The Cabinet of Ministers issued resolution on October 22, accrodign to which Uzbekistan nationals now can get the permanent residence permit (the so-called permanent propiska) in Tashkent city and Tashkent province if they buy apartments of any price in a newly build houses.
Foreign nationals and stateless persons who have permanent residence permit in Uzbekistan’s other provinces are allowed to buy real estate in new houses with a price of at least 3,300 MWs, the resolution added.
So, those who buy real estate in new buildings have the right to apply for a permanent residence in Tashkent city or Tashkent province as the owner of the apartments.
Uzbek nationals registered in places other than Tashkent city and Tashkent province had not been allowed by law to buy real estate in Tashkent city and Tashkent province until summer 2017, and thus had no right for permanent propiska in Tashkent. They were living and working in Tashkent on the basis of temporary registration, renewing it every 6 months.
It is in summer 2017 when the Cabinet issued a resolution easing somewhat the propiska system allowing the permanent residence in Tashkent for those who buy real estate in newly built houses with a price tag of at least 2,500 times the MW, equaling 455 million soums, or US$ 57,000 and in addition the buyers had to pay a 5% fee to the state.
But the questions arise why offer permanent residence only for those who buy new apartments and who are those people who are building these houses?
The propiska system is anticonstitutional, breaching several articles of the Uzbek Constitution. Uzbek nationals from places other than Tashkent city and Tashkent province are still not allowed to buy real estate from secondary housing market and are not entitled permanent residence. However, this resolution breeds optimism among Uzbeks that in near future they will able to buy any real estate, live and work anywhere they like in their own country.
