Tourist Complaints in Uzbekistan: Who to Call, Deadlines
Lost bag, bad hotel, broken tour or a theft? Which Uzbek body handles it, the number to dial, the evidence to keep and the legal deadlines that apply.
Seven days. That's how long you have to file a written claim with Uzbekistan Airways if your suitcase comes off the belt cracked or half-empty, and the clock starts the day you collect it. Beyond the airline, there are four public lines a visitor might need, and each has a different job.
Below, sorted by problem: who handles it, how to reach them, what evidence to keep and the deadline. Every number comes from the agency's own page, the UK Foreign Office or the law itself (last checked: October 2026). It isn't for anyone facing a criminal charge; that needs your embassy and a lawyer.
The four lines, and why 1173 is not 1163
1173 is the Call Centre for Safe Tourism, opened in February 2021 as a 24-hour line for quick help to tourists from the police (Kursiv, 5 February 2021). The UK Foreign Office says its operators speak English, Uzbek and Russian. Use it when you're in trouble now: a theft, a threatening driver, a lost child.
1163 is the hotline of the Tourism Committee, which by law keeps the official registers of tour operators, hotels and guides; full number +998 71 200-00-88. It's a complaints line, not an emergency service. The committee's Tashkent office works Monday to Friday, 09:00 to 18:00 (Tourism Committee contacts).
1159 is the call centre of the Competition and Consumer Rights Committee (+998 71 207-48-00), for shops, restaurants and paid services.
102 and 112 are police and the unified emergency number, added in 2024; 101 and 103 still work too. If a short code won't connect from a roaming SIM, use the full number or ask hotel reception to dial.
| Problem | Who handles it | Number or channel | Deadline or timing |
|---|---|---|---|
| Danger, theft, threat happening now | Police / Safe Tourism call centre | 102 or 112; 1173 (24/7, English spoken) | Immediately |
| Tour operator, hotel, guide | Tourism Committee | 1163 or +998 71 200-00-88; online appeal | Reply within 15 days, up to 1 month |
| Shop, restaurant, paid service | Competition and Consumer Rights Committee | 1159 or +998 71 207-48-00; online appeal | Non-food exchange within 10 days of purchase |
| Damaged or pilfered bag (Uzbekistan Airways) | Airline claims service | PIR at the airport, then written claim | 7 days from collecting the bag |
| Delayed bag (Uzbekistan Airways) | Airline claims service | PIR at the airport, then written claim | 21 days from delivery to you |
| Lost bag (Uzbekistan Airways) | Airline claims service | PIR at the airport, then written claim | 2 years from arrival |
Lost, late or damaged luggage
Don't leave the baggage hall without paperwork. Uzbekistan Airways' claims page says you should tell the airline's representative or ground agent about the damage, and they must check it and issue a Property Irregularity Report (PIR), on paper or through the automated tracing system. Missing a PIR doesn't cancel your right to claim, but get one anyway; it's the cleanest proof of when the problem surfaced. What sits past baggage reclaim, from SIM desks to the taxi counter, is in our Tashkent airport walkthrough.
The deadlines on the Uzbekistan Airways claims page are:
- damage or missing contents: within 7 days of the day you received the bag;
- delay: within 21 days of the bag finally being handed to you;
- loss: within 2 years of the aircraft's arrival or the end of the journey. A delayed bag not found within 21 days of the day after it was due is treated as lost.
A late claim is accepted only if the airline finds your reason valid. The claim must be written and signed by you; claims by phone, verbally or as a free-form website message don't count. Post it to 41 Amir Temur Avenue, Tashkent, GSP-100060, or the airline's nearest office abroad, one claim per ticket (spouses, parents and children may share one).
Keep the e-ticket and flight details, a passport copy, the baggage tag stub, the PIR, receipts for the contents and your bank details. Without receipts, photos of the damaged case with its brand, article number and year of purchase, or online prices for similar items, are accepted. These rules are Uzbekistan Airways' own; other airlines set theirs, so read your carrier's conditions the same evening.
Tour operators, hotels and guides
The Tourism Law (ZRU-549 of 18 July 2019, current lex.uz version) does real work here. Article 26 says your contract must name the operator, its postal address and its licence number (that wording took effect on 1 March 2026). No licence number before you pay? We'd walk away.
Article 29 limits what an operator can change after you've booked. A price rise needs your consent and at least twenty days' notice before the tour starts; cancellation for force majeure or a group that didn't fill needs the same notice. Services not delivered, part-delivered or of poor quality must be compensated, including moral harm. Article 24 makes the Tourism Committee publish registers of operators, agents, guides and accommodation on its website, so you can check a company first.
