If you plan to sell rabbits or rabbit meat regularly, you need a legal form to do it under. For a household-scale rabbit farm in Uzbekistan, the usual answer is a dehqon farm (dehqon xo‘jaligi). This article pulls together what public sources say.
Important: Laws and tax rules in Uzbekistan change often. The information here was checked against public sources but not confirmed with officials. Before you register, confirm the current rules with your district hokimiyat, the tax office and the district veterinary office.
What a dehqon farm is
- A family farm run on a plot of land. It can be set up with or without legal-entity status. Registering without legal-entity status is simpler and is the usual choice for a household.
- According to public sources, registration is free and takes about 30 minutes. Ask your district hokimiyat or public services centre which route your district uses.
- Land for a dehqon farm is allocated as plots of 0.06 to 1 hectare for 30 years. "Greenhouses and light constructions" are allowed on it. A rabbit shed should qualify, but confirm with your district hokimiyat before you build.
What the status gives you
- Income from selling the farm's own agricultural produce is not taxed (Article 13 of the law on dehqon farms).
- You may transport your own produce anywhere in the country and sell it without additional permits, on the strength of an extract from the register (also Article 13).
- From 1 January 2026, VAT is zero-rated on farmers' and dehqon farms' own produce, including meat.
- Important: none of this overrides veterinary rules. Meat must still come from an approved slaughter facility with veterinary documents, and sales at a market still need the market vet's inspection. See our guide on selling live rabbits versus meat.
Taxes and payments you still have
- Land tax
- Water tax
- Social tax for the head of the dehqon farm; an annual minimum is set, so check the current amount with the tax office
- An annual declaration, due by 15 March
Why self-employed status does not work for rabbits
- Many people ask whether they can simply register as self-employed. For rabbit farming, from 1 January 2026, the answer is no.
- A presidential decree of 19 March 2025 cut the list of activities allowed for self-employed people from 104 to about 72, effective 1 January 2026. In animal husbandry only home chicken-raising, herding services, beekeeping and silkworm rearing remain. Rabbit rearing and selling meat are not on the list.
- Self-employed people also cannot hire workers.
Veterinary documents
- Live rabbits. Whether a veterinary certificate is needed to move or sell live rabbits between districts or regions could not be confirmed. Ask your district veterinary office before transporting animals.
- Meat. Slaughter for sale must take place at a meat plant, a slaughter point or a permitted small slaughter ground, with veterinary inspection before and after slaughter and veterinary-sanitary documents. Home slaughter is allowed only for your own family's use.
- At the bazaar. Meat is re-examined by the market's veterinary laboratory, stamped, and sold from a meat stall.
- Animal identification. A 2025 law introduced animal identification, but whether it applies to rabbits is unclear. Ask.
- Halal mark. Voluntary since May 2025, and not required for sales within the country.
- Keep your vaccination and treatment records. Veterinary officials and buyers of breeding stock will both ask for them.
Government support: what exists, and a warning
- A Cabinet of Ministers resolution, No. 29 of 18 January 2022, on supporting rabbit farming exists; its practical content could not be verified.
- Subsidies are handled through the Agrosubsidiya platform. No per-head subsidy specifically for rabbits was found; per-head subsidies currently target cattle, sheep and goats.
- Mikrokreditbank lists rabbit breeding among the activities eligible for concessional credit.
- Household programmes worth asking about locally: "Har bir oila — tadbirkor", "Yoshlar daftari" and "Temir daftar".
- A warning: many rabbit enterprises were set up during the 2019–2020 support campaign, and roughly two-thirds of the rabbit companies registered in those years have since been liquidated. Credit is only worth taking once you know exactly where you will sell.
Before you register
- At the hokimiyat: can you build a rabbit shed on your plot?
- At the tax office: which taxes apply to you this year, and do live rabbits and manure count as your own produce?
- At the district veterinary office: which documents do you need to move and sell live rabbits, and where is the nearest approved slaughter point?
- At a veterinary pharmacy: which vaccines are available?
- Before taking any credit, decide exactly how you will sell.
Common mistake: Registering as self-employed "because it is easier" and assuming rabbit farming is covered. Since January 2026 it is not on the list, and selling without a suitable status can cause trouble later with taxes and with buyers. Check the current list before you choose.