Uzbekistan mandates unregistered foreign marketplaces and streaming services to legalize their operations within the country.

The document states that starting from July 1, 2025, marketplaces and streaming services operating within the territory of the republic must adhere to the following conditions and requirements:

• register as a legal entity in Uzbekistan;

• comply with the legislation on electronic commerce, personal data protection, copyright and related rights, consumer rights, and advertising laws;

• provide information about their activities free of charge upon request from the authorized state body;

• follow retail trade regulations;

• have an information system that ensures proper operational performance.

Analyst Temurmalik Elmurodov noted that the new rules imply that Netflix, Alibaba, Temu, Amazon, eBay, iHerb, and many others, which currently do not have representatives or bank accounts in the country, will now need to establish subsidiaries in Uzbekistan. However, according to him, it is not that straightforward:

"International services typically do not create legal entities in every country they operate in (otherwise, they would need to have 200 companies). However, if the market is large and promising, they are willing to do so."

The expert cited the example of Netflix, which currently earns less than $100,000 a month in Uzbekistan. The question arises: will the company "ground" itself for such a small market?

"Another example is Temu, which directly connects Chinese manufacturers with buyers worldwide. Here, another question arises: will the company change its business model to continue operating in Uzbekistan?" – Elmurodov wrote on his Telegram.

In his opinion, it would be great if all these companies comply with Uzbekistan's new requirements.

"But what if they don’t? Will they be blocked? Will customs be prohibited from accepting their packages? However, then we would be left without purchases from abroad and foreign streaming services," – he concluded.