For a hotel that doesn't match its listing or a guide who vanishes, complain to the operator in writing, then to 1163 or the appeal form on the committee's gov.uz page. Keep the contract, receipts, timestamped photos and chats. Booked through a platform? Open a case there as well. The rules a hotel is bound by are set out in our explainer on hotel guest rights.
Shops, restaurants and taxis
The Consumer Rights Law (No. 221-I of 26 April 1996, amended since) covers goods and services. Three rules matter:
- Article 18: within ten days of purchase you may exchange a non-food item of proper quality at the shop where you bought it, or get your money back if no equivalent is in stock. It must be unused, in its packaging, with proof of purchase; some goods are excluded.
- Article 13: if something you bought turns out faulty, you choose between replacement, repair, a price cut or cancelling the sale with your losses covered. Where no warranty period or shelf life is set, the window is six months.
- Article 14: the seller must replace a faulty item within seven days, or within twenty if it needs to check quality.
The text is on lex.uz (Russian and Uzbek). Complaints go to 1159 or the committee's online form. Keep the receipt: Article 13 says claims are considered on a receipt or other proof of purchase, so a suzani bought for cash with nothing on paper is far harder to dispute.
We found no dedicated body for taxi disputes. App rides leave a record, so screenshot route and fare and use in-app support; our notes on Yandex Go and street taxis explain pricing a ride before you get in. An aggressive driver is a police matter: 102, 112 or 1173. Common overcharging tricks are in our piece on which Uzbekistan scams actually happen.
Crime, your insurer and your embassy
For theft or assault, call 102 or 112, or 1173 if you need English, and ask for a written record of your statement. Many policies only pay for theft with a police report filed within a set time, so check your policy's deadline that day. The UK Foreign Office's getting-help page for Uzbekistan says to contact your travel provider and insurer after a serious incident; insurers usually want you to ask the provider for refunds first. Our travel insurance breakdown covers what policies here typically exclude. Things that go missing without a crime, such as a bag left in a taxi, follow a different route, set out in our lost-property guide.
Embassies help in different ways; the UK page, for instance, points to lists of English-speaking lawyers and interpreters and to help for crime victims. Save your embassy's Tashkent number before you fly. Not every run-in with officialdom is a crime; a pedestrian fine, for example, is explained in our road-crossing guide.
Your rights under the law, and how long officials have to answer
Article 30 of the Tourism Law entitles you to the services in your contract; full, reliable information about the trip, including entry and stay rules and local customs; personal safety and safekeeping of your property; emergency medical help; and compensation for material loss and moral harm when the contract isn't honoured. You may cancel without covering the operator's losses if the price rises above the agreed one. Your duties: respect local law, customs and religious beliefs, and don't damage protected nature or heritage. Article 35 says the state guarantees tourists' safety.
Government bodies answer under the Law on Appeals of Individuals and Legal Entities (current text adopted by ZRU-445 of 11 September 2017), which expressly covers foreign citizens. Article 28: fifteen days from receipt, or up to one month if checks or documents are needed; exceptionally, the head of the body may add one more month and must tell you. Article 22 gives you one year from learning of a decision to take it to a higher body. An appeal without your name and address counts as anonymous, and Article 29 says anonymous appeals aren't reviewed, so always include both.
Already home? The law accepts electronic appeals, including through an agency's website. Keep it factual, attach evidence and note the date sent.
Frequently Asked Questions
What number do tourists call in Uzbekistan if something goes wrong?
For anything urgent, call 1173, the 24-hour Safe Tourism call centre, which has English-speaking operators and works with the police, or 102 and 112. For a complaint about a tour operator, hotel or guide, use the Tourism Committee hotline 1163 (+998 71 200-00-88). Shop and service disputes go to the consumer rights committee on 1159.
How long do I have to claim for a damaged bag with Uzbekistan Airways?
Seven days from the date you received the bag, for damage or missing contents. A delayed bag gives you 21 days from delivery, and a lost bag two years from the flight's arrival. Get a Property Irregularity Report at the airport, then send a signed written claim; phone calls and free-form website messages aren't accepted as claims.
Can I return something I bought in an Uzbek shop?
Yes, within limits. The Consumer Rights Law lets you exchange a non-food item of proper quality within ten days at the shop where you bought it, if it's unused, in its packaging and you can prove the purchase. Some goods are excluded by government rules. Faulty goods give you wider remedies, including a refund.
How long does a government body in Uzbekistan have to answer a complaint?
Fifteen days from receipt under the Law on Appeals, or up to one month if the case needs extra checking or documents. The head of the body can extend this once, by no more than a month, and must tell you. Foreign citizens have the same right to file, but anonymous complaints without a name and address aren't considered.