Changes coming into force in national legislation from August 1 announced

Local exporters are allowed to purchase products from abroad and directly sell them to third countries without import

On the basis of a government decree, in order to simplify the requirements for customs clearance of foreign raw materials and resources, from August 1, 2021:

• processing operations are allowed in the absence of a foreign customer at the request of the customs regime;
• for business entities that have purchased raw materials abroad, foreign trade contracts of a new type for import, export, sale and purchase are introduced into practice, which provide an opportunity for sale to any foreign partner after processing without paying customs duties on the territory of the republic;
• local exporters are allowed to purchase products in a foreign country and direct sales to a third country without import.

The procedure for granting land plots to the private sector on the basis of property rights comes into force

Based on the presidential decree, from August 1, 2021, land plots will be allocated to the private sector on the basis of ownership and lease rights, and to state organizations – on the basis of permanent use rights.

According to presidential decree, from August 1, 2021, the following powers of local government bodies regarding land relations, as well as the right to make decisions, orders or other types of documents on them, are canceled: direct allocation of land plots, provision for use, reservation for subsequent allocation, consolidation, provision of land for improvement or other disposal of land plots.

Also, on the basis of the decree, the Cabinet of Ministers, as an exception, has the right to lease land plots directly only in the following cases:

• State research-educational institutions for the implementation of scientific research and test experiments in the field of agriculture – at the suggestion of the Ministry of Agriculture;
• Agro-industrial clusters – at the suggestion of the Ministry of Agriculture, the Council of Ministers of the Republic of Karakalpakstan, regional khokims when depositing funds in the amount of two times the standard value of a land plot;
• For the implementation of a large investment project, determined by the selection of the best offer, with an equivalent value of at least $10 million (increases depending on the size of the land plot) – upon initial allocation of funds equal to at least 10% of the project cost to a special settlement account;
• Enterprises with the participation of foreign investments, international associations and organizations, foreign legal entities and individuals – with payment at market value for obtaining the right to lease (with the exception of international associations and organizations).

Official vehicles of government bodies will be assigned personally to their leaders.

By a government decree, official vehicles will be assigned personally to:

• Heads of state administration bodies of the republic and local state authorities, and their deputies;
• the first heads of organizations in the system of government bodies of the republic and their territorial divisions in the Republic of Karakalpakstan, regions and the city of Tashkent.

Also, in the government bodies of the republic, in accordance with the legislation on public procurement, for official purposes, on the basis of outsourcing conditions, a system of using the services of a bus, taxi and other vehicles is being introduced.

In addition, from August 1, 2021, the movement of official vehicles without re-registration with state number plates of a new type is prohibited.

Non-state educational institutions of the regions will be reimbursed part of the cost of renting a building

Based on the presidential decree, in the period from August 1 to January 1, 2024, up to 50% of the cost of renting buildings and structures used in the educational process will be reimbursed at the expense of the State Budget, in an amount not exceeding 50% of the minimum rental rate for the use of immovable state property established legislation. At the same time, this procedure does not apply to buildings and structures located in the cities of Tashkent and Samarkand and used in the educational process.

Obligatory open publication of tender results in the field of public procurement

According to presidential decree, from August 1, 2021, the practice of mandatory open publication of the results of tenders (selection) held in the field of public procurement is being introduced in order to ensure transparency and legality, as well as to suppress the facts of corruption in the field of public procurement.

Some licensing requirements for outbound tourism are being introduced.

According to the government decree, the following licensing requirements are introduced for the activities of a tour operator and travel agent in the direction of outbound tourism:

• Availability of an insurance policy confirming the insurance of civil liability of tour operators;
• Reserving funds in the equivalent of $15,000 in the safe tourism fund under the State Committee for Tourism Development of the Republic of Uzbekistan;
• It is possible to pay all government duties, fees, fines and other mandatory payments online.

Based on the presidential decree, as part of the development of electronic government, individuals and legal entities are given the opportunity to pay all established state duties, fees, fines and other mandatory payments online using electronic payment systems.

It will be possible to provide all documents for obtaining a driver's license through the Single Portal

On the basis of a government decree, it will be possible to provide all the relevant documents for registering study groups, taking exams for driver candidates and issuing a national driver’s license through the Single Portal.

A unified system of comprehensive monitoring of pregnant women is being introduced

According to the presidential decree, a unified system of comprehensive monitoring of pregnant women is being introduced, which provides for the following:

• Creation of a unified database of comprehensive monitoring of pregnant women;
• Entering the structures responsible for the health of mothers and children in perinatal and screening centers, as well as primary sanitary and medical institutions, the necessary information into a single database, as well as maintaining a medical record of pregnant women;
• Providing necessary consultations to pregnant women based on the generated data.

A system for assessing the level of physical fitness of the population is being introduced

A presidential decree introduces a system for assessing the level of physical fitness of the population. The main goals of the system are to increase physical ability and physical activity, prevent bad habits and various diseases, as well as develop healthy lifestyle skills and increase the level of physical fitness by popularizing physical culture and sports among all segments of the population.

Unused government forensic buildings will be leased to private forensic partners

The Ministry of Justice, together with the Agency for the Development of Public-Private Partnerships under the Ministry of Finance, starting from August 1, 2021, will ensure the implementation of a system for leasing unused buildings of state forensic institutions to private partners on the condition that they carry out forensic activities.