SMS advertising rules in Uzbekistan from 1 November 2026

From 1 November 2026, new SMS advertising rules apply in Uzbekistan: promotional texts may only be sent with the customer's consent, and advertising calls and messages are banned entirely in the evening and at night. Here is what the resolution actually says, what it means for a shop, clinic or training centre, and how to get ready in a week.

This article is not legal advice. We explain the text of the resolution in plain language. For complex cases, talk to a lawyer.

What the resolution actually says

The new requirements are set out in Presidential Resolution PQ-265 of 15 July 2026 (lex.uz). Under point 11, from 1 November 2026:

Kun.uz also covered the news in detail (Kun.uz). The resolution does not state fine amounts; those follow existing legislation.

Note that point 12 of the same resolution plans requirements for instalment, deferred-payment and credit advertising too (showing the mark-up and the final price). Those will come into force through a separate regulation, so this article covers only SMS and calls.

How this affects your business

For many companies, SMS has been the cheapest way to bring old customers back: numbers are collected at the till, and before a holiday everyone gets "–20%". That approach now changes.

Who is affected most:

• Shops (furniture, clothing, electronics) that send offers to a database collected at checkout.
• Clinics and dental practices — texts and calls inviting patients for check-ups.
• Training centres and driving schools — reminders about new groups.
• Restaurants and delivery services — evening promotions. The post-18:00 ban hits them hardest.
• Call centres doing cold calls: the busiest evening hours are closed.

What does not change (as we read it): the resolution is about advertising. Order status, confirmation codes and appointment reminders are service messages, not ads. But add "and –10% today" to a service text and it becomes an advertising message. So keep service and promotional messages apart.

Step 1: audit your customer database

The first question: did the owners of these numbers consent to advertising? Most often the answer is "we don't know".

Split the database into three groups:

1. Consent confirmed — the customer ticked "I agree to receive messages about offers" in a form, or signed a separate clause in a contract.
2. Consent unknown — the number was collected at the till, on the phone or sits in an old spreadsheet with no record of consent.
3. Opted out — asked you to stop writing or unsubscribed.

After 1 November, it is only safe to send advertising texts to the first group. Collect consent again from the second (see below). Remove the third from promotional lists completely.

If your database lives in a CRM, add fields for "advertising consent: yes/no", "consent date" and "consent source". In a spreadsheet, the same columns are enough.

Step 2: collect consent properly

The resolution says consent must be written or electronic. In practice, that can look like this:

• On the website and lead forms — a separate checkbox, not pre-ticked: "I agree to receive SMS about offers". Submitting a form is not consent in itself; you need a separate tick.
• At the till or reception — a short paper or tablet form with a signature.
• Through a Telegram bot — a final question "Shall we send you news about offers?" with a "Yes" button. The answer is stored. How to build such a bot is covered in Telegram bot for leads.
• In a contract — a separate clause with a separate signature, not a line buried in the general text.

Keep proof of consent: when, where and to what wording the person agreed. If a dispute arises, that record is what protects you.

Also give people a way out. In every promotional text, briefly add "reply STOP to unsubscribe" or a number, and act on such requests immediately. The resolution does not say this directly, but the ability to withdraw consent is a basic rule of handling personal data.

Step 3: reschedule your sending times

Advertising calls and messages are banned from 18:00 to 09:00. So your window for ads is 09:00 to 18:00.

What to do:

• Check scheduled campaigns in your SMS service. Promotions are often set for 19:00–20:00 — move them to daytime.
• Sending to a large database can take hours. Start in the morning or after lunch, not at 17:00.
• Rework the call-centre schedule: use evening hours for handling inbound leads and CRM work.
• Announce an evening offer (for a restaurant, say) the day before, during the day.

Step 4: check your SMS provider

If you send texts through an SMS aggregator, ask whether it is ready for the new rules. Under the resolution, companies providing advertising SMS and call distribution may operate only after registering their information system in the State Register of Personal Data Databases.

Three questions for your provider:

1. Is your information system registered in the state register?
2. Do you automatically block advertising sends between 18:00 and 09:00?
3. How do you store the opt-out list, and do you check it before sending?

If the answers are vague, look at another provider before 1 November.

Step 5: what to rely on besides SMS

The new rules do not stop you from working with your database, but they require more care. A small database with consent is more useful than a huge one without it: these people expect to hear from you.

Additional channels:

• A Telegram channel — customers subscribe themselves, so the interest is real. See how to grow a Telegram channel.
• Retargeting — ads shown to people who visited your website or messaged you on Instagram. It is not SMS and does not need numbers from your database.
• A repeat-sales system — timely reminders to customers who gave consent. More in repeat sales and LTV.

Checklist for business (before 1 November)

• Split the database into "consent / unknown / opted out"
• Added consent date and source columns to the CRM or spreadsheet
• Added a separate consent checkbox to forms and the bot
• Approved the consent wording and how proof is stored
• Moved scheduled texts into the 09:00–18:00 window
• Updated the call-centre schedule
• Asked the SMS provider about the registry and the time restriction
• Separated service messages from promotional ones

Questions and answers

Can I not write to old customers without consent at all? The resolution restricts advertising texts. Sending an offer to someone without consent is a violation from 1 November. The resolution does not say how a message asking for consent would be treated, so it is safer to collect consent at new touchpoints — forms, the till, a bot.

Does it apply to Telegram and WhatsApp? The resolution text talks about SMS and calls over mobile and telecom networks. Messengers are not named. But personal data law applies to everyone, so mass messages without permission are a bad idea in messengers too.

What is the fine? The resolution does not state an amount. It says that breaking the requirements counts as a breach of advertising and personal data law. For a precise answer on liability, consult a lawyer.

Can I send an order confirmation or appointment reminder in the evening? The ban covers advertising calls and messages. A pure service message is not an ad. Just don't add a promotion to it, or it becomes advertising.

Do phone sales need consent too? The resolution spells out the consent requirement for advertising SMS, while the time restriction also covers calls. Calling a customer who left a request is a reply to their enquiry, not a cold call. How to structure that conversation is covered in sales script.

Conclusion

From 1 November, advertising SMS moves from "everyone, any time" to "those who agreed, daytime only". That is inconvenient for many businesses, but there is an upside: a database built on consent sees your message as an expected offer, not spam. Use this week to tidy up the database, add consent collection to forms and the bot, and move your sending times.

At Level Marketing, when we set up ad campaigns, we plan in advance where leads and consents are collected, so the database can keep being used lawfully later.

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