SIM card and internet in Uzbekistan: a local SIM or eSIM for tourists

Ninety days. That is how long the allowances on Beeline's plan for foreign visitors stay valid once the SIM is switched on, which is longer than almost any trip to Uzbekistan. Getting a local SIM card or an eSIM here is simple and inexpensive: bring your passport, spend a few minutes at a counter, and know which option suits your trip.

We are a Tashkent team, and this is what we tell our own guests about mobile internet in Uzbekistan: which operator to choose, where to buy a SIM, when an eSIM is easier, where the signal fades and what the 60-day phone rule means for you.

Four operators: which one to choose

Uzbekistan has four mobile operators: Beeline, Ucell, Mobiuz and the state-owned Uzmobile. For a visitor, the real difference is how easy each one makes it to get connected:

• Beeline has plans made for foreigners, tourists and guests, called Hello. Their allowances run for 90 days from the SIM's activation. They work only inside Uzbekistan, not in roaming abroad.
• Ucell has let foreign visitors register its SIM themselves in the Ucell app since June 2026, without a trip to an office. Its SIM cards are sold in Assorti minimarkets across the country.
• Mobiuz and Uzmobile sell SIM cards in their offices in town.

For a one- or two-week trip, our advice is simple: Beeline or Ucell, whichever counter you reach first.

Where to buy a SIM: the airport or in town

At Tashkent International Airport, Ucell and Beeline usually have sales points in the arrivals area, in the baggage claim hall just after passport control. It is the easiest moment of the trip to do it: you are waiting for your suitcase anyway.

In town, go to an official office or branded shop of the operator rather than a small kiosk. That is where staff register SIM cards for foreigners every day.

Booked a transfer from Tashkent airport with us? Your driver waits with a name sign, so there is no need to rush, and our driver or guide can point you to the nearest operator counter or office. On our tours, the guide will gladly help you pick a package and check that it works.

A SIM card for tourists: what to bring and how long it takes

Bring your passport. A SIM card in Uzbekistan is registered to its owner, so the staff enter your passport details at the counter and the SIM is issued to you as a non-resident. That status matters later for your phone, as you will see below.

Before the trip, check that your phone is not locked to your home operator: a locked phone will not accept any other SIM.

At the counter it takes a few minutes. Ask the staff to switch on the data package you want and to check that the internet works before you walk away. With Ucell, you can also buy a SIM in a minimarket and register it yourself in the Ucell app, which the operator says takes a few minutes.

Local data is inexpensive. In October 2026, a 30-day package of 20 GB on Beeline's visitor plan cost 70,000 so'm, with bonus data for YouTube on top, and there are short packages for a few days. On Beeline, dial *103# to see how much data you have left.

eSIM: online before you land

If your phone supports eSIM, there is an even simpler way. Buy a travel eSIM from an international provider online, install it at home and switch it on when you land. You leave the airport already online and skip the counter altogether.

A foreign eSIM connects to local networks in roaming. Most travel eSIMs are data only, without a local phone number, which is fine for maps, messengers and the taxi app.

A local option is on the way, too: in July 2026 the Tourism Committee and Mobiuz agreed to offer foreign tourists an eSIM with a free data package through the national tourism platform.

Roaming on your home number is the third option. Check your operator's prices before relying on it.

Coverage: cities, mountains and the desert

In the cities of a classic route, from Tashkent and Samarkand to Bukhara and Khiva, mobile internet is part of everyday life, and the networks keep growing. In 2025 Beeline launched more than 450 new base stations and upgraded about 650 more. In the first seven months of 2026, Mobiuz added more than 180 new 4G stations in the Samarkand and Bukhara regions, where the main sights are.

Outside the cities, it depends on the road. On long drives across the Kyzylkum desert, in the mountains above Tashkent and between villages, the signal can drop for a while. Download offline maps and your booking documents before you set off, and tell people at home when you will be out of range.

Wi-Fi in hotels and cafés

Hotels and guesthouses on our routes have Wi-Fi, and so do many cafés and restaurants in Tashkent, Samarkand and Bukhara: just ask for the password. Hotel Wi-Fi is handy in the evening for video calls home and for sending the day's photos.

During the day, on the road and in the old towns, mobile data is the safer bet. That is why we recommend a local SIM or an eSIM even if your hotel has Wi-Fi.

Apps worth installing

• Telegram. Uzbekistan runs on it: hotels, drivers, guesthouse hosts and our own team use it every day. WhatsApp works too.
• Yandex Go for taxis. You see the price before the ride and can pay in cash.
• Offline maps for the mountains and the desert.
• The railway app for train tickets: see trains in Uzbekistan.

For paying, a Visa or Mastercard and some so'm in cash are enough; more in cards, cash and tipping in Uzbekistan.

Your phone, the IMEI and the 60-day rule

Uzbekistan registers the IMEI code of every phone that works on a local SIM. For a tourist this rarely means any action:

• On roaming or a foreign travel eSIM, no registration is needed.
• With a local SIM issued on your passport, your phone works for 60 days from the SIM's first connection before registration becomes necessary.

So a one- or two-week trip needs nothing. If you stay longer, registration is paid, and it is easiest if you declared the phone at customs on arrival. Step by step: IMEI registration in Uzbekistan.

On a trip with us, the phone is for photos and messages rather than logistics: the driver meets you at the airport, the trains are booked, and we are on call 24/7. Tell us your dates on the tailor-made tours page, or book a single airport transfer for your first hour.

In short

• Four operators; for a short trip, Beeline and Ucell are the easiest.
• Bring your passport: the SIM is registered to you at the counter. At Tashkent airport, operator counters are usually in the arrivals area.
• Prefer to skip the counter? A travel eSIM bought online works from the moment you land.
• Connection is good in the cities; download offline maps before the mountains or the desert.
• Install Telegram and Yandex Go. On a local SIM, your phone works 60 days without IMEI registration.