Landing at Tashkent airport? Our step-by-step guide to Terminal 2, passport control, customs and declarations, ATMs and money exchange, SIM cards, Yandex Go and the official taxi desk, fair fares to the city, the new airport and departure tips.
Facts, prices and schedules checked on November 4, 2026
Most journeys to Uzbekistan begin at Tashkent airport, officially Islam Karimov Tashkent International Airport (code TAS). It is the busiest airport in the country, handling almost 10 million passengers in 2025, and it sits inside the city, so you can be at your hotel within an hour of landing.
Arrival is straightforward once you know the order of things. This step-by-step guide, written by our team in Tashkent and updated in November 2026, covers the terminals, passport control, customs and declarations, money, SIM cards, taxis and fair fares to the centre, what is happening with the new airport, and tips for your departure.
Tashkent airport terminals at a glance
Tashkent airport has two passenger terminals, on opposite sides of the runways:
- Terminal 2: all international flights, arrivals and departures. Rebuilt in 2001 and expanded several times since, most recently with a renovated departure hall in 2024 and the first stage of a larger arrivals hall, with an extra baggage carousel, in June 2025.
- Terminal 3: domestic flights, for example to Urgench, Bukhara, Nukus and Termez.
The two terminals are about 4 km apart by road and are not connected inside. A free shuttle bus between them has run since 2022, but a taxi is often quicker and simpler with luggage.
The airport is about 6 km south of central Tashkent. Depending on where your hotel is, the drive is usually 8 to 12 km and takes 20 to 40 minutes.
Facilities in Terminal 2 are modest but improving. Airside, past passport control on departure, a newer zone opened in 2023 with shops, a pharmacy and cafés, and a business lounge opened in 2025. Landside, the arrivals hall has exchange counters, ATMs, mobile operator counters and the taxi desk, but little else, so do not plan to wait there for hours.
Before you land: documents and apps
A little preparation makes the first hour much easier, especially as many flights from Europe land between midnight and dawn.
- Visa: citizens of many countries can enter Uzbekistan visa-free; others need an e-visa. Check the current rules for your passport in our Uzbekistan visa guide, and keep a printed or saved copy of your e-visa.
- Hotel address: have the name and address of your first night's accommodation ready, in case the officer asks.
- Yandex Go: install the app and verify your phone number before you fly. It is the easiest way to get a fair taxi fare.
- Data: if you will not buy a local SIM card on arrival, set up an eSIM at home. Our guide to SIM cards and eSIMs in Uzbekistan compares the options.
- Cash: a small amount of US dollars or euros in clean, recent notes is useful as a backup if the airport ATM is not working.
You do not need to arrange your registration yourself if you stay in a hotel or guesthouse: the accommodation registers you through the national e-registration system. Keep the confirmation they give you.
Step 1: passport control
After leaving the aircraft, follow the signs to passport control. There are separate lines for Uzbek citizens and foreigners, and queues can be long when several flights arrive at once in the early morning.
Hand over your passport, plus your e-visa if you need one. The officer may ask the purpose of your trip and where you are staying. There is no separate arrival card to fill in. Check that your passport has been stamped before you walk away.
Photography is not allowed in the immigration and customs areas, so keep your phone in your pocket until you reach the public hall.
Step 2: baggage and customs
Collect your luggage in the baggage hall, where you will also find mobile operator counters and an ATM. Then go through customs.
Most travellers do not need to fill in a customs declaration and can walk through the green channel. You must declare if you carry:
- Cash worth more than 100 million som in total, about US$8,400 as of November 2026, in any currency
- Narcotic or psychotropic medicines, with documents from your doctor
- Goods above the personal duty-free allowance, or anything intended for sale
Smaller amounts of cash can be declared voluntarily, and declarations can be completed electronically before you reach the customs desk. If you do declare, keep your copy until you leave the country: it makes it easier to take the money back out.
Ordinary medicines in their original packaging are fine. Without a medical certificate, the rules allow up to 10 different medicines and no more than five packages of each. Drones are effectively banned for tourists without prior permission, so leave yours at home.
Customs rules change, and the duty-free allowance for goods was cut in 2025. If you are carrying anything unusual, check the State Customs Committee's website before you travel.
Step 3: money, ATMs, SIM cards and Wi-Fi
In the arrivals area you will find bank exchange counters and ATMs. Withdraw or change enough for the taxi and your first day, then use bank booths and ATMs in the city, where you get the same official rate.
- ATMs: Visa cards work at most machines, Mastercard at many. Machines in the arrivals area are occasionally out of service or out of cash; if that happens, the departures hall has more, a short walk away.
- Exchange: bring clean, undamaged US dollars or euros. Show your passport, and keep the receipt.
- Decline the ATM's offer to charge you in your home currency and choose som instead.
Keep some small notes, such as 10,000 and 50,000 som, for the taxi. Drivers often have no change for a 200,000 note. Our guide to money in Uzbekistan covers cards, cash and tipping in detail.
