Can Foreigners Own Property in Uzbekistan? The 2026 Legal Guide

Can foreigners buy property in Uzbekistan? Yes, foreigners can own apartments and buildings, but they cannot own the land underneath them, and in Tashkent there is a minimum price floor that locks most cheaper stock out of reach. The distinction between owning a structure and owning land is the single most important thing to understand before you transfer any money.

This guide covers the ownership regime, the Tashkent price threshold, the IT Visa exemption, the buying process, and how disputes are resolved.

The headline rule

Uzbek law separates ownership of a building from ownership of the land it sits on. Land in Uzbekistan is overwhelmingly state property, allocated to private parties through use rights and long-term leases rather than outright freehold. Foreign individuals and foreign companies cannot acquire land ownership. They can, however, own the apartment, house, or commercial unit itself, and hold the associated land on a use or lease basis.

The rule sits in the Land Code, backed by the Constitution, which vests ownership of all land in the state. There is no private freehold land for anyone in Uzbekistan, citizen or foreigner, so any contract offering to sell you Uzbek soil outright is describing something that cannot legally exist.

In practice this means a foreigner buying an apartment in a Tashkent tower owns the apartment outright and registered in their name, while the land beneath the building remains state-owned and is held by the building association on a use right. For an apartment buyer this rarely causes problems. For a buyer hoping to acquire a plot of land and build, it is a hard limit.

The Tashkent price threshold

The most important rule specific to the capital: a foreigner may purchase real estate in the city of Tashkent or the Tashkent region only in new buildings, and only where the contract value is at least 3,300 times the base calculation value (BCV), which works out to roughly 89,000 US dollars at recent rates. Payment must be made through a bank, not in cash.

This rule has two practical effects. It excludes foreigners from the secondary (resale) market in the capital, steering them toward new-build developer stock. And it sets a floor that rules out cheaper apartments. Outside Tashkent and the Tashkent region these restrictions are looser, but the capital is where most foreign interest concentrates.

The 108-country rule and buying without a residence permit

Foreigners once needed a residence permit before they could buy property in Uzbekistan at all. The Cabinet of Ministers has since approved a list of foreign states whose citizens may purchase newly constructed real estate, land excluded, with no residence permit. That list covers 108 countries. If your nationality is on it, you can buy a new-build unit as a pure investment, provided the purchase clears a minimum value.

The qualifying minimums are set by location and by build stage. In Tashkent city, Samarkand city and Tashkent province, the property must be worth at least the equivalent of 150,000 US dollars if it is still under construction, or 180,000 US dollars once commissioned. In the other provinces the floors drop to 70,000 and 80,000 dollars. These are not fees or taxes. They are qualifying thresholds, and a purchase below the line falls outside the scheme.

One point the government states plainly and buyers routinely miss: acquiring real estate under this investment route does not by itself grant permanent registration or a residence permit. Ownership and immigration status are separate questions in Uzbekistan. A parallel track offers five-year residence permits tied to larger qualifying investment, but an ordinary apartment purchase does not convert into the right to live there. If someone sells a Tashkent apartment as a shortcut to Uzbek residency, read the decree rather than the brochure.

The IT Visa exemption

Uzbekistan has built an IT Visa program to attract technology workers and founders, and it carries a meaningful property perk. A non-resident holding an IT Visa, along with their family members, may buy real estate without the minimum cost threshold and without the new-build restriction that applies to other foreigners in Tashkent. If you qualify for the IT Visa, it materially widens what you can buy.