Why the duty is usually zero
Machine tools, presses, packaging lines, compressors, furnaces — almost everything in HS chapters 84 and 85 enters Uzbekistan at 0% duty. The state deliberately does not tax what will produce in the country. What you do pay is 12% VAT and the clearance fee — on a 100,000 $ consignment that is about 12,250 $, not the 25–30% people fear out of habit.
But zero is easy to lose. Spare parts for the same machine often carry duty. If a line travels disassembled across several trucks, each item may be classified under its own code — and some of them will be dutiable. Disassembled equipment can be cleared under a single code as one machine: that has to be declared in advance, not at the border.
Certification
Some equipment is subject to mandatory conformity confirmation — electrical equipment, pressure vessels, lifting machinery. Check by HS code before the purchase, not after arrival: uncertified cargo sits in temporary storage at your expense until the paperwork exists.
The ST-1 certificate does not apply to China — it is a CIS instrument. For Chinese equipment an ordinary certificate of origin (general form) is enough: it removes the additional 5–20% duty that applies from 28.02.2026 to goods without confirmed origin.
Transit times and transport
| Mode | Time | When it fits |
|---|---|---|
| Road | 7–20 days | Machines up to 20 tonnes, standard dimensions |
| Rail | 18–35 days | Heavy lines, several trucks' worth at once |
| Sea + road | 30–50 days | Oversize and very heavy cargo when time allows |
Oversize is its own story: a low-bed trailer, route permits, sometimes an escort. That adds a week or two of approvals, so the dimensions and weight of every package are needed before the contract is signed, not after.
Documents to prepare
An itemised invoice, a packing list with the weight and dimensions of every package, and a technical description — the code is determined from it, and certification is decided by the code. For used equipment add valuation: customs checks the declared value against its own base, and an understated invoice turns into an adjustment and a delay.