I’ve just returned from my Kazakhstan and Uzbekistan trip. There is a lot to share but let me first begin with something practical. i.e. dollar exchange. Actually, Money exchange in Uzbekistan seemed bit of an ordeal at first. We had crossed over from Kazakhstan where it was pretty simple. Both Almaty and Shymkent were full of currency exchanges with rates written on big boards for everyone to see.
When we crossed over to Uzbekistan from the border, we saw a couple of exchanges but they were so aggressively approaching the tourists that we decided to do it later in the city. However, to our surprise, we didn’t see too many currency exchanges on our way. We also expected to see one at Tashkent Railway station where we had to catch a train (because there was one at Almaty Railway Station).
So, six people roamed around outside the station in search of an option. We tried asking locals and even they had no clue. Then, miraculously, Amrita one a whim went inside another building near the station which looked like an office of transport department and there was an ATM like machine there too. And this turned out to be not an ordinary ATM but the one with exchange facility!
We fed the machine our US Dollars and it spate out Uzbekistan Soms and we were sorted for a few days. No questions, no passports needed, no human interaction, so ideal for introverts. Later on, we spotted similar ATM machines in other places too and used once again in Bukhara. So, the simple thing here is, look out for such machines when you need money exchange. Do note that NOT every ATM has exchange option. Only some of them have it and I saw them in main touristy cities like Tashkent, Samarkand, Bukhara, and Khiva. In compariosn, less touristy areas may not be having them. I may be wrong but I did not see them in Ferghana region. The other option is to go to a bank (not allowed branches may be having that facility), and explain it to them (most probably using Google translate app). So, this is a much simpler option.
Yet another option is to simply ask from a smart businessman/woman. For example, once the lady at the Khiva homestay gave us exchange for some dollars while on another occassion, the guy at an Indian restaurant in Bukhara also did the same. However, this depends on whether you stumble on the right person and whether the person is having enough cash at that time.
You can also watch this Short VIdeo to see the whole process.
Money Exchange ATMs in Uzbekistan
So, just to simplify, here are a few FAQs about money exchange in Uzbekistan.
Can you Exchange Money at the Tashkent airport?
Of course, all international airports have this facility.
Can you Exchange Money at Border Crossings? Can you exchange local currencies while crossing border?
Yes, while crossing over from Kazakhstan to Uzbekistan, we exchanged out remaining Kazakhi Tenges to Uzbek Soms at some of the exchange counters just before the crossing formalities. However, not sure if the sma esgops can also offer Dollar to Som. Nevertheless, Dollar to Som exchange was available on the Uzbekistan side after crossing the border.
Can we find money exchanges easily in Uzbekistan?
Actually standalone money exchanges are rare as far as we could see. You can go and check inside the banks for money exchanges but the best way is to look for these ATMs shown abive with exchange facilities where you can do it yourself.
What are the Exchange Rates at these ATMS?
We got 12500 per USD while the rate online was showing around 12640 at that point. So, there was a slight margin but I think it was negligible.
Can we Exchange from Som to USD?
Yes, as you can see below, you have to choose whether you want to exchnage UZS to USD or USD to UZS although personally I never tried the reverse exchange.
Is there a money exchange at Tashkent railway station?
We didn’t find any inside the main station. However, there was an ATM with exchange facility on the booking office near the main station.