Uzbekistan transforms customs monitoring with AI and digital innovations

According to the press service of the head of state, significant work has been done in the customs sector to enhance regional and international economic ties. Preliminary information exchange has been established with nearly ten countries, and customs clearance and data processing centers have been created. Terminals have been built at four major customs posts, and more than 20 posts have been equipped with new technology. A total of 35 information systems have been implemented for entrepreneurs, reducing the export procedure from nine to three stages.

As a result, the number of vehicles crossing the border has increased eightfold, reaching nearly 5 million. Budget revenues have grown ninefold, exceeding 63 trillion UZS last year. The time required for cargo clearance has been reduced to three hours for imports and 20 minutes for exports.

Overall, thanks to the simplification of procedures, nearly 6,000 exporters and around 20,000 importers have been able to significantly save time and resources. In the international logistics ranking for customs performance, Uzbekistan has risen from 140th to 74th place.

Nevertheless, several challenges remain in further digitalization, accelerating processes, and enhancing convenience. During the presentation, measures aimed at addressing these issues were discussed.

In recent years, opportunities for processing goods within the customs zone have been significantly expanded, resulting in processed goods exceeding $1 billion in exports. Further simplification of this regime is expected to increase this figure to $1.5 billion this year.

Considering the growing trade and tourism ties with neighboring countries, passenger traffic and vehicle movement across the border are expected to double. This necessitates the creation of additional infrastructure and increased capacity at customs posts.

In particular, to facilitate international transportation, a system for the pre-receipt of passenger information for bus routes, similar to air travel, is planned. This will speed up border crossings and reduce bus clearance time by half. Additionally, as a pilot project, it has been proposed to introduce a “red” and “green” corridor system for passenger cars and buses at major customs posts.

Special attention has been given to the broad application of artificial intelligence in customs monitoring. To this end, with the support of World Bank experts, the risk analysis system will be improved. It will assess the reliability of entrepreneurs based on 122 criteria, including financial stability, tax debt, and trade history. Furthermore, artificial intelligence will be used to analyze X-ray images of goods, automatically detecting risks.

The head of state approved these proposals and emphasized the need to create even greater conveniences in the customs sector, ensuring prompt service for entrepreneurs and tourists. He also set the task of fully aligning customs legislation with the requirements of the World Trade Organization as part of the accession process.

The importance of enhancing the potential of the Customs Institute was highlighted, along with the need to train qualified specialists in artificial intelligence, digital technologies, and risk analysis, expand dual education, and improve the organization of practical training in the customs sector.