How To Cross the Border from Osh, Kyrgyzstan to Fergana Valley, Uzbekistan

I recently crossed the border between Kyrgyzstan and Uzbekistan at the Dostyk border crossing which was a lot easier that I had expected after reading about it online. Much of the information I had read is obviously from years ago when the Uzbek customs were a lot stricter than they are now.

In this guide, I will explain the few ways you can get to the Dostyk border crossing between Kyrgyzstan and Uzbekistan and a few tips on how to cross.

Getting from Osh to the border

It is only a short distance from Osh in Kyrgyzstan to the border and there are a few ways of getting there.

Marshrutka 138 runs from the centre of Osh to the border. More info on the route can be found on the 2Gis website.

Alternatively, you can take a Yandex from the centre to the border for around 250som (Kyrgyz som = €2.50/ £2.20) for the 20 minute drive. This is what I did as I felt lazy! Note that inDrive, the other taxi app, doesn’t really work in Osh. There are so few drivers, I never got picked up when using it.

There is also bus number 777 that runs from Osh to Andijan and vice versa. I asked around in Osh but nobody knew where it departed from. However, I did get this bus from Andijan bus station to the border for 18000som (Uzbek Som) to pick up my phone (the story for that worth a read!)

At the border

The border on the Kyrgyz side has a long row of moneychangers, and a few shops where you can buy snacks. There are also a few stalls selling sim cards.

I would recommend to change any Kyrgyz som to Uzbek som here as there aren’t any money changers on the Uzbek side.

The Kyrgyz side was easy enough with a short queue and I was stamped out within 5 minutes.

There is a short walk across no mans land where you will need to show an official your exit stamp so keep your passport on you and with the page with the stamp on if possible. On the Uzbek side, I had to show my passport to a guy before I entered the building and he asked me a few questions like “what am I doing here?” “tourist”, “what is my job?’ “marketing”. Keep it simple in those situations.

The Uzbek side had slightly longer queues and a bit more pushing from the locals but I still only waited 20 minutes in total.

The Uzbek guy who had my passport asked where I lived.

“London,” I replied.

“Do you like Man City?”

“No, Chelsea”

“Do you like Khusanov?” (The Uzbek player that plays for Man City)

“Yes of course I replied!”.

Sometimes you have to lie to cross a border ;)

A friend passed through the border one evening and it took less than 15 minutes with no queues.

Notes on Uzbek customs

Other blogs and websites say to delete all explicit material off your phone as the customs agents will go through it. Speaking to many others and my own experiences, that doesn’t happen anymore.

There was an x-ray machine, similar to an airport where you put your bags into but there were no further checks after that.

I have heard that codeine and other medicines are banned but I had ibuprofen and paracetamol in my bag and it wasn’t searched or checked.

Drones are banned in Uzbekistan however. Apparently you can get them back if you exit the country through the same border crossing but as this is a pretty remote crossing, it is unlikely you’ll be coming back this way.

On the Uzbek side and getting to the Fergana Valley

You will be offered plenty of taxis and shared taxi’s as soon as you cross the border. There are market stalls here selling breads and shashlik to give you an immediate flavour of Uzbekistan. However, there isn’t anywhere to get a SIM card so I’d recommend getting an eSim just to get you to your destination which is what I did.

You will have a number of men shouting at you for trips to Tashkent, Andijan and many other cities in the region.

As recommended by someone else, the best idea is to go to Andijan and then get your transport from there. A seat in a shared taxi will cost 20,000-25,000som from the border to Andijan. If you can get a minibus, I paid 18,000som.

If you’re lazy, you can get a Yandex from the border to Andijan. This cost me 110,000som (£6.50/€7.50) for the hour long journey in a very comfy car.

I got dropped at Andijan bus station where there are a steady stream of buses and marshrutkas going all over the Fergana Valley.

A bus from Andijan to Fergana City will cost 20,000som but a smaller marshrutka cost 15,000som. A seat in a shared taxi will cost 25,000som (says my guesthouse owner).

A minibus to Margilon cost 20,000som from Andijan bus station.

Check out my Fergana Valley travel guide for more info on this region.

Summing up crossing the Dostyk border from Osh to the Fergana Valley.

Crossing the border between Kyrgyzstan and Uzbekistan was a lot easier than I expected. Although there were minor queues, they don’t go through your bags nor your phones any more.

There are ample transport opportunities on each side to get to and from your destination. However don’t count on changing money or getting a SIM card on the Uzbek side so get an eSIM in advance and change your money on the Kyrgyz side.

Dan

Dan is an avid traveller from London. His first big adventure was in 2010 living in Malaysia for 3 months. He has been on the road almost constantly since 2015 travelling to destinations that aren’t on the mainstream tourist trail and working full time and travelling since 2021.