Using government services online

Applying through the my.gov.uz portal: preparation, signing in, finding a service, uploading documents, tracking status, safety and help at PSCs.

Getting a certificate, registering for something, raising a question about a document: not long ago almost all of this meant going to an office and queuing. Today you can apply for a large share of government services from home, on a computer or a smartphone. But for someone trying it for the first time, the process can feel confusing. Where do you start, how do you sign in, how do you upload a document, and what should you watch for so you do not end up on a fake website? This guide covers exactly that: the benefits of online services, what to prepare in advance, registering and signing in to the Single Portal of Interactive Government Services, finding a service, filling in an application and uploading a scanned document, tracking its status and receiving the answer. Separate sections deal with safety rules, where to turn when you get stuck and how to help older relatives. At the end you will find common mistakes, a practice exercise and a checklist.

An important note: the portal’s interface, the list of services, the ways of signing in and the requirements all change over time. That is why this article does not give exact button names or menu paths, but a general procedure that works in any case. Always read the specific conditions on the portal itself, on the service page.

What online services offer

The Single Portal of Interactive Government Services, my.gov.uz, brings together many services from different government bodies in one place. There you can write an application, attach the documents needed and follow the response. Many agencies also have their own official websites.

The main advantages of applying online:

It saves time. There is no need to travel to an office, wait in a queue and travel back. You can send an application in the evening or at the weekend.
Everything stays in writing. The application number, the date it was sent and the documents are kept. If you are ever told “we never received your application”, you have proof.
You can track progress. You can see what stage your application is at without phoning again and again.
It does not depend on where you live. Someone in a remote village can apply just as easily as someone in a regional centre.
No middleman is needed. You complete every step yourself and your documents do not pass through other people’s hands.

That said, an online service does not always fully replace a visit: some services may require you to come in person, show an original document or collect the result by hand. This, too, is stated on the service page.

Preparation: what you need in advance

Spending 10–15 minutes getting ready will save you a lot of stress later. Keep the following to hand.

An identity document. A passport or ID card. When registering and applying, you may be asked for its details, including your personal identification number.
A phone number registered in your own name. Confirmation codes arrive on it by SMS. The number must be working and with you, not your neighbour’s or your grandson’s.
An email address. Some notifications and answers may arrive by email. Make sure you remember your email password.
An electronic digital signature (EDS). It is not needed for every service, but some may require it. We explain what an EDS is and how to look after the key in our article on electronic document management. To use an EDS on a computer, the E-IMZO program is usually needed; download it only from an official source.
Scans of the documents required. Find out from the service page beforehand which documents are needed and have them ready.
A device and an internet connection. A computer or smartphone and a stable connection. You can read about smartphone basics in our guide smartphones for adults.

Tip: create a separate “Government services” folder on your computer and keep all your scans, application numbers and answers there. Our article on keeping files in order explains how to organise files and folders.

Registering and signing in to the portal

Signing in to government portals is usually done through the single identification system, OneID. The idea is simple: you register once and use that account to sign in to different government websites. There is no need to create a separate login and password for each one.

The general registration steps are as follows. The exact fields and order may change, so follow the instructions on screen.

Open the official website. Type my.gov.uz into your browser’s address bar yourself. Do not click on an advert in a search engine or a link from a messenger.
Find the sign-in or registration button. It is usually in the top right of the page. You may be redirected to the OneID sign-in page; that is normal, just check the address bar.
Enter your details. Passport details, phone number and so on. Type them without mistakes, exactly as in your passport.
Confirm your phone. An SMS code will arrive on your number. Enter it only on that page.
Choose a password. Pick a long password that you do not use on other sites. Find out in advance what makes a strong password. If you write the password in a notebook, keep the notebook somewhere safe at home.
Try signing in. After registering, sign out and sign back in to make sure there will be no problems next time.

There may be several ways to sign in: a login and password, an EDS or another method the system offers. Choose the one that suits you from the options shown on the portal. If the system offers extra protection, for example two-factor authentication with an SMS code, turn it on.

If you signed in on someone else’s computer (at an internet café or at work, for instance), always sign out when you finish and do not let the browser save your password.

