Uzbekistan lifts customs duties on air purifier imports

According to a presidential decree on urgent measures to improve the environmental situation in Tashkent, household air-purification devices brought into Uzbekistan by entrepreneurs and citizens will not be subject to customs duties.

The decree also provides for the establishment of a special laboratory under the Ecology Committee to conduct in-depth studies of atmospheric air and identify sources of PM2.5 particle pollution.

In addition, equipment and other necessary devices for this special laboratory – including automated mini-stations (HS code 9027), automated emission-monitoring stations (HS code 9027), automated observation posts (HS code 9027), dust-gas purification equipment (HS code 8421), local water-treatment facilities (HS code 8421), as well as household air-purification devices (HS code 8509 80) imported by businesses and individuals – will also be exempt from customs duties.

Furthermore, the laboratory will directly procure, based on the best offers, the equipment and tools it requires, including a thermo-optical analyzer for conducting thermal-optical analyses and 5,000 quartz filters for collecting atmospheric air samples.

Rising concerns over deteriorating air quality in Uzbekistan have led to a sharp increase in demand for household air purifiers.

According to the Customs Committee, imports of household air purifiers into Uzbekistan have increased ninefold over the past three years. In 2022, 2,000 units were imported, while in the first ten months of 2025 more than 18,500 units worth $1.3 million entered the country.

For reference, a 20 percent import duty currently applies to air purifiers (HS code 8509), but not less than $3 per unit.