How to register a company in Uzbekistan as a foreigner

Foreign founders choose the limited liability company for almost every operating business in the Republic of Uzbekistan. The legal regime comes from the Law of the Republic of Uzbekistan on Limited and Additional Liability Companies No. 310-II of 06.12.2001 and from part one of the Civil Code.

The filing itself is electronic and fast. What takes time is preparation: obtaining a PINFL, legalising the corporate documents of a foreign shareholder, and securing a legal address that actually receives mail.

Can a foreigner own 100% of a company in Uzbekistan?

Yes. A foreign individual and a foreign legal entity may each be the sole founder of a limited liability company in the Republic of Uzbekistan. Law No. 310-II of 06.12.2001 sets no local-partner requirement and no citizenship requirement for the director.

The law does cap the number of members; above that cap the company must convert into a joint-stock company. For a single founder or a small group of partners the cap has no practical effect.

Some activities are licensed or require a permit, and a few carry extra requirements for the ownership structure. Check this before drafting the charter: the activity determines both the OKED code and the applicable tax regime. The comparison of legal forms shows where a branch or a representative office fits instead.

What do you need before filing in Uzbekistan?

The registration portal will not accept an application without a verified founder identity and a confirmed address, so the package is assembled first.

Corporate documents of a foreign shareholder are legalised in the country of origin. An apostille is enough where that state is party to the 1961 Hague Convention; otherwise consular legalisation applies. The translation is certified by a notary in the Republic of Uzbekistan.

What is the step-by-step registration procedure?

Each step below ends with a specific document or a register entry, which is what the registering authority and the bank will later ask for.

Step 1. Obtain a PINFL for the founder and the director

The PINFL personal identification number is assigned to a foreign national before the registration application is filed. Without it the founder is not identified in the state information systems of the Republic of Uzbekistan and the director cannot obtain a digital signature.

Step 2. Reserve the company name

The proposed name is checked against the Unified State Register of Legal Entities of the Republic of Uzbekistan. Reservation holds the name while the documents are prepared and removes the risk of refusal for identity with an existing company.

Step 3. Draft the charter and the incorporation decision

The charter follows Law No. 310-II of 06.12.2001: name, location, charter capital, governing bodies and their powers, and the exit procedure for a member. The sole founder decision is a separate document and appoints the director.

Step 4. Confirm the legal address

The address is confirmed by a lease for non-residential premises or by a title document. The Tax Committee of the Republic of Uzbekistan sends every notice to this address, so its practical reachability matters more than its cost.

Step 5. File the registration application

The application is submitted electronically with the charter, the incorporation decision and the identity documents. The taxpayer identification number is assigned at the same time as registration.

Step 6. Obtain the state registration certificate

The certificate confirms that the legal entity exists. From that moment the company data appears in the Unified State Register of Legal Entities of the Republic of Uzbekistan.

Step 7. Issue the director's electronic digital signature

The digital signature is required for tax filings, electronic invoices and applications to state authorities of the Republic of Uzbekistan. Without it the company cannot meet a single recurring obligation on its own.

Step 8. Open a bank account

The account is opened after the registration certificate is issued. For a company with foreign participation the bank additionally requests documents on the ownership structure and the source of funds as part of its internal control procedures.

What does registration cost in Uzbekistan?

The budget consists of state payments and third-party services. The state duty for an enterprise with foreign investment is higher than for a company without foreign participation.

Exact amounts for the state duty and the minimum charter capital are deliberately omitted here: they are set by regulations that change, and they are verified on lex.uz immediately before filing.

What has to be done right after registration?

Registration creates the entity; it does not start it. Several obligations arise at once in the Republic of Uzbekistan, and some of them carry deadlines.

1. Choose the tax regime and notify the Tax Committee of the Republic of Uzbekistan. The choice is between the turnover tax and the general regime with profit tax and value added tax; the threshold that separates them is set by Presidential Decree No. UP-100 of 26.05.2026 and is tied to the base calculation value.
2. Sign an employment contract with the director. The director is an employee even when they are also the founder: personal income tax and social tax apply to their pay.
3. Contribute the charter capital within the statutory period and evidence it with bank documents or a transfer act.
4. Set up electronic document flow: electronic invoices and electronic waybills are mandatory in the Republic of Uzbekistan.
5. Check whether the activity qualifies for residency in the Technological Park of Software and Information Technologies (IT Park), which lifts profit, turnover and social tax and reduces personal income tax on employee pay.

The company launch checklist tracks these steps with a separate track for a foreign founder.

Which mistakes delay registration most often?

Refusals rarely concern the business itself. Almost always the cause is the document package.

• The founder passport is translated but the translation is not notarised. The application is returned and the clock restarts.
• Documents of a corporate founder arrive without apostille or consular legalisation. The registering authority will not accept a trade register extract as issued.
• The PINFL was not obtained before filing. The founder fails identity verification in the system.
• The legal address is not backed by a current lease. The premises are already used by another legal entity, or the lease has expired.
• Charter activities do not match the OKED codes. The mismatch surfaces at tax registration and when a preferential regime is claimed.