UZBEKISTAN · REAL ESTATE & LAND

Real Estate and Land in Uzbekistan

A foreign company, a foreign individual or an enterprise with foreign investment cannot own land in Uzbekistan. It may hold land only on lease (Land Code, Article 17). The lease is granted by the Cabinet of Ministers for up to 25 years, and the investor pays the state budget a sum linked to the market value of the lease right (Land Code, Article 24; Law No. ZRU-598, Article 54). Buildings, premises and other real property can be acquired and leased under the Civil Code, and the right to the land under a building passes with it. Every right to land and buildings takes effect only on state registration.

This guide is for foreign investors acquiring, leasing or building on real property in Uzbekistan. It covers who may hold what, how land is obtained, registration, sale and lease of non-residential property, special economic zones and the Tashkent International Financial Centre, and the title checks that matter before signing. Permits for construction works are covered in Construction Licensing in Uzbekistan, and purchase of business assets in Asset Acquisitions in Uzbekistan.

Legal Framework

The Cabinet of Ministers decides on grants to foreign persons, the Cadastre Agency and its Chamber of State Cadastres survey plots and keep the cadastral records, and regional and district authorities handle grants and lease contracts within their competence.

What Foreign Investors Can and Cannot Hold

The Land Code applies the same rule to foreign citizens, stateless persons, foreign legal entities and enterprises with foreign investment: land may be held only on lease, with an exception for diplomatic missions (Article 17, part three; Article 18). These persons are not subjects of land privatisation (Law No. ZRU-728, Article 13), and they may not acquire privatised land unless a law provides otherwise (Article 33). Law No. ZRU-598 defines an enterprise with foreign investment as one in which foreign investment makes up at least 15% of the shares or charter capital (Article 3). Registration as such an enterprise also involves a minimum charter capital, described on our Foreign Ownership and EFI Status page.

Where ownership of land arises for one of these persons, the land must be sold within six months. Otherwise it passes to the state, and the former owner keeps a pre-emptive right to lease it (Law No. ZRU-728, Article 33). The Law speaks of ownership arising, and does not say expressly what happens when an Uzbek company that already owns privatised land becomes an enterprise with foreign investment through a share deal. The cautious course is to assume the rule may be applied and to settle the structure before signing, not after completion. See Share Acquisitions in Uzbekistan.

How a Foreign Investor Obtains Land

1. Lease from the Cabinet of Ministers

Plots for enterprises with foreign investment, international organisations and foreign individuals and legal entities are leased by the Cabinet of Ministers (Land Code, Article 24). The term is up to 25 years, but not less than the term stated in the application for the investment project (Law No. ZRU-598, Article 54). Except for international organisations, the lessee pays into the state budget a sum set by coefficients against the market value of the lease right, which an appraiser determines. Soil quality, location and available infrastructure are taken into account, and the amount must appear in the Cabinet resolution granting the plot. The lease contract itself is signed by the district or city governor.

2. Large investment projects of at least USD 10 million

The Cabinet of Ministers may also lease agricultural and non-agricultural land to individuals and legal entities carrying out a large investment project worth at least USD 10 million. The project is chosen by selecting the best offer, and the plot size depends on the investment. The same coefficient payment to the budget applies (Land Code, Article 24, parts two to five).

3. Buying or leasing a building

When ownership of a building, structure or enterprise passes, the right to the land it occupies and needs passes with it (Land Code, Article 22; Civil Code, Article 482). For an enterprise with foreign investment, that right is a lease (Law No. ZRU-598, Article 54). Where a building is leased, the tenant also receives the right to use the part of the plot it occupies (Civil Code, Article 575). Buying an existing building is often the quickest way to a site. The buyer must still check what right the seller holds over the land.

4. Land in a special economic zone

Inside a special economic zone, other than a special industrial zone, land is granted by the zone's directorate. Once infrastructure is in place, the plot named in the approved investment application goes to electronic online auction. The winner acquires the lease right and signs an investment agreement with the directorate (Law No. ZRU-604, Article 7). Plots given to zone participants cannot be privatised while the zone operates (Law No. ZRU-728, Article 12). Tax and customs benefits are covered in Investment Incentives and SEZs in Uzbekistan.

5. The Tashkent International Financial Centre

Under Constitutional Law No. ZRU-1158 of 13 July 2026, real property in the Centre that its bodies or participants own or use is exempt from property tax and land tax (Article 18). The Centre is not yet operating, so the exemption has no practical effect until it is activated. See Tashkent International Financial Centre.

