Tashkent, Uzbekistan (UzDaily.com) -- Entrepreneurs, who are engaged in the retail sale of mobile devices, must register mobile devices using the IMEI code, regardless of the date of import of devices into the territory of Uzbekistan.

On 31 December, the Government of Uzbekistan approved the regulation on the procedure for registering mobile devices used, imported and produced for sale or personal use on the territory of the Republic of Uzbekistan.

The document states that the IMEI code of the second SIM card slot in the device will be registered free of charge if the IMEI code of the first slot was automatically registered in the database before 1 November 2019. To do this, the owner of the device must personally contact the registrar or operator of the IMEI system (UZIMEI). The operator must register the IMEI code within 3 hours.

If the IMEI code of the first slot was registered after 1 November 2019, then the code of the second slot will be registered on a paid basis.

Diplomatic missions of foreign countries in Uzbekistan for registration of devices should contact the Bureau for Service of the Diplomatic Corps under the Ministry of Foreign Affairs. The operator of the system for registering IMEI codes, based on an application from the bureau at the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, performs registration on a paid basis within three working days.

Citizens of foreign countries to register their devices must personally contact the registrar or system operator.

The document emphasizes that in case of non-compliance with the norms of duty-free import of goods through the customs border, registration is carried out after customs payments are paid as an importer.

The system of mandatory registration of mobile devices by IMEI code has been operational in Uzbekistan since April 2019. Until 1 December 2019, users could register devices for free.