A decree issued by the Cabinet of Ministers on January 31 approved the updated customs payment rates, marking a step in Uzbekistan's ongoing efforts to join the WTO and harmonize its customs practices with international standards.

Specifically, the amount of customs fees for goods clearance will be based on the estimated costs incurred by customs authorities in processing the shipments.

Additionally, customs fee rates for goods clearance under the "export" and "import" customs regimes have been adjusted to align with WTO standards.

For customs clearance outside regular working hours, the customs fee has been reduced eightfold, from twice the base calculation unit (750,000 UZS) to 25% of the base calculation unit (93,750 UZS).

Customs fees for goods processed under customs regimes both within and outside the customs zone have been reduced by half.

A fee of 2% of the base calculation unit (7,500 UZS) per kilogram of cargo will be introduced for international courier shipments. Currently, customs duty is exempt for courier shipments valued up to $1,000 per citizen per calendar quarter.