Leases of Land: Terms, Transfer and Security

Registration in the Cadastre

Ownership and other real rights in immovable property, and their creation, transfer, restriction and termination, must be registered (Civil Code, Article 84). A right to land arises only after the boundaries are set on the ground, the plan is drawn up and the right is registered. The document of title is an electronic extract from the State Register of Rights to Immovable Property (Land Code, Articles 31 and 33). An investor may not start using a plot until the Chamber of State Cadastres has set its boundaries and issued the documents (Article 23).

1. Application and documents. The application, identity and authority documents, and the documents on which the right is based. Documents made abroad must be legalised or apostilled and translated into the state language, with the translation or translator's signature notarised (Law No. ZRU-803, Article 41).
2. Review. The registrar checks the documents. If defects can be cured, registration may be suspended for three working days (Article 43).
3. Decision. Registration takes up to ten days from receipt of the complete documents (Law No. ZRU-803, Article 43; Land Code, Article 35). A mortgage is registered within one working day (Law No. ZRU-803, Article 61).
4. Foreign seller. When a foreign legal entity or individual sells real property, the right is registered only after the profit tax or personal income tax on the sale has been paid, unless the buyer is a legal entity registered in Uzbekistan (Articles 40 and 44).
5. Challenges. A refusal may be taken to the commission under the law, then to the appeals commission within two months of the commission's conclusion (Article 69), or to a court (Civil Code, Article 84).

The results of registration are open to all, except for information that is a state secret or otherwise protected (Law No. ZRU-803, Article 8). This makes register searches the starting point of any title review.

Sale and Lease of Non-Residential Property

A contract for the sale of real property must be a single written document signed by both parties. Failure to follow this form makes it void (Civil Code, Article 480). The contract must identify the property precisely, including its location on the plot, and state the price. Without these terms it is treated as not concluded (Articles 484 and 485). The transfer of ownership must be registered, and handover is documented by a transfer act (Articles 481 and 486). A contract for the sale of a residential house or apartment must also be notarised (Article 488).

A lease of a building or structure must also be a single signed document (Civil Code, Article 574). From 19 July 2026 such a lease between individuals or legal entities must be recorded with the tax authorities, unless the law provides otherwise (Article 574, as amended by Law No. ZRU-1131 of 17 April 2026). A lease of a building for one year or more must be registered and is treated as concluded from registration. The rent for the building includes the use of the land under it, unless the law or the contract provides otherwise (Article 577).

Building on the Land

A holder of a lease or other land right may build, demolish or reconstruct in line with the plot's permitted use and in the established order (Land Code, Article 26). Grants often carry encumbrances that are registered and bind later holders. These include a deadline to start and finish construction, a ban on changing the permitted use, and a ban on sublease (Article 29). Design licences, state expert examination, notice of the start of works and commissioning are covered in Construction Licensing in Uzbekistan.

Ongoing Obligations and Loss of the Right

A lease or use right ends on the grounds the Land Code lists (Article 36). They include use contrary to the permitted use, systematic non-payment of land tax or rent, failure to pay the purchase price within six months of a warning, non-use for two years of land granted for non-agricultural needs, liquidation of the legal entity, and withdrawal under the Code. For breaches, the state land control body warns the holder and then asks the district or city governor to apply. The governor must file a court claim within a month. Where land is used contrary to its permitted use, the Cadastre Agency's bodies may bring the claim after notifying the holder (Article 38). Authorities may not end land rights by cancelling or changing the record of an auction (Article 36). Withdrawal for public needs is made with compensation under a separate law (Article 37). The Code also still provides for the buyout for public needs of land owned by foreign legal entities and individuals together with a shop, service facility, dwelling or other building, by decision of a regional council or the Cabinet of Ministers with the guarantees of Article 41 (Article 37-1). That provision sits alongside the general rule that foreign persons hold land only on lease (Article 17). Decisions to terminate may be challenged in court.

