How to Legally Buy Crypto in Uzbekistan in 2026: A Step-by-Step Guide
You can buy crypto assets in Uzbekistan, but only through providers licensed by NAPP. We work through the primary sources: who may do what, which platforms are operating as of 17 September 2026, how to go from registration to withdrawing soums, and what you face for transacting outside the register.
In brief: buying cryptocurrency in Uzbekistan is legal — but only through national providers licensed by NAPP. This is sub-paragraph (e) of paragraph 3 of Presidential Resolution PQ-3832 of 3 July 2018 (as currently in force, per PQ-143 of 17 April 2026): since 1 January 2023, citizens and legal entities may buy, sell and exchange crypto assets "exclusively through national service providers in accordance with the established procedure." As of 17 September 2026, the NAPP register lists two operating crypto exchanges (COINPAY and ASTERIUM), eight operating crypto stores and six crypto depositories. An individual needs to be of legal age and to have a passport and a PINFL personal identification number, plus a soum account or card. Buying directly on a foreign platform is an offense carrying a fine from 8.8 million soums.
What an individual is allowed to do: the rules and their status
| Provision | Status | What it establishes |
|---|---|---|
| PQ-3832, para. 3(e) | in force, as amended by PQ-143 of 17 April 2026 | Buying, selling and exchanging — only through national providers, since 1 January 2023 |
| PQ-3832, para. 6(c) | in force, as amended by PQ-359 of 27 November 2025 | Crypto assets may not be used as a means of payment, except in cases established by legislation |
| PQ-3832, para. 2 | extended by PF-140 of 18 September 2024 | Crypto asset transactions are not an object of taxation until 1 January 2029 |
| Rules for trading on a crypto exchange, No. 3379 of 15 August 2022 | in force | Residents trade for soums; with non-residents — sale for foreign currency only; identification is mandatory |
| Rules for the operation of a crypto store, No. 3395 of 31 October 2022 | in force | Purchase through an electronic platform and a physical outlet, including for cash |
The claim that "you may sell but not buy," which persists at the top of search results, is a rule from 2019–2022 and has been repealed. A resident is entitled to carry out on an exchange platform "all types of crypto asset trading for the national currency, including purchase and sale transactions on the direct trading platform" (para. 5 of No. 3379): P2P inside an exchange is legal, P2P outside a licensed platform is not.
Restrictions on individuals:
- accounts are opened only for people of legal age and only after identification (para. 14 of No. 3379); one customer may hold no more than one account (para. 15);
- a crypto store is barred from handling anonymous coins, NFTs and crypto assets issued by Uzbek residents (para. 8 of No. 3395);
- a foreign national has fewer options: on an exchange, only sales of crypto assets for foreign currency may be transacted with non-residents (para. 5 of No. 3379).
Where to buy: the NAPP license register as of 17 September 2026
The register is maintained by the National Agency of Perspective Projects (NAPP); we checked it manually on 17 September 2026.
| License type | Operating licensees (number, date of issue) |
|---|---|
| Crypto exchange | COINPAY (CE #0004, 10 July 2023); ASTERIUM (CE #0006, 2 April 2026) |
| Crypto store | PAYNET CRYPTO (CS #0006), T-REX (CS #0010), COINPAY (CS #0011), CITY PAY GATE (CS #0012), C-BASE (CS #0015), ASTERIUM (CS #0017), UNEX PAYMENTS (CS #0018, 24 June 2026), NAQD-EX (CS #0019, 6 August 2026) |
| Crypto depository | LOCKTON HUB (CD #0001), PAYNET CRYPTO (CD #0002), JAPAN DXT (CD #0003), CITY PAY GATE (CD #0004), TGHAMYON (CD #0006), ASTERIUM (CD #0007) |
| Mining pool | no licenses in the register |
What else the register shows that competitors' texts leave out:
- Six crypto store licenses are suspended for six months each: CRYPTO MARKET (from 1 March 2026), CRYPTOCORP, C-CASH, T-FIRM (from 1 April 2026), CRYPTO EXPRESS (from 1 June 2026), CRYPTO MAGNAT (from 1 September 2026, NAPP order No. 73 of 28 August 2026). There are no reinstatement records as of 17 September 2026.
