On February 7, 2022 — just 10 days after we posted our Uzbekistan ASL BELGISI update — the country’s State Tax Committee announced that it was “extending the timeframe for the phased introduction of mandatory digital markings” of pharmaceutical products.
The requirements were originally scheduled to take effect on February 1.
The extension was announced in a letter signed by Mubin Mirzaev, the first deputy chairman of the State Tax Committee. A new deadline was not stipulated, so the country’s serialization scheme for pharmaceuticals is effectively on hold until further notice. The letter did not mention 2022 deadlines for other regulated product categories (e.g., tobacco products; alcohol, including wine and wine products; beer and brewing products; appliances; and water and soft drinks).
Delay or not, we expect the serialization and labeling requirements, which are based on Russia’s Chestny ZNAK system, to remain the same. Read our Uzbekistan ASL BELGISI update for more details about the regulations.
More provisions for Uzbekistan ASL BELGISI from the State Tax Committee
Deputy Chairman Mirzaev’s letter outlined two provisions:
- A provision to instruct the State Tax Committee and CRPT Turon, which operates Uzbekistan ASL BELGISI, to submit proposals to the country’s Cabinet of Ministers for a system to recognize marking codes from other countries, “primarily markings applied [in] the territory of the Russian Federation.”
- A provision to “implement a mechanism for electronic registration of non-resident foreign manufacturers of pharmaceutical products with the tax authorities.” Manufacturers would be assigned a non-resident taxpayer identification number (TIN) and would have to obtain a non-resident electronic digital signature (EDS).
The letter also said that the “norms for amending the Technical Regulations for the production of pharmaceutical products were transferred from the project for labeling ‘household appliances’ to the project for mandatory digital labeling of pharmaceutical products.”
As we wrote in our Uzbekistan ASL BELGISI update, a pilot for appliances began on July 1, 2021, and mandatory labeling is being introduced in phases. Vacuum cleaners, refrigerators, freezers, washing machines, TVs, and monitors were required to be labeled beginning December 1, 2021.
Final thoughts
The Uzbekistan ASL BELGISI delay illustrates a truth about supply chain regulations: Deadlines change. All the time. Announcements like the one we talked about today should never come as a surprise or catch you off guard.
The good news is that deadline changes are not the end of the world. What’s important is for you to have a supply chain solution that meets established standards, such as the world-leading GS1 standard. If your solution is fast, flexible, scalable, and automated — like our Traceability System — you will be ready to comply and keep your supply chain moving. All the time.
We’ll continue to monitor Uzbekistan ASL BELGISI as we do with other supply chain regulations. In just the last two weeks or so, we’ve written about the Africa supply chain (first of a two-part series), Egypt’s pharmaceutical regulations, Russia Chestny ZNAK requirements for beer and dietary supplements, the United Arab Emirates’ “Tatmeen” platform, and the U.S. Drug Supply Chain Security Act (DSCSA). Count on us to keep you informed about regulations around the world.
And contact us if you have any questions or want to see our solutions in action. Our digital supply chain experts are always here to listen to you, help you evaluate your needs, and work directly with you to design a solution customized for your business.
