Kyrgyz citizens charged $15 fee to cross Uzbekistan border with tinted windows, MP calls for action

Bekeshev informed the Minister of Foreign Affairs Jeenbek Kulubayev that Kyrgyz citizens traveling from Jalalabad to Botken in the Kyrgyz Republic are forced to cross through Uzbekistan's territory, and if their car windows are tinted, they are charged a $15 fee.

"Every car. Nearly every day. But we don’t charge them (a fee)," he stated.

According to the deputy, the Uzbek side even uses a bank application from Kyrgyzstan, which makes it more convenient for their citizens to pay the fee. Bekeshev asked the minister to either introduce similar fees for Uzbek cars or negotiate with the neighboring country to ensure Kyrgyz citizens would not have to pay such a fee while traveling through Uzbekistan.

Minister Jeenbek Kulubayev acknowledged that this issue had not been raised before and promised to study the situation.

"We can raise this issue on an equal footing and discuss it at a government commission meeting," the minister said.

For reference, according to the July 18, 2018, decision of the Cabinet of Ministers of Uzbekistan titled "Measures to Regulate the Use of Vehicles with Tinted Windows (Darkened) on the Territory of Uzbekistan," a $15 fee is charged to foreign vehicles with tinted (darkened) windows when temporarily entering or transiting through Uzbekistan.

In Kyrgyzstan, the fee for obtaining permission to tint car windows is 50,000 Kyrgyz soms (7.44 million UZS) for individuals and 70,000 Kyrgyz soms (10.4 million UZS) for legal entities.