Starting on January 1, 2026, Uzbekistan will allow for visa-free travel for citizens of the U.S. for a period of up to 30 days.
The decree—signed by the president of the Republic of Uzbekistan Shavkat Mirziyoyev—was made official in November “in order to create favorable conditions for the further development of interstate relations between the Republic of Uzbekistan and the United States of America in the trade, economic, cultural, humanitarian and tourism spheres.”
The U.S. Department of State currently lists Uzbekistan as a “Level 1: Exercise normal precaution”—which is below the likes of Italy, France and the United Kingdom (all currently a “Level 2: Exercise increased caution”).
Uzbekistan—along with the other “Stans” in Central Asia—is having a moment. Signature Travel Network Senior Advisor Ignazio Maza at its Annual Conference in November listed Uzbekistan on his “Where to Go in 2026” list.
“This was an obsession of mine for many, many years and I finally went—and I absolutely loved it.” He added: “Long before there was the internet … there was the Silk Road, and that was the first information superhighway, connecting everybody from China all the way to Europe.”
Maza also noted the “masterpieces of Islamic design” in Samarkand’s Registan Square, where three madrasahs from the 15th to 17th centuries face each other. In visiting the market here, he said that you might encounter many of the same items that Marco Polo, Alexander the Great and countless others throughout history might have seen.
His top tip, however, was to go out and explore at night. “You have the opportunity to see these monuments illuminated,” Maza said. “It is magical; you feel transported in time.”