SIM cards. Beeline and Ucell usually have counters in or near the baggage hall, selling SIM cards with data packages. You need your passport, and registration takes 10 to 20 minutes.
Two things to know. Airport prices are usually higher than in city offices, sometimes much higher. And the counters are not always staffed for night arrivals. If they are closed or the queue is long, use the free airport Wi-Fi to order your taxi and buy a SIM in town the next day.
An eSIM set up before departure avoids both problems. Our SIM card guide also explains the IMEI registration rule for phones used with a local SIM on longer stays.
Step 4: taxis from Tashkent airport
This is where newcomers most often overpay. Since 2025 the airport has reorganised taxi access, and you now have three sensible options.
- Yandex Go. The most popular choice. Yandex cars may use the first lane directly outside the arrivals exit, and drivers can wait there for up to 20 minutes. Order once you have your bags, check the number plate (most cars are white Chevrolets), and confirm the pickup point in the app chat if needed. As of November 2026, a ride to central Tashkent usually costs about 35,000 to 70,000 som (roughly US$3 to 6), depending on distance and demand.
- The official taxi desk. In the arrivals hall there is a single dispatch desk for the airport's licensed taxi companies. You state your destination and are given a car at the first lane. The airport says city rides start from 50,000 som, and some companies offer budget, family and group tariffs. Ask for the price before you set off.
- A pre-booked transfer. The most relaxed option after a night flight: a driver waits in the arrivals hall with your name. Typical prices in 2026 are around US$15 to 30 to a city-centre hotel.
What to avoid: drivers who approach you inside the hall or at the exit offering a taxi. They are not part of the official system, and they commonly ask 80,000 to 150,000 som or more for the same ride. A polite no and walking on is enough.
A quick fair-fare checklist:
- Know the price before the car moves, from the app or from the dispatcher
- Pay in som, not dollars; a dollar price is almost always rounded up
- Have small notes ready, as change for large notes is often short
- If a driver insists on a price far above the app fare, take another car
Tashkent airport to the city centre: bus and other options
City buses, including route 67, stop near the airport and run to central Tashkent for a few thousand som. They are cheap but slow, and with suitcases they are impractical, so we recommend them only to light travellers in daylight.
There is no metro station at the terminal. Once you are settled in the city, though, the Tashkent Metro is the quickest and cheapest way to get around, and our metro guide explains how to use it.
If you are going straight on to Samarkand, the main railway station is a short drive from the airport. Allow at least two hours between landing and the train departure, and more on an early-morning arrival when immigration queues are long. Our guide to getting from Tashkent to Samarkand compares the train, car and flight.
Night arrivals and domestic connections
Many flights from Europe and the Gulf land between about 01:00 and 05:00. A few tips for that situation:
- Book your first night so the room is available on arrival, or request early check-in, rather than waiting in a lobby until the afternoon
- Yandex Go works through the night, and fares can be a little higher
- Exchange counters and SIM counters may be closed, so have a backup plan for data and cash
Connecting to a domestic flight? Domestic flights leave from Terminal 3, not Terminal 2. You must collect your bags, clear customs, and travel to the other terminal by shuttle or taxi, then check in again. Allow at least three hours, and more in the peak spring and autumn months. Our guide to domestic flights in Uzbekistan has more detail.
Is there a new Tashkent airport?
Not yet. A New Tashkent International Airport is being built outside the city, near Yangiyul in the Tashkent region. In June 2026 Uzbekistan Airports signed a 35-year public-private partnership with a consortium led by Saudi Arabia's Vision Invest to build and run it. The first phase includes two long runways and a large new passenger terminal.
Construction runs to around 2030, with the first flights expected at the end of the decade. When the new airport opens, the current one is expected to close to passenger flights. For any trip in the next few years, everything in this guide applies to the existing airport, which continues to be renovated in stages.
Departing from Tashkent airport: tips
- Arrive three hours before an international flight. There is a bag scan at the terminal entrance, then check-in, passport control and a second full security check, and queues build quickly at peak times.
- Only passengers may enter the terminal building, so say goodbye to friends or your guide outside.
- Tax Free: since 2026 foreign visitors can reclaim part of the VAT on purchases of at least 300,000 som made in participating shops. Ask the shop for the Tax Free form, keep the goods unused and in your hand luggage if possible, and visit the Tax Free counter before passport control with your passport, boarding pass and receipts.
- Cash: if you take out more than 100 million som in cash, you must declare it; having your arrival declaration helps.
- Antiques and old carpets need an export certificate from the Ministry of Culture; reputable shops arrange it.
- Spend or change your last som before passport control. Airside shops and cafés take cards, but som are hard to change abroad.
- Liquids over 100 ml go in checked luggage, and power banks in your cabin bag.
Arriving with TourEast
When you travel with us, your driver meets you in the arrivals hall at any hour, and you receive a local contact number for the whole trip, so the first steps are taken care of. We can also arrange domestic connections and train tickets as part of a small-group tour or a private itinerary.
