Embassy of Uzbekistan issues guidance for migrants in Croatia and Serbia

In 2025, the Embassy’s consular section received a significant number of complaints from citizens of Uzbekistan working in Croatia and Serbia. An analysis identified the most common violations by unscrupulous employers:

• systematic non-payment or prolonged delays in wage payments;
• difficulties obtaining temporary residence and work permits;
• repeated (“double” or “triple”) fees charged for services related to registration and document processing that had already been paid;
• refusal to provide work and threats of deportation if additional payments are not made;
• sudden dismissal of illegally employed workers on fabricated grounds, followed by refusal to pay earned wages.

The Embassy actively protects the rights of its citizens by holding negotiations with offending employers, sending official notes to competent Croatian authorities, and accompanying citizens through judicial and administrative procedures.

At the same time, a significant share of these problems arises from initially illegal or semi-legal travel and employment arrangements facilitated by unlicensed intermediaries.

To prevent such situations, the Embassy strongly urges citizens of Uzbekistan to:

• travel for work in Croatia and Serbia only through licensed private employment agencies holding a valid license from the Agency for External Labor Migration under the Ministry of Employment and Poverty Reduction of Uzbekistan;
• refrain from transferring money to individuals or companies that do not hold the appropriate license;
• avoid traveling on tourist, visitor, or other non-work visas with the intention of subsequent illegal employment. Such violations may result in administrative expulsion, a ban on entry to the Schengen Area for up to five years, and possible criminal liability;
• before signing an employment contract, request a translation into Uzbek or Russian and carefully review all terms, especially those related to obtaining work and residence permits;
• in the event of any problems (delayed wages, threats, unlawful fees, and other issues), immediately contact the consular section of the Embassy of the Republic of Uzbekistan in Hungary via the emergency phone number (+36 304 362 636) or through the messengers listed on the official website: https://hungary.mfa.uz/page/28447.

The Embassy calls on all citizens to exercise maximum vigilance when choosing channels for labor migration. Only legal employment can ensure the protection of your rights and lawful interests abroad.