As of April 1, individuals and legal persons will be able to apply for public services at any public service centers, regardless of residence inscription on passport (propiska) and mailing address, the Public Services Agency under the Ministry of Justice said.
The introduction of the extraterritoriality principle for getting public services is provided for by the Feb. 15 presidential decree. Now many documents and rights may be obtained only at the place where a citizen has permanent registration, which causes problems, for example, with obtaining or changing passports, voting, obtaining inquiry papers, which are often needed in Uzbekistan.
This could bring the Uzbeks one step closer to the full abolition of the propiska system which imposes the former Soviet era restrictions on movement and real estate purchase. Even though citizens are issued a single passport, severe restrictions on movement within the country apply, particularly in the capital Tashkent.
The public services centers at the President’s Public Receptions started service on January 1, 2018. In 2018–2020, they are scheduled to start providing about 60 types of services.