- UzNEX is not operating: the KOBEA GROUP license (CE #0003) was revoked by order No. 45 of the NAPP director of 25 May 2026; the refund procedure was reported by Spot on 27 May 2026. Any list that calls UzNEX an operating or "the only" exchange is out of date.
- Wallet in Telegram (TGHAMYON) is a crypto depository: it holds only license CD #0006 of 18 July 2025, with no exchange or store license.
- Binance directly is not an option: NAPP treats transactions on foreign platforms and P2P outside providers as illegal, with legal access running through a licensed partner (NAPP clarification, podrobno.uz, 11 February 2026).
Step by step: from registration to withdrawing soums
- Choose a provider that fits the task. A crypto exchange offers exchange trading and a direct trading platform; a crypto store offers buying and selling at the platform's price, without trading. Only crypto stores have physical service offices.
- Register and sign an agreement. Access to the platform is granted under an agreement (para. 19 of No. 3379); the platform must disclose its terms in advance, along with "the form, amount and procedure for receiving remuneration," that is, the fees (para. 17).
- Complete identification. A citizen is asked for a copy of their identity document, their PINFL and contact details, plus information required under anti-money-laundering legislation (para. 13 of No. 3379). Transactions without identification are also prohibited at a crypto store (para. 8 of No. 3395).
- Fund your account in soums. On the platform, payment is cashless; at a crypto store office, cash in national and foreign currency is accepted, while payout on a sale of crypto is made only in soums, with a transaction certificate issued (para. 20 of No. 3395).
- Buy the crypto asset. A resident buys for soums — in the order book or on the direct trading platform. The range of assets is set by the platform's listing; anonymous coins are barred from circulation.
- Store and withdraw. Money is withdrawn to your account at your servicing bank (para. 54 of No. 3379), and a resident selling back also does so for soums.
Fees and limits: what is confirmed and what is not
The regulator sets no single tariff: the fee is determined by the platform, which must disclose it before the transaction. Licensed exchanges published no public fee schedules as of 17 September 2026: ASTERIUM writes that it "shows the terms and fees before every transaction," while at COINPAY card top-ups with Humo and Uzcard are marked "coming soon." Figures such as "0.5% for Humo and 0.7% for Uzcard" from 2023–2024 reviews are ones we do not repeat — check the tariff in the app before you transact.
What the primary sources do confirm:
- The "large transaction" threshold is above 3,000 BCV as of the transaction date (chapter 1 of Rules No. 3379). Since 1 September 2026 the base calculation value has been 440,000 soums (section II of Presidential Decree PF-115 of 23 June 2026), so the threshold is about 1.32 billion soums; such transactions are executed only on the direct trading platform (para. 31 of No. 3379).
- Recurring fees are paid by the platform, not the customer: under Regulation No. 3388, the monthly fee is 740 BCV for a crypto exchange (325.6 million soums) and 185 BCV for a crypto store (81.4 million soums). These costs are built into spreads and fees.
- The benchmark for calculations is the Central Bank rate: on 17 September 2026, $1 = 11,797.46 soums (cbu.uz API). Platforms apply their own conversion rate.
Taxes: 0%, but with an end date
Transactions of individuals and legal entities with crypto assets are not an object of taxation, and income from them is not included in the taxable base (para. 2 of PQ-3832). The key point competitors miss: the break has a deadline — Presidential Decree PF-140 of 18 September 2024 extended it "for a period until 1 January 2029." There is no need to declare profit from selling bitcoin today, but the transfer of the break into the Tax Code is not confirmed by a primary source — the correct citation is the decree and the resolution.
There is a separate regime for foreign nationals: under PF-180 of 4 October 2025 (parameters applying from 1 January 2026), a foreign national is exempt from personal income tax on foreign income if they open an account at an Uzbek bank or a crypto wallet on a licensed exchange and pay a fee of $50,000.