Due Diligence on Title

• Obtain the current extract from the State Register of Rights to Immovable Property for the building and for the land, and compare the holder, area, cadastral number and permitted use with the contract.
• Identify the seller's right to the land: ownership, lease, or permanent use. Check whether that right will pass to a foreign buyer and in what form.
• Read the registered encumbrances: construction deadlines, bans on alienation or sublease, servitudes and mortgages (Land Code, Articles 29 and 30).
• Check for arrests, disputes and withdrawal proceedings. Each is a ground to refuse registration (Law No. ZRU-803, Article 44).
• For land granted directly by the state, check whether the purchase price and any coefficient payment were paid. Non-payment is a ground for termination (Land Code, Article 36).
• In a share deal, check whether the target owns privatised land and whether the six-month disposal rule could be applied once it becomes an enterprise with foreign investment (Law No. ZRU-728, Article 33).

The wider review of a target company is covered in Legal Due Diligence in Uzbekistan.

Common Mistakes Foreign Investors Make

• Planning for land ownership. A foreign investor or enterprise with foreign investment holds land on lease, for at most 25 years.
• Buying shares in a land-owning company without checking whether the six-month disposal rule could apply.
• Taking possession before registration, or before the boundaries are set on the ground. The right does not yet exist.
• Signing an unregistered building lease of a year or more. The lease is treated as not concluded until it is registered.
• Sending unapostilled or untranslated foreign documents to the registrar.
• Ignoring construction deadlines registered against the plot, or leaving land unused for two years.

Frequently Asked Questions

Can a foreign company own land in Uzbekistan?

No. Foreign legal entities, foreign citizens, stateless persons and enterprises with foreign investment may hold land only on lease (Land Code, Article 17). They cannot privatise land. If ownership of land comes to them, for example through a building on privatised land, they must sell it within six months or it passes to the state (Law No. ZRU-728, Article 33).

How long can a foreign investor lease land?

Up to 25 years. The term may not be shorter than the term stated in the application for the investment project (Land Code, Article 24; Law No. ZRU-598, Article 54). A tenant who has performed properly has a preferential right to renew, within the statutory maximum term (Land Code, Article 24-4).

Can a foreign company own a building or office in Uzbekistan?

Yes. Buildings and premises are real property that can be bought under the Civil Code. The right to the land under the building passes with it (Civil Code, Article 482; Land Code, Article 22). For an enterprise with foreign investment, that land right is a lease (Law No. ZRU-598, Article 54). The transfer must be registered.

Does a sale of commercial property need a notary?

The Civil Code requires a single written document signed by both parties for a sale of real property, and state registration of the transfer (Articles 480 and 481). It requires notarisation for the sale of residential houses and apartments (Article 488). Check the registrar's current document list for the specific transaction.

How long does registration take?

Up to ten days from receipt of complete documents, and one working day for a mortgage (Law No. ZRU-803, Articles 43 and 61). If the seller is foreign and the buyer is not an Uzbek legal entity, registration waits for payment of the tax on the seller's gain (Article 40).

Can a land lease be used as security for a loan?

Yes, but only to obtain credit. Pledging without the lessor's consent is possible only where a law or the lease allows it, so the lease should say so (Land Code, Article 24). The mortgage is registered within one working day (Law No. ZRU-803, Article 61).

Can the state take back leased land?

Only on the grounds in the Land Code, such as misuse, non-payment, two years' non-use of non-agricultural land, or withdrawal for public needs with compensation (Articles 36 and 37). Termination for breach goes through a court on a claim by the district or city governor (Article 38). Foreign investors may also rely on the guarantees in Law No. ZRU-598 and any applicable investment treaty.

Bond Stone advises on land leases, property acquisitions and registration in Uzbekistan from its Tashkent office. Contact [email protected].

Related Pages

Construction Licensing in Uzbekistan · Asset Acquisitions in Uzbekistan · Share Acquisitions in Uzbekistan · Legal Due Diligence in Uzbekistan · Foreign Ownership and EFI Status · Investment Incentives and SEZs · Privatisation and State Partnership · Uzbekistan Legal Guide

Primary sources (lex.uz, current editions read on 6 November 2026): Land Code of 30 April 1998, Articles 17, 18, 22 to 24-5, 26, 28, 29, 31, 33, 35 to 38, including 37-1; Law No. ZRU-728 of 15 November 2021, Articles 12, 13, 33; Civil Code, Articles 83, 84, 480 to 488, 539, 574 to 577; Law No. ZRU-803 of 28 November 2022, Articles 8, 40, 41, 43, 44, 61, 69; Law No. ZRU-598, Articles 3 and 54; Law No. ZRU-604, Article 7; Constitutional Law No. ZRU-1158, Article 18.