Prohibited imports: Firearms, ammunition, drugs, photographs and printed matter directed against the country, live animals and fruit or vegetables.
Prohibited exports: Items more than 100 years old and those of special cultural importance require special permission for export. When buying items that may be more than 100 years old, ask for a certificate stating the age of the item(s). Precious metals and stones and furs are also prohibited.

Currency restrictions: The import of foreign currency is unlimited, but should be declared on arrival. Travellers importing sums in excess of US$1000 may be subject to a body search. The export of foreign currency is permitted up to the amount imported. Travellers who have imported sums in excess of US$2000 are required to provide proof of lawful exchange into Sum, otherwise a fine of 30 per cent of the amount imported will be payable. The import and export of local currency is unlimited.

exit duty
US$10

time
GMT + 5

money
Uzbek Sum (Sum) = 100 tiyn. Notes are in denominations of Sum100, 50, 25, 5, 3 and 1. Coins are in denominations of 50, 20, 10, 5 and 1 tiyn.
Note! Visitors using the national currency are advised to carry plenty of small change as some shops and, particularly markets, may be unable to accept large denominations.

Currency exchange: The preferred hard currency is the US Dollar. It is illegal to change money on the black market
Rate (per $US): 687.0 (January 2002)

Credit & debit cards: Acceptable in some of the major hotels in tourist centers.
Travellers cheques: Limited acceptance

telephony
Country code: 998. The area code for Tashkent is 712 for six-digit numbers and 71 for seven-digit numbers.)
Mobile telephone: GSM 900 network

transport
Tashkent is served by taxis, buses, trolleybuses, trams and the only underground in Central Asia. The underground network was expanded in 1991, making it 31km (19 miles) long, with 23 stations. Public transport is cheap and generally reliable. There are regular bus services to all major towns in Uzbekistan.

dining
Plov is the staple food for everyday and celebrations and consists of chunks of mutton, shredded yellow turnip and rice fried in a large wok. Shashlyk (skewered chunks of mutton barbecued over charcoal - kebabs - served with sliced raw onions) and lipioshka (rounds of unleavened bread) are served in restaurants and are often sold on street corners and make an appetising meal. Uzbeks pride themselves on the quality and variety of their bread. Samsa (samosas) are also sold in the street, but the quality is variable. Manty are large boiled noodle sacks of meat and shorpa is a meat and vegetable soup. During the summer and autumn there is a wide variety of fruit: grapes, pomegranates, apricots - which are also dried and sold at other times of the year - and dwarfing them all, mountains of honeydew and watermelons. In general, hotel food shows a strong Russian influence: borcht is a beetroot soup, entrecote is well-done steak, cutlet are grilled meat balls and strogan is the local equivalent of Beef Stroganoff. Pirmeni originated in Ukraine and are small boiled noodle sacks of meat and vegetables, similar to ravioli, sometimes served in a vegetable soup. There are a number of restaurants that serve both European and Korean food (Stalin transported many Koreans from their home in the east of the former Soviet Union, believing them to be a security threat). There is a hard-currency restaurant at the top of the Hotel Uzbekistan that serves Korean and Chinese food.
Tea is the staple drink of Central Asia, and chai-khanas (tea houses) can be found almost everywhere in Uzbekistan, full of old men chatting the afternoon away with a pot of tea in the shade. Beer, wine, vodka, brandy and sparkling wine (shampanski) are all widely available in restaurants. Kefir, a thick drinking yoghurt, is often served with breakfast.

shopping & souvenirs
The best place to experience Central Asia is in the bazaars. The bazaars of Tashkent and Samarkand offer goods ranging from herbs and spices to Central Asian carpets. In the Alaiski Bazaar in Tashkent it is possible to buy decorated Uzbek knives. Silk is still produced in the country a dn well-priced silks can be bought at large department stores. Many museums have small shops which sell a variety of modern reproductions and some original items. It is possible to buy carpets and embroidered wall hangings. Bukhara is famous for its gold embroidery, and visitors can buy elaborately embroidered traditional Uzbek hats. Visitors should be aware that it is illegal to export anything more than 100 years old or items which have a cultural significance. Shopping hours: Food shops open 08:00-17:00, all others open 09:00-190:0.

working hours & days
State organizations are closed on Saturdays and Sundays and mainly work from 09:00 - 17:30 (18:00). Banks are open weekdays usually Monday-Friday 09:30-17:30.

public holidays
December 31, January 1: New Year
Mar 7-8: Kurban Khait
Mar 8: International Women's Day
Mar 21-23: Navruz
May 1: Labour Day
May 9: Day of Memory and Respect
Sept 1: Independence Day
Oct 1: Teacher and Tutor's Day
Dec 8: Constitution Day
Dec 20-21: Ramadan Khait (End of Ramadan)

power supply
The electrical current is 220 V, 50 Hz alternating current; wall outlets take continental-type plugs, with two round prongs. To use US-purchased electric-powered equipment, bring a converter and an adapter.

weights & measures
Metric: Metric conversions