Uzbekistan Plans Automatic Customs Clearance for Low-Risk Declarations

What happened

Uzbekistan has proposed allowing automated customs clearance for declarations that the system flags as low risk. The news comes from Spot.uz. If the algorithm finds nothing suspicious, the declaration could be processed without manual review by an inspector.

Today, customs clearance in Uzbekistan involves several steps: filing the declaration, document checks, risk assessment, and release. Each step can take time, especially if the inspector has questions about classification, value, or origin. Automation for the "green" segment aims to cut delays and reduce the workload on customs. The initiative is not yet law — it is a proposal that must go through discussion and become a regulation. But the direction is clear: the government wants to speed up goods movement for compliant traders.

What it means for suppliers

Companies that regularly import goods and have a clean record will benefit most: no violations, correctly filled documents, and stable HS codes. For them, automatic clearance could mean more predictable delivery times and lower costs for brokers and temporary storage. This matters for firms in tenders with tight delivery deadlines: customs delays often turn into contract penalties.

If you supply equipment, construction materials, food, or medicines, you have a chance to gain from faster processing. But automation does not remove document requirements. The more accurate your foreign trade contracts and the more transparent your supply chain, the higher the chance the system will rate your declaration as low risk. Suppliers with past violations or disputed classifications should put their documents in order now.

When will such tenders appear? This is not about procurement but about customs procedure. However, faster clearance can affect procurement schedules by state buyers: if goods clear customs faster, suppliers can bid more actively on lots with short deadlines. Watch announcements in your sector — according to TenderLabs data as of October 19, 2026, there are 94 open lots in Transport and Logistics and 506 in IT. These numbers show that competition for logistics and technology contracts remains high, and clearance speed can become your advantage.

What to do now

1. 1Review your declaration history for the past year: were there adjustments, additional assessments, or changes to HS codes? If yes, find out why and fix the issues.
2. 2Check the HS codes for your main products against the current classifier. Classification errors are a common reason the system flags a declaration as high risk.
3. 3Make sure your foreign trade contracts and invoices contain complete and consistent information: delivery terms, value, country of origin. Discrepancies between documents increase risk.
4. 4Discuss with your customs representative how automation might affect filing deadlines and which documents to prepare in advance. If you don't have a regular broker, consider hiring one.
5. 5Follow official publications on the initiative: when the draft becomes a regulation, the criteria for low risk will be published. That will let you adjust your processes in advance.

Automation of clearance is not a cure-all, but it is a signal: customs is moving toward working with data, not paper. For those ready for transparent rules, it will make life easier.

TenderLabs can help you track relevant tenders and stay ahead of procurement opportunities.

Photo: Spot.uz