Registration of Stateless Persons in Uzbekistan

Registration of the population at the place of permanent residence and temporary stay constitutes an important public-law institution ensuring a balance between freedom of movement and the interests of the State in the fields of demography, migration, social policy, and security. Stateless persons form a specific category within this sphere, since the absence of nationality creates additional legal complexities related to personal identification, access to services, and cross-border mobility.

Modern trends in legal regulation indicate a shift away from restrictive and authorization-based registration regimes toward a notification-based model enhanced by digital platforms. The new legislation of the Republic of Uzbekistan enacted in 2025 fully corresponds to these trends.

The 2025 Registration Law provides an autonomous definition of a stateless person as “a person who is not a citizen of the Republic of Uzbekistan and who does not possess proof of nationality of any foreign State.” This definition corresponds to the international definition contained in the 1954 Convention relating to the Status of Stateless Persons.

Importantly, the Law places stateless persons within the same category as foreign nationals with respect to the procedures for registration at the place of permanent residence and temporary stay, subject to specific features of documentation.

Registration at the Place of Permanent Residence (i.e. “permanent registration”)

1. Conditions and Procedure

Registration of stateless persons at the place of permanent residence is carried out in person at the migration and citizenship departments of the internal affairs bodies. Notification-based registration via the EPIHU platform is not applicable to this category due to the need for document verification.

2. Required Documents

Stateless persons are required to submit:

• consent of the dwelling owner;
• documents confirming ownership;
• identification card (residence permit);
• children’s documents when included in the application.

The existence of an identification ID-card for a stateless person confirms their recognized status of lawful residence.

The application is examined within one working day, which represents an important element of administrative efficiency.

Registration at the Place of Temporary Stay (i.e. “temporary registration”)

Temporary registration of stateless persons may be carried out:

• through migration and citizenship departments and mahalla prevention units (in person);
• through EPIHU (notification-based registration);
• through the E-xabar berish system;
• through the E-mehmon platform for hotels and medical institutions.

Thus, stateless persons are fully incorporated into the digital infrastructure of migration accounting.

Registration is granted for a period determined by the owner or the lease agreement, but not exceeding one year.

Upon expiry of the period, stateless persons must undergo re-registration within ten working days, preventing unaccounted residence.

Distinction between “Place of Permanent Residence” and “Place of Temporary Stay”

The Law clearly distinguishes:

• Place of permanent residence — permanent living;
• Place of temporary stay — temporary living.

This distinction has consequences for legal status.

Element	Permanent Residence	Temporary Stay
Purpose	permanent living	temporary stay
Term	unlimited	up to 1 year
Documents	ID/residence permit	ID/travel document
Channels	offline	offline + online
Legal effect	population registration	migration registration

Social Norm of Living Space and Application to Stateless Persons

Registration of stateless persons at the place of permanent residence is subject to the social norm of housing area (at least 16 m²), except in cases set forth in Article 21 of the 2025 Registration Law (relatives, spouses, guardianship, etc.).

This rule ensures a balance between the exercise of rights of stateless persons and State housing policy.

Protection of Rights of Stateless Persons within the Registration Regime

The Law establishes that registration has a notification-based character, and the absence of registration does not constitute grounds for restricting rights unless otherwise provided by law. This provision corresponds to international standards on the protection of freedom of movement (Article 12 of the ICCPR).

Liability and Oversight

Residence without registration entails administrative fines applicable also to stateless persons. At the same time, the Registration Law provides a broad list of grounds for exemption from liability (age, force majeure, etc.), which represents an important element of humanitarian mitigation.

Conclusions

• The 2025 Registration Law introduces, for the first time, a systemic and unified regime for citizens, foreign nationals, and stateless persons.
• For stateless persons, registration becomes accessible, orderly, and digitalized, minimizing administrative barriers.
• The State has demonstratively abandoned the authorization-based (“propiska”) model.
• Constitutional rights to freedom of movement and freedom to choose one's place of residence are protected.
• The registration regime becomes an instrument of legal integration of stateless persons, significantly contributing to migration policy and national security.

“Permanent Residence” vs. “Temporary Stay”

Criterion	Permanent Residence	Temporary Stay
Legal definition	Residential premises in which a person permanently/predominantly resides	Hotel, medical institution, or residential premises in which a person temporarily resides
Nature of residence	Permanent	Temporary
Legal status	Establishes link with housing and population registration	Ensures migration registration
Duration	Unlimited	Up to 1 year (residents) / visa term / up to 6 months (CIS visa-free)
Documentation	Ownership/lease/service housing/family placement	Lease agreement, owner's consent, hotel, clinic
Form of registration	In-person (Internal Affairs)	In-person + notification (E-xabar/E-mehmon/EPIHU)
Notification-based character	Yes (without online channels)	Yes (with developed digitalization)
Applicability to foreign nationals and stateless persons	Only with residence permit/ID (permanent residence)	For all categories including temporary
Resulting document	Certificate of registration (electronic/paper)	Certificate of registration (electronic/paper)
Digital systems	Manzil	E-xabar, E-mehmon, EPIHU
Examination period	1 working day	1 working day
Housing space norm	Applicable	Applicable
Exemptions	Applicable	Applicable in certain cases
Grounds for refusal	Housing norm, documents, owner, arrested property	Documents, terms, restricted zones
Annulment	Transfer, application, court, residence permit, death	Expiry/transfer
Consequences of absence	Administrative liability	Administrative liability
Link with housing	Strong, with residence right	Temporary, without title effects
Creation of housing rights	Not created	Not created
Sphere of application	Civil turnover, families, utilities, school, healthcare	Tourism, migration, lease, medical care
Migration purpose	Fixes permanent presence	Fixes factual mobility
Socio-demographic effect	Population accounting	Accounting of mobile population
Owner’s consent requirement	Mandatory	Mandatory except lease
Categories of persons	Residents (citizens/residence permit/stateless)	Residents and non-residents
Re-registration term	10 working days upon transfer	10 working days after expiry
Protection sphere	Housing and family rights	Migration law
Constitutional connection	Freedom to choose place of residence	Freedom of movement
Applicability to children	Follows parents	Follows parents
Restricted territories	Restrictions under Article 8	Restrictions under Article 8
Dispute resolution	Court/Internal Affairs	Court/Internal Affairs
Final function	Permanent domiciliation	Temporary fixation