Tashkent, Uzbekistan (UzDaily.com) — The State Customs Committee of Uzbekistan has issued an official statement refuting rumors circulating on social media about an alleged increase in the cost of registering IMEI codes for mobile devices.

According to the committee, the registration fee remains unchanged at 20% of the basic calculation value, which currently amounts to 75,000 soums. No increase has been introduced.

Claims of IMEI registration fees ranging from $100 to $400 are linked to the actions of individuals illegally importing phones into Uzbekistan. These sellers mislead buyers by attributing inflated phone prices to "registration costs." In reality, if a phone is imported legally, its IMEI code is already registered by the official importer—regardless of the number of SIM slots or the presence of an eSIM.

Customs data shows that in 2025 alone, over 1.813 million phones worth $188 million were officially imported into Uzbekistan. However, instances of illegal importation continue: authorities have intercepted over 44,000 smuggled phones this year, valued at 16.4 billion soums.

If a phone is not declared and brought in unlawfully, users must pay a single customs duty of 30% of the phone’s customs value when registering its IMEI code. For example, a phone valued at $1,000 would incur a $300 customs payment upon registration—often mistakenly labeled as a "registration fee."

The customs authority urges travelers to declare all devices and their IMEI codes when crossing the border. It is also legal to bring more than two phones, but additional duties must be paid and properly documented.

Citizens are advised to buy phones only from official retailers and to check IMEI registration status. If a device isn’t registered—or is registered for just one SIM card—this may indicate illegal importation, and such devices are not eligible for official warranty service.

The Customs Committee strongly encourages consumers to avoid buying phones with unregistered IMEI codes and to comply with all legal requirements when importing mobile devices.