Uzbekistan plans to raise claim amounts for expedited court proceedings

The Legislative Chamber of the Oliy Majlis has approved in the first reading a draft law expanding the use of simplified procedures in civil and economic court cases.

The bill aims to reduce case resolution times and improve court efficiency. It proposes increasing the monetary threshold for claims eligible for simplified proceedings under the Civil Procedure Code (Chapter 25‑1) and the Economic Procedure Code (Chapter 23‑1).

Under the simplified procedure, a judge reviews the case individually within 20 days from the date the claim is accepted, without the possibility of extension. The process is conducted without a court hearing, without summoning parties, and without hearing their explanations.

The new thresholds for civil and economic cases will be 150 BCU (UZS 61.8 million) for legal entities and 100 BCU (UZS 41.2 million) for individual entrepreneurs. For individuals, the civil claim threshold will be 50 BCU (UZS 20.6 million).

Currently, simplified proceedings apply to claims against legal entities up to 20 BCU (UZS 8.24 million) and against individual entrepreneurs up to 10 BCU (UZS 4.12 million). For citizens, the threshold for simplified proceedings is 5 BCU (UZS 2.06 million).

Officials noted that the amendments will speed up the resolution of many civil and economic disputes. In addition, court decisions will take legal effect faster than under standard procedures.

The Legislative Chamber also approved in the first reading a bill simplifying the filing of claims by management bodies of special economic and industrial zones. This bill passed its initial reading a week earlier.

Under the proposed law, management bodies of SEZs and industrial zones will be exempt from state fees when filing claims related to violations by zone participants. Ahead of the second reading, several amendments were introduced to align the draft with existing legislation and ensure compliance with land protection obligations.