Kazakhstan Uzbekistan
Last reviewed July 2026

Crossing the border
Kazakhstan and Uzbekistan share a land border you can cross by car. Keep your passport, national driving licence and International Driving Permit together, and check opening hours and any toll or vignette requirements before you travel.
Driving rules in Uzbekistan
- Drive on the right.
- Zero-tolerance alcohol policy.
- Headlights on outside cities.
- Carry passport, IDP and home licence.
What to see when you arrive in Uzbekistan
- the Registan square of Samarkand
- the old city of Bukhara
- the walled town of Khiva
- the mosaics of the Shah-i-Zinda
- the bazaars of Tashkent
Once you're driving in Uzbekistan
Destination-specific detail sourced from national road authorities, motoring clubs and rental policies — the things that catch cross-border drivers out.
Driving on a foreign licence
Visitors may drive on a valid foreign licence with an International Driving Permit; rental agencies in Tashkent, Samarkand and Bukhara require both, and an IDP (Russian translation) is expected by traffic police for non-Cyrillic licences.
Tolls & road charges
Most highways are toll-free, though a few city-bypass and new express routes charge small cash tolls of a few thousand som (well under a euro); Uzbekistan is only now developing dedicated toll motorways and tunnels. There is no national vignette.
Parking in the cities
Parking in Tashkent is limited and can be costly, with paid attendant lots at malls and commercial centres collecting cash; there are no widely used colour-coded zones. Read signs carefully, as illegally parked cars are towed in central districts.
Fines & camera enforcement
Speeding fines scale with how far over the limit you are, and police levy on-the-spot penalties for phone use and no seatbelt; insist on a receipt. Camera fines and any unpaid penalties are typically charged back through the rental company's deposit.
If you have an accident
Dial 112 (unified emergency) or 102 for police; reporting a crash to the traffic police is mandatory and you must leave vehicles in place until officers document the scene. Get the official report for any insurance or rental claim.
Driving in the capital
In Tashkent, GAI traffic police and speed cameras are widespread along major avenues, and U-turns and left turns are restricted to marked points on the wide multi-lane boulevards - making illegal turns is a common foreigner mistake.
Sources: tyremap.com · internationaldriversassociation.com · carol.rent · internationaltravelpermits.com