Uzbekistan warns citizens in U.S. about non-biometric passport rules

Uzbekistan’s Consulate General in New York has issued a message to Uzbek citizens in the U.S. who hold old-style (non-biometric) passports. This was announced by Ahror Burkhonov, the press secretary of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs.

Starting from January 1, 2020, old-style passports (non-biometric) are no longer valid. Therefore, holders of expired or unexpired old-style passports must obtain a certificate of return to Uzbekistan through the country’s diplomatic missions (Embassy and Consulate) in the U.S. to travel back home.

As a reminder, earlier, Uzbekistan’s Consulate General in Istanbul issued a warning to Uzbek citizens. According to the warning, certain criminal groups have recently been attempting to exploit Uzbek citizens, promising large sums of money to use them as intermediaries for smuggling illegal migrants—mainly to Greece—through sea routes into the European Union. For this reason, Uzbekistan’s Consulate General in Istanbul strongly advised citizens not to trust such illegal offers or recommendations.