Buying train tickets in Uzbekistan as a foreigner

You can buy Uzbekistan train tickets yourself, and many travellers do. Here is how it works, where people get stuck, and when it makes sense to ask someone to do it for you.

Updated

Your three options

  1. The official website and app. Uzbekistan’s railway passenger company sells tickets online for all passenger trains. The address that used to be eticket.railway.uz now forwards to the passenger company’s own domain. There is also an official mobile app. You choose a train, pick seats and receive an e-ticket with a QR code.
  2. A station ticket office. Every major station has ticket windows. Bring your passport. Queues can be long before holidays, and staff may speak only Uzbek or Russian.
  3. An assistance service such as ours. You send the route and date, we check seats on the official system, and you get one total price before paying anything.

What you need, whichever way you book

  • A passport for every traveller. Tickets are issued in the passenger’s name, and the name is checked against the passport at the station entrance and when you board.
  • A way to pay. The official site takes bank cards. Some travellers report that certain foreign cards are declined, so have a back-up card ready.
  • Your phone. An e-ticket on screen is enough; you don’t need to print it.

Where foreigners usually get stuck

  • Sales windows. Tickets usually go on sale 45 to 60 days before departure. Plans made further ahead have to wait.
  • Sold-out trains. Afrosiyob seats between Tashkent, Samarkand and Bukhara go early in spring and autumn. When your train is full, knowing the alternatives (Sharq, Nasaf, or Urgench instead of Khiva) is what saves the trip.
  • Payment problems with foreign cards, and sign-up steps that are easier with a local phone number.
  • Language. The site has an English version, but some messages and support are mainly in Uzbek and Russian.

When an assistance service makes sense

If the official site works for you, use it: it is the cheapest way to buy. A service is worth paying for when you are booking several legs at once, when your card is declined, when you are buying for a group or for relatives, or when you simply want someone to check alternatives for you. We charge a service fee on top of the railway fare and show both in one total before you pay.

Before you travel

Check which station is printed on your ticket (Tashkent has two), arrive 30 to 40 minutes early for the security check, and keep your passport with you. Our station guides cover the main stations.

Seat calendar

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