From direct mail to bonded warehousing: Building a coherent legal and institutional framework for cross-border B2C e-commerce in Uzbekistan
Description
This policy brief examines the legal and institutional framework for cross-border B2C e-commerce in Uzbekistan, with a focus on the transition from direct international delivery and fragmented warehousing arrangements toward a coherent bonded warehouse-based model. The rapid growth of online platforms and demand for imported goods has increased the importance of efficient customs, logistics, and fulfillment systems. However, Uzbekistan’s current framework still relies on instruments originally designed for bulk trade, storage, re-export, and courier delivery, rather than high-volume digital retail flows linked to final consumers. The brief argues that Uzbekistan already has partial legal foundations for a bonded warehouse-type model, but lacks a dedicated regime tailored to e-commerce needs, including pre-importation, digital processing, unit-level release, online fulfillment, returns, re-export, and integrated data exchange. The main barriers are not only legal, but also institutional and economic, including high guarantee requirements, licensing burdens, capital lock-in, retail restrictions, and weak coordination between customs, tax, logistics, and e-commerce frameworks. Drawing on international experience, the paper shows that effective bonded warehouse regimes operate as integrated systems combining legal clarity, operator accreditation, simplified release procedures, digital data exchange, transparency, traceability, and safeguards against abuse. The brief proposes a sequenced reform approach for Uzbekistan aimed at improving logistics efficiency, strengthening compliance, enhancing liquidity, increasing fiscal visibility, and supporting a more competitive cross-border e-commerce ecosystem.