Uzbekistan to ban use of cars older than 50 years from February 1

The Cabinet of Ministers adopted a resolution on measures to improve road traffic safety and introduce digital solutions in the sector, according to the Ministry of Justice.

Under the resolution, special state registration number plates will be introduced from February 1 for four categories of vehicles:

• heavy trucks with a maximum permissible gross weight exceeding 44 tonnes;
• quarry dump trucks and specialized vehicles used in mines and open-pit operations;
• non-route taxis operated by legal entities;
• antique vehicles.

At the same time, the operation and re-registration of vehicles manufactured 50 years ago or earlier will be banned, with the exception of those officially classified as antique vehicles. Cars falling under the ban will be removed from the state vehicle register.

The resolution also introduces further digitalization of administrative procedures in the road safety sector. The Administrative Practice module of the Road Safety Service under the Ministry of Internal Affairs will be integrated with the databases of relevant government agencies. This will allow authorities to receive information on vehicle ownership and transactions in real time during the registration of cars and motorcycles.

In particular, the Road Safety Service will be able to obtain sales contracts, electronic auction protocols from the E-auksion platform, and electronic invoices issued by manufacturers directly from state databases, without requiring vehicle owners to submit these documents. In addition, vehicle registration certificates will no longer include the owner’s residential address.

The government says the measures are aimed at increasing road safety, reducing the use of technically outdated vehicles, streamlining registration procedures, and improving transparency and efficiency in the transport sector.