Finding a service and submitting an application

Finding the service you need

There are a great many services on the portal, so the most reliable route is search. Type what you need into the search box in plain words: for example, “certificate” or the name of the document. Choose the right one from the results. Services are usually grouped into categories too, which you can also browse.

When you open a service page, do not rush to fill in the form. Read the description to the end first. It usually states:

who can receive the service;
which documents are needed;
how long it takes to process;
whether the service is free or paid;
what form the result takes: an electronic document, a notification or a paper document collected from an office.

These details vary from service to service and may change, so check them on the service page itself every time.

Filling in the application

An application form usually has several fields. Some details may be filled in automatically from your profile; glance over those as well.

Required fields are often marked with an asterisk. If you leave them empty, the application will not be sent.
Write your name and address exactly as in your documents. No mistakes in letters, apostrophes or numbers.
If there is a comment field, keep it short and to the point: what you need and why.
Reread everything before sending. For many services a submitted application cannot be edited; you can only submit a new one.

Uploading a scanned document

Many applications require a copy of a document. A good scan helps keep your application from being sent back.

Quality. The text should be readable, all four corners of the document visible, with no shadows or glare. If you use your phone, lay the document on a flat table and photograph it from directly above in good light.
Format. PDF or JPG are usually accepted. Which formats and what file size are allowed is stated next to the upload field, so read it.
Multi-page documents. If the document has several pages, it is convenient to combine them into a single PDF file.
File name. Not “IMG_4521.jpg”, but a name that says what is inside: for example, “passport_Karimova.pdf” or “residence_certificate.pdf”. Use Latin letters and underscores.
Only what is needed. Do not upload documents nobody asked for: this is your personal data, and it should not spread where it does not need to go.

Tracking the status and receiving the answer

Once sent, the application is usually given a number. Write it down or save a screenshot. You can follow the application’s status in your personal account, and when it changes you may receive a notification by SMS or email.

When the answer arrives, read it carefully. If the result is an electronic document, download it and save it in your folder. If the application was rejected or returned, read the reason: most often the problem is a poor scan or incomplete information. Correct the mistake and apply again.

Example: Gulnora opa applies for a certificate

This example is illustrative; the name and situation are made up. The steps show the general procedure; on the real portal things may look different.

Gulnora opa lives in the Samarkand region and is a retired teacher. She needed a certificate for a document. In the past she would have had to travel to the district centre for it. This time she decided to apply online together with her daughter Dilnoza.

Preparation. Gulnora opa got her passport, her phone and her glasses. Dilnoza opened the service page and read out which documents were needed.
Signing in. Gulnora opa typed my.gov.uz into the address bar herself. Dilnoza showed her how to check the address bar. She had registered before, so she signed in with her own password. When the SMS code arrived, she read it and entered it herself.
Finding the service. They typed “certificate” into the search and picked the right one from the results. Reading the description to the end, they found out the processing time and how the result would be issued.
The application. Gulnora opa filled in the form herself, while Dilnoza sat beside her and only gave advice when needed.
The scan. They photographed the required document with the phone by the window in daylight, checked the text was readable and uploaded it with a clear name.
Sending and tracking. They wrote the application number in a notebook. A few days later Gulnora opa checked the status herself and saw the answer was ready.

The main lesson of this example: the daughter did not do everything for her mother and did not ask for her password. She sat beside her and explained, and her mother carried out every step herself. Next time Gulnora opa will manage on her own.

Safety: how not to be fooled by scammers

Government services make a convenient disguise for fraudsters. Fake websites, people posing as “helpers” and promises to “speed things up” are all used to steal people’s data and money. The following rules prevent most problems.

Official websites only

Check the address bar. Official government websites in Uzbekistan are most often on the .gov.uz domain. Check that the site’s URL really ends with it: read the main part of the address from right to left. For example, an address like “my.gov.uz-xizmat.com” is not .gov.uz but a .com site, and it may well be fake.
Look closely at the letters. Scammers create addresses that resemble the real one: a single letter swapped, an extra word or a hyphen added.
Type the address yourself or open it from a saved bookmark. Do not click links in SMS messages, messengers or social media. Fake links like these are called phishing.
Do not trust adverts. The advert at the very top of the search results is not always the official site.

