Uzbekistan leans into digitalization

Digital versions of ID-related documents are now valid nationwide in Uzbekistan – but there is a notable caveat for one major form of identity – as the Central Asian country moves boldly towards a digital future.

At the start of July, Uzbekistan unified personal documents of citizens in its mobile apps, paving the way for acceptance. In addition, the Social Card mobile apps will be another option once development is finalized.

Through the Unified Portal of Interactive Government Services (UPIGS) and my.gov.uz, Uzbekistanis can access digital versions of various IDs. These include passport, driver’s license, marriage certificate, birth certificate, residence permit, disability certificate, vehicle registration certificate, among many others.

This will allow a host of conveniences for Uzbekistanis. For example, digital IDs are now accepted for domestic flight check-ins across the country. Before airport check-in, passengers need to login to their personal account on the my.gov.uz portal. The active ID card is displayed therein and passengers will need to show it to check-in staff at the airport.

Besides domestic flights, domestic train travel, banks, notary offices and government agencies will not require physical ID documents if a digital version is provided. The caveat, however, relates to drivers.

Drivers in Uzbekistan will still need to carry the original copy of their passport or ID card to traffic officers even after July 1, according to the Ministry of Internal Affairs’ Traffic Safety Department reports Kun.uz.

The department made it clear that drivers will still be obligated to provide original documents to traffic officers. However, digital versions will be valid at the Traffic Safety Department’s public service centers, including registration and examination centers.

The move comes as Uzbekistan displays a notable confidence in its digital transformation. The country’s historic Samarkand recently hosted the annual UN Public Service Forum (UNPSF) where leaders were bullish on the need to transform public services digitally.

The Central Asian country now has more than 760 services available via its unified online portal and over 11 million users. It climbed 37 places in the UN’s GovTech Maturity Index last year and joined the “very high” tier of the E-Government Development Index. Uzbekistan plans to build 20 data centers in partnership with private investors and will launch a national cloud platform.

“These shifts, combined with a young and tech-literate workforce, are catching the eye of investors,” wrote Uzum founder and CEO Djasur Djumaev in Forbes, “and Uzbekistan’s economy has already benefited from rapid diversification as FDI flows into fintech, IT and digital services, not to mention sectors like green energy and high-value manufacturing.”

Djumaev founded Tashkent-based Uzum — a digital ecosystem integrating ecommerce, fintech and banking services that’s valued at $1.16 billion — and he is right to point to a young workforce as 60 percent of Uzbekistanis are under 30 years old.

The futuristic outlook is encapsulated in the country’s digital economy vision 2030 with an 84-page document outlining roadmaps for fiber network, smart tourism, digital finance, smart healthcare, among others. As far as regulatory movements, the country is also moving closer to European standards. A draft regulation on online platforms features aspects that bear similarity to the EU Digital Services Act and UK Online Safety Act 2023 and is being discussed among lawmakers.

Article Topics

digital government  |  digital ID  |  digital identity  |  digital travel  |  financial services  |  government services  |  Uzbekistan