Authorities consider new rule for taking cars abroad after Kun.uz investigations

A new clause may soon be added to vehicle powers of attorney in Uzbekistan, requiring the document to specify whether or not the vehicle may be taken out of the country. The draft government resolution introducing this change has been published for public discussion. Authorities say the amendment is being considered in response to the growing number of incidents involving Uzbek vehicles being exported and sold abroad under questionable circumstances.

The proposed changes aim to enhance the legal protection of vehicle owners in Uzbekistan. The draft resolution, prepared by the Ministry of Economy and Finance, would amend several existing government regulations.

According to the draft, any official power of attorney issued for a vehicle would need to clearly indicate whether the holder has the right to take the vehicle beyond Uzbekistan’s borders, or if such an action is restricted.

The attached explanatory note cites a growing trend of individuals using power of attorney documents to take vehicles out of the country and sell them abroad. Official figures show that in 2024 alone, nearly 50 vehicles were taken out of Uzbekistan under such arrangements and never returned. In June 2025, 8 similar cases were recorded.

Earlier, the Customs Committee exposed a scheme in which individuals transported and sold vehicles in Tajikistan for profit. In that case, 8 people were found to have driven a total of 59 cars across the border to Tajikistan through official customs checkpoints.

Kun.uz has published several investigations on this issue. One report, released at the end of last year, revealed that a man named Abdulla Abdurasulov had deceived numerous people, taking their vehicles under power of attorney and selling them in Kazakhstan. More recently, a similar scheme emerged in which another group of individuals allegedly defrauded car owners and transferred their vehicles to Tajikistan for resale.