”Middleman” scammers

On social media and Telegram you will see adverts saying “we will get your certificate in a day” or “we will sort it out without queuing”. They may ask you for a photo of your passport, your password or an SMS code. Remember: you do not need a “special middleman” to apply for a government service online. The procedure is openly described on the portal. If an official service has a fee, it is shown on the service page and paid through the official system, not to a stranger’s card.

SMS codes and passwords

Never give anyone your SMS code. Not an “operator” on the phone, not a “bank employee”, not an “agency representative”. A genuine official will never ask you for the code.
Never tell anyone your password, not even a relative who is helping you.
If an SMS code arrives unexpectedly, someone is trying to sign in as you. Do not tell anyone the code, and change your password.

Looking after your EDS key

A document signed with an EDS is treated as if you had signed it in person. So:

never hand over the key file or its password to anyone;
keep the key on a separate storage device or in a safe place, and do not send it by messenger or email;
if the key is lost or you suspect it has fallen into someone else’s hands, contact the organisation that issued it straight away.

Read more about staying safe on the internet in our article on online safety.

If you run into difficulties: where to get help

Not everything will work the first time: signing in fails, the code does not arrive, you cannot find the service or the application comes back. Do not panic.

Public Services Centres (PSCs). In these centres in districts and cities you can also apply for services in person. Staff may also give advice on using the portal. If it does not work online, take your passport and go to the nearest centre.
Helplines and support. The official contact numbers and enquiry forms for the portal and the centres are listed on their official websites. Take the number only from there, not from an advert on social media.
Write the problem down. Note at which step it happened and what message appeared, or take a screenshot. This saves time when you ask for help.

For older people and those less confident with computers

If you are helping your parents or grandmother, the best approach is to sit down and do it together:

leave the device in their hands and just guide them;
let them type the password and SMS code themselves, and try not to look;
explain each step in plain words and write a short reminder in a notebook for them;
never keep their password yourself or pass it on to anyone else.

Do not rush them: the first time is slow, the second is much easier. You can read about general digital skills in our article on digital literacy.

Common mistakes

Clicking the first link in search results. It may be an advert or a fake site. Type the address yourself.
Applying without reading the description. A document is missing and the application is returned.
A poor scan. A blurry, skewed, cropped or glaring image. Before uploading, open the file and check the text is readable.
Mistakes in your details. One wrong letter in a name or one wrong digit in a passport number can hold up an application.
Not keeping the application number. It then becomes harder to check the status or contact support.
Registering with someone else’s number. If the number changes owner, you will be locked out of your account.
Telling a “helper” your SMS code. That is the same as giving a stranger the key to your account.
Not signing out on someone else’s computer. The next user may end up in your personal account.

Practice exercise and checklist

You do not need to send a real application for this exercise. The aim is to get to know the portal and be ready for next time.

Type my.gov.uz into your browser’s address bar yourself and check the address is correct.
Add the site to your bookmarks and open it from there next time.
If you do not have an account, register; if you do, sign in and sign out.
Use the search to find one service you may need, for example “certificate”.
Read the service description to the end and write the list of required documents in a notebook.
Prepare a good-quality scan of one of your documents, give it a clear name and save it in your “Government services” folder.
Find out from an official source where your nearest PSC is.
Discuss with your family the rule of never giving anyone an SMS code or password.

Checklist before you apply

The address bar shows the official .gov.uz domain, and the link did not come from an SMS or messenger.
Your passport, a phone in your own name and your email are to hand.
The service description has been read and the list of documents is ready.
Scans are readable, in an accepted format and clearly named.
Names, dates and numbers are written exactly as in your documents.
The application number has been saved.
Nobody has been told your SMS code or password.
If you worked on someone else’s device, you have signed out.

Using government services online is a useful skill for every family today. Go through the process carefully once or twice, and the next applications will be much easier and quicker.

If you would like to learn to use computers and the internet confidently and systematically with a teacher, take a look at our association’s free computer literacy programme and other training programmes. When you are ready, submit an application and our specialists will get in touch.