Yes — you can smoke after security in Uzbekistan. Tashkent (TAS), the main hub, has a designated smoking area airside in international Terminal 2, an enclosed glass smoking cabin in the airside Anjir Business Lounge, and marked outdoor areas landside; Uzbek law specifically allows designated airside smoking rooms at airports. Samarkand (SKD), the country’s second-busiest airport, follows the same pattern with its own sterile-area smoking rooms. Two practical warnings make this country distinctive: vapes are banned nationwide under Law No. ZRU-844, and lighters are confiscated at security, so carry matches.
For international travel through Uzbekistan, Tashkent (TAS) is the airport that matters, with Samarkand (SKD) the main option for Silk Road tourism and Bukhara (BHK) a smaller regional gateway.
How Uzbek Airport Smoking Works
Uzbekistan bans smoking in most public places; it has an explicit exception for airports:
- A designated airside smoking area in Tashkent’s Terminal 2 after security, matched by sterile-area smoking rooms in Samarkand’s international terminal
- The Anjir Business Lounge at Tashkent (airside, opened 2025) has an enclosed glass smoking cabin
- Outdoor smoking is permitted landside, beyond a five-metre zone Uzbek law requires clear of terminal entrances
- E-cigarettes and vapes are banned nationwide under Law No. ZRU-844 (import, sale, purchase, storage, transport); heated-tobacco products such as IQOS are treated separately
- Lighters are confiscated at security — carry matches
The Hub
Tashkent International Airport (TAS). Uzbekistan Airways’ hub and the main international gateway. Travellers report a designated smoking area in Terminal 2 after security — toward Gate B12, down the stairs and to the left (signage toward B2 can be misleading). The Anjir Business Lounge (airside, opened February 2025) has an enclosed glass smoking cabin on its upper level. Outdoor designated areas are landside. Domestic flights use Terminal 3 on the far side of the runway, where smokers use the outdoor areas outside the entrance before check-in.
Samarkand International Airport (SKD)
Uzbekistan’s second-busiest airport and the main gateway for Silk Road tourism, with a terminal opened in March 2022. Samarkand’s smoking rooms sit in the sterile area for international departures, past security, on the second and third floors — fitted with built-in lighters since none are allowed through screening. Landside, smoking is permitted outdoors beyond the five-metre zone required clear of the terminal doors.
Bukhara International Airport (BHK)
A smaller regional airport serving the historic Silk Road city. Smoking at Bukhara Airport is outdoors, landside — the airport does not publish a designated smoking room, so the terminal interior is smoke-free.
Tips for Smokers at Uzbek Airports
- Tashkent and Samarkand both have airside smoking rooms — you can smoke without leaving the secure zone at either
- Carry matches — lighters are confiscated at security
- Do not bring a vape to Uzbekistan — e-cigarettes are banned nationwide under Law No. ZRU-844
- Bukhara has no confirmed indoor room — smoke landside, beyond the five-metre zone clear of the terminal doors
Uzbekistan Airports Compared: Indoor, Outdoor & After Security
| Airport | After security | Indoor room | Outdoor area |
|---|---|---|---|
| Smoking at Bukhara Airport – BHK | – | – | Yes |
| Smoking at Samarkand Airport – SKD | Yes | Yes | Yes |
| Tashkent International Airport (TAS) | Yes | Yes | Yes |