When will drivers in Uzbekistan be free from carrying physical documents?

The issue resurfaced after the Road Safety Service of the Ministry of Internal Affairs rejected a recent statement by the Uzkomnazorat Inspectorate, which had informed drivers that presenting electronic documents during traffic stops would be sufficient.

According to Kun.uz, the traffic police based their response on an outdated version of a government resolution.

Government rules were updated in May

On 21 May this year, the Cabinet of Ministers amended the relevant regulation, with the changes taking effect the following day.

Under the updated rules, digital versions of passports, ID cards, driving licenses, and several other documents displayed through the MyGov and Social Protection mobile applications must be accepted by officers of the Ministry of Internal Affairs. The amended resolution explicitly states that paper copies of these documents may not be required when their digital versions are presented.

However, in its rebuttal, the Road Safety Service cited the previous wording of the regulation, maintaining that drivers must still produce the original passport or ID card upon request.

Legal conflict remains unresolved

The situation has created a conflict between the updated government resolution and Uzbekistan's Code of Administrative Responsibility.

While the Cabinet's regulation allows digital documents to be accepted by internal affairs officers, the administrative code still requires drivers to carry the relevant physical documents. Failure to do so is punishable by a fine equal to one Base Calculating Amount.

Although the administrative code has greater legal force than a government resolution, Kun.uz notes that the Constitution takes precedence over both.

Article 20 of the Constitution states that any ambiguity or contradiction in legislation must be interpreted in favor of individuals rather than state authorities. Article 15 further establishes the Constitution's supreme legal force and its direct applicability.

Calls for legislative changes

Digital versions of numerous official documents have been legally recognized as equivalent to paper or plastic copies in Uzbekistan for more than a year.

Nevertheless, since the rules first came into effect on 1 July 2025, the Road Safety Service has consistently maintained that motorists stopped by traffic officers must present the original documents.

According to Kun.uz, this suggests that the Ministry of Internal Affairs has shown little willingness to implement a more convenient system for millions of drivers, despite the government's broader digitalization agenda.

The publication argues that if the ministry had taken the initiative, amendments to the Code of Administrative Responsibility could have been introduced during the past year, eliminating the current contradiction and allowing drivers to use digital documents without legal uncertainty. So far, however, neither the ministry nor members of parliament have proposed such changes.

Digitalization efforts under scrutiny

Earlier this year, President Shavkat Mirziyoyev criticized Deputy Interior Minister Zufar Qurbonov, who oversees information technology at the ministry, saying that more than two years after his appointment, the ministry had failed to deliver meaningful progress in digitalization.

At the same meeting, the president instructed the ministry to transform several of its divisions, including the road patrol service, into public service-oriented institutions.

Other countries have already adopted digital-first systems

Kun.uz also points to international examples where digital identification has become standard practice.

In Ukraine, drivers have been allowed to rely entirely on digital documents through the Diia mobile application since 2021. During a traffic stop, motorists simply present a QR code generated by the app, which officers verify using official devices.

Since 2022, Ukraine has also made physical driving licenses optional, allowing drivers to keep their licenses exclusively in digital form.

Countries such as Estonia and Finland have gone even further. There, drivers generally only need to provide their name and date of birth, enabling police officers to retrieve the necessary information electronically without requiring either physical or digital documents.