will get a +998 number, which the banking and payment apps authenticate to. Bring your registration confirmation if you have it — some outlets ask.
In personWho: All15 minutesLow
2
Add a data bundle — this is cheap even by regional standards
Monthly bundles with large data allowances run roughly UZS 60,000-120,000, which is US$5-10. Coverage across Tashkent is good and 4G is universal; check the current position on 5G with the operator rather than assuming. Manage top-ups through the operator app, Click or Payme.
Mobile appWho: AllImmediateUZS 60,000-120,000/mo
3
Sort home internet
Fixed broadband is widely available in Tashkent apartment blocks and is inexpensive. Many furnished rentals already include it — confirm with the landlord before ordering your own. Installation is generally a matter of days. Ask about the actual line into the flat rather than the building, since older stock varies.
OnlineWho: Long-stay residentsDays for installationOften included in rent; otherwise inexpensive
4
Have a backup for international connectivity if your work depends on it
Uzbekistan's international bandwidth has historically been the constraint rather than local coverage, and access to specific services has occasionally been restricted during the reform period. Local browsing and calls are fine; the risk sits with particular international platforms at particular moments. If your income depends on a specific tool, keep a second connectivity option and know your employer's position on it.
OnlineWho: Remote workers with critical dependenciesSet up in the first weekVaries

Documents you’ll need

Passport (mandatory for SIM registration)
Registration confirmation (sometimes requested)
Local address for fixed-line contracts

Things most newcomers don’t know

Mobile data here is the cheapest of the five cities in this bloc, at roughly US$5-10 a month for a large bundle.

That makes tethering a genuine substitute for fixed broadband for a lot of people, which is not true in every market. Combined with rents that undercut Almaty, Baku and Yerevan, it is a large part of why Tashkent has the lowest running cost of the group for a remote worker.

The constraint has historically been international bandwidth, not local network quality.

Tashkent's mobile and fixed coverage is good and cheap. What has caused problems for remote workers is throughput to specific international services and occasional restrictions on particular platforms. That is a different failure mode from bad coverage and needs a different mitigation — a backup route rather than a better local plan.

Your +998 number is the authentication key for Click, Payme, Uzum and the banks — treat it as infrastructure.

Uzbekistan digitised its payments layer quickly and the whole thing assumes a local mobile. Two-factor codes for banking, my.gov.uz service requests and payment-app transfers all go by SMS. A foreign roaming number will get you through the first week and then start failing at the point of a transaction.

SIM registration is tied to your passport and there is no anonymous prepaid market.

As across the region, the number is a durable identity marker used by banks and state services. Keep the registration paperwork. Buying a SIM registered to somebody else's passport as a shortcut creates problems with banking and government services that you cannot easily unwind later.

Common mistakes to avoid

Relying on a foreign roaming number for banking and my.gov.uz two-factor codes
Assuming international throughput matches the excellent local coverage
Ordering home broadband when the furnished rental already includes it
Buying a SIM registered to someone else's passport
Not keeping the SIM registration paperwork, which matters when replacing a lost card

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