What you face for buying outside licensed platforms
Liability was introduced by Law No. ZRU-899 of 19 January 2024 (published on 20 January 2024, in force three months after publication).
| Provision | Offense | Penalty |
|---|---|---|
| Article 155-4, Code of Administrative Liability | Buying, selling or exchanging outside licensed providers | Detention of up to 15 days or a fine of 20–30 BCV (8.8–13.2 million soums) with confiscation |
| Article 155-4, Code of Administrative Liability, part 2 | Transactions with anonymous crypto assets | A fine of 30–40 BCV (13.2–17.6 million soums) |
| Article 278-8 of the Criminal Code | The same breaches after an administrative penalty | A fine of up to 100 BCV, corrective labor of 2–3 years, restriction or deprivation of liberty for up to a year; with aggravating circumstances — 3–5 years |
Practice shows the rule works. In September 2026 the Tashkent city police department reported a case against a Tashkent resident born in 1985: about 700 transactions in 2021–2025 through an account on a foreign exchange without a license, with an initial transaction value of more than 9 billion soums (about $683,000); the case was opened under paragraph (a) of part 3 of Article 278-8 of the Criminal Code (repost.uz, 14 September 2026). Earlier, on 24 March 2026, the Tashkent city police department reported the detention of two people who had set up a "gray" crypto exchange service with a turnover of around 793,000 USDT over seven months (Spot, 24 March 2026).
Common mistakes and risks
- Relying on old reviews. Search results still carry UzNEX as "the official exchange" (jet.bank.uz, 6 December 2024), a list of "5 licensed platforms" including UzNEX (zanimaem.uz), and a break running "until 1 January 2028" instead of 2029. Check the list against the NAPP register.
- Confusing external P2P with the direct trading platform. Direct trading inside a licensed exchange is legal; deals in chats and on foreign P2P storefronts are not.
- Assuming "paying with crypto" is allowed. The only exception to the ban is the stable token pilot, which we covered in "HUMO Stablecoin in Uzbekistan".
- Believing promises of returns. Since 3 June 2026, amendments to the licensing regulation (No. 3380-2 of 28 February 2026) require platforms to warn about the risk of a total loss of funds and prohibit promising returns. Yield products on balances ("earn," staking) are not covered by a separate rule.
Questions and answers
Can I buy bitcoin through Binance directly? No. NAPP treats transactions on foreign platforms without a local license as an offense; the lawful route is through a provider from the register.
Is P2P legal? Only in the form of the direct trading platform of a licensed crypto exchange (para. 5 of No. 3379). Hand-to-hand deals and external P2P services fall under Article 155-4 of the Code of Administrative Liability.
Do I have to pay tax on profit? No: transactions are not an object of taxation under para. 2 of PQ-3832 — until 1 January 2029.
What is the minimum age to open an account? 18: a crypto exchange may not enter into a relationship with a minor (para. 14 of No. 3379).
Can a foreign national buy cryptocurrency in Uzbekistan? Through a crypto store, yes — for foreign currency by bank transfer (para. 7 of No. 3395); on an exchange, only sales of crypto assets may be transacted with non-residents (para. 5 of No. 3379).
Sources
- PQ-3832 of 3 July 2018, as currently in force — lex.uz
- Rules for trading crypto assets on a crypto exchange, No. 3379 of 15 August 2022 — lex.uz
- Rules for the operation of a crypto store, No. 3395 of 31 October 2022 — lex.uz
- PF-140 of 18 September 2024 (the break until 1 January 2029) — lex.uz; PF-180 of 4 October 2025 (the regime for foreign nationals) — lex.uz
- Regulation on provider fees No. 3388 — lex.uz; amendments to the licensing rules No. 3380-2 — lex.uz
- Law No. ZRU-899 of 19 January 2024 (Article 155-4 of the Code of Administrative Liability, Article 278-8 of the Criminal Code) — lex.uz
- NAPP register of provider licenses, checked 17 September 2026; NAPP FAQ
- Central Bank of Uzbekistan exchange rates for 17 September 2026; Presidential Decree PF-115 of 23 June 2026 (a BCV of 440,000 soums from 1 September 2026) — lex.uz
- The case over illegal crypto asset trading worth 9 billion soums, 14 September 2026 — repost.uz; "gray" crypto exchange service, 24 March 2026 — Spot
- Revocation of the UzNEX license, 27 May 2026 — Spot; NAPP clarification on Binance and P2P, 11 February 2026 — podrobno.uz
- Competitor articles analyzed in the text: jet.bank.uz, 6 December 2024, zanimaem.uz; platform websites as of 17 September 2026: asterium.uz, coinpay.uz
