First things first: there is a way out
If you are reading this, debt is probably weighing on you: payments eat your salary, the bank keeps calling, and one thought keeps coming back — "how did I get here". Pause for a moment. Debt is not a verdict and it does not make you a bad person. It is a financial problem with a solution, and thousands of families in Uzbekistan have already solved it.
Below is a complete step-by-step plan. Don't try to do everything in one evening — each step already reduces the pressure.
Step 1. Stop the debt from growing
You can't bail out a boat with a hole in it. Rule one: no new debt until you are out.
- Remove temptation. Unlink credit cards from apps and online shops; delete microloan and installment apps.
- Set a self-ban on loans. Since 2025 you can block loans in your name for free through the credit bureau portal (infokredit.uz, via OneID) or my.gov.uz. It protects against impulse borrowing and fraud, and you can lift it on request.
- Switch to "survival mode" for 2–3 months: food, housing, utilities, transport to work, medicine and minimum debt payments only.
- Say no to guaranteeing others' loans, large "gap" savings circles and expensive wedding gifts.
Step 2. List every debt
Uncertainty is the scariest part. Write everything on one page: bank loans, microloans (including online), nasiya installment purchases, credit cards and salary-card overdrafts, money owed to relatives and friends, and pawnshop loans. For each: lender, balance, interest rate, monthly payment, due date, any arrears.
Order your credit history from the Credit Information Analytical Centre (KATM) via my.gov.uz or infokredit.uz — it shows every loan in your name. If you see one you never took, contact the bank and the police immediately.
Step 3. Measure your debt burden
All monthly debt payments ÷ Net monthly income × 100%
Example: net income 7,000,000 so‘m, payments 2,300,000 → about 33%.
| Burden | What it means |
|---|---|
| Under 30% | Tight but manageable; you can prepay |
| 30–50% | Danger zone; any surprise leads to arrears |
| Over 50% | Crisis; talk to the bank about restructuring |
Under Central Bank rules since 2025, banks generally should not issue a new loan if payments on all of a borrower's loans would exceed 50% of income. Above that line, repaying without changing terms will be very hard. Check current rules on cbu.uz.
Step 4. Find money for repayment
Minimum payments keep you afloat; extra money gets you out. Track a month of spending (10–15% is usually "leaks"), sell what you don't use, take temporary side work, and send every windfall to debt. But first set aside a mini-fund of about 1,000,000 so‘m — otherwise the first breakdown sends you to a new microloan.
Step 5. Choose a method: snowball or avalanche
Always pay every minimum. Put all extra money on one debt until it is gone, then roll its payment into the next.
- Snowball: smallest balance first — quick wins keep you motivated.
- Avalanche: highest interest rate first — less interest paid.
| Debt | Balance | Rate | Minimum |
|---|---|---|---|
| Microloan | 4,000,000 | 48% | 400,000 |
| Credit card | 3,000,000 | 36% | 250,000 |
| Nasiya | 6,000,000 | 0% (markup in price) | 500,000 |
| Bank consumer loan | 18,000,000 | 26% | 900,000 |
| Owed to brother | 5,000,000 | 0% | 250,000 |
| Total | 36,000,000 | 2,300,000 |
The family found an extra 1,000,000 a month, so 3,300,000 goes to debt.
| Snowball | Avalanche | |
|---|---|---|
| Order | Card → microloan → brother → nasiya → bank | Microloan → card → nasiya → bank → brother |
| First debt cleared | Card, month 3 | Microloan, month 4 |
| Debt-free | 13 months | 13 months |
| Interest paid | ≈ 4.3 mln | ≈ 3.7 mln |
With no extra money, only rolling minimums, it would take about 19 months and ≈ 6.9 mln in interest. Simplified: monthly interest on the balance, no fees or penalties.
Pick avalanche to save money if you are disciplined, snowball if you need quick wins. The best method is the one you stick with. And don't always leave family debt last — a small regular payment protects the relationship.
Step 6. Talk to the bank about restructuring
If your burden is over 50% or you see trouble coming, go to the bank before you miss a payment. You can ask for a longer term (smaller payment, more total interest), a grace period on principal, a payment date matched to payday, or combining loans within one bank. Bring proof of income and of the reason, apply in writing, keep the reference number, propose a payment you can really make, and read the new schedule before signing. The bank isn't obliged to agree, but early requests get a much better hearing. If the bank does not respond, you can complain to the Central Bank via cbu.uz.
Step 7. Check your plan every month
Once a month, right after payday, take 15 minutes: confirm all minimums were paid and where the extra went, update balances from the bank app, recalculate your debt burden (it drops noticeably each time a debt closes — great motivation) and look for a little more room in the budget.
When you prepay part of a loan, banks usually let you reduce the payment or shorten the term. Shortening the term usually saves more interest; reducing the payment gives breathing room — then roll the freed money into the next debt. Ask the bank how prepayment works: sometimes you must apply in advance, or the money simply covers the next scheduled payment.
Remember that nasiya is debt too: the markup is often built into the price, missed payments bring penalties and show up in your credit history, and the payment counts toward your debt burden. And write down money owed to relatives with a clear schedule — it has no interest, but it weighs heavily on relationships.
If you are already overdue
Don't hide — ignoring calls is the worst option. Overdue debt brings penalties, a mark in your credit history (KATM), and possibly court or a notary's enforcement order passed to the Compulsory Enforcement Bureau (MIB).
Protections in your favour:
- Payment order. Under law ZRU-914 (in force since 2024), partial payments on individuals' loans and microloans go first to overdue principal and interest, then current payments, and only then to fines and penalties.
- Accrual stops after a court ruling on the amount the court orders collected.
- Microloan cap. Under Central Bank rules since July 2025, total yearly interest, fees and penalties on bank microloans must not exceed 50% of the loan amount.
- A court can reduce a penalty that is clearly disproportionate — ask for it.
Rules change, so check cbu.uz and lex.uz. MIB can freeze accounts, deduct part of your salary (generally no more than 50% per payment under the Labour Code), restrict property and ban travel abroad. Check for enforcement cases on my.gov.uz and use the voluntary-payment period MIB gives to agree a schedule.
Action plan: call the bank first, pay at least something, request a written breakdown of the debt, apply for restructuring, and never ignore letters from a court or MIB.
Where NOT to go
- A new microloan to repay an old one — the classic spiral.
- Pawnshops — high fees, short terms, real risk of losing your gold or phone.
- "Quick income": pyramids, "guaranteed" investments, betting, Telegram trading signals. People in debt are their main target.
- "Credit brokers" asking for prepayment or promising to "erase debt".
- A loan in a relative's name or a panic sale of your home.
The psychological side
Separate yourself from the debt: "I made a financial mistake", not "I am a failure". Celebrate small wins and watch progress, not the remaining balance.
Talk to your family rather than hide it: choose a calm moment, show the list and the plan, ask for concrete help, and agree that new debts are taken only together. A shared plan often brings a family closer.
After the last payment
Don't let the freed-up monthly payment disappear into spending. Send it to an emergency fund of 3–6 months of expenses — that is what keeps you from falling back into debt — then to goals and deposits. Check your credit history a few months later to confirm loans show as repaid.
Next step
Add all your debts to My Debts — ONPUL will calculate your debt burden and build a snowball or avalanche payoff plan with the date you will be debt-free. Then use My Budget to find extra money for repayment.