Tajikistan has stepped up efforts to move public services online, but fragmented government systems, paper-based procedures and limited digital infrastructure continue to hinder progress. Despite the launch of a unified government services portal, many services remain only partially digital, raising questions about how quickly the country can turn its e-government ambitions into reality.
President Emomali Rahmon has called for the accelerated transfer of priority public services to electronic formats and the integration of state information systems. Speaking at the first meeting of the Presidential Council for Digital Economy Development on August 19, he highlighted persistent problems, including fragmented databases, repeated requests for the same information from citizens and the continued use of paper documents.
The priorities include integrating government information systems, protecting personal data, strengthening cybersecurity and applying the “once-only” principle, under which citizens should not have to repeatedly submit information already held by the state.
However, digitalization involves more than launching websites or converting paper certificates into electronic files. It requires simplifying administrative procedures, connecting government databases, introducing reliable digital identification and electronic signatures, training civil servants and ensuring affordable, high-quality internet access.
Tajikistan trails its Central Asian neighbors
The gap between Tajikistan and other countries in the region is reflected in the United Nations E-Government Development Index (EGDI) for 2024.
Kazakhstan ranked 24th out of 193 countries, with a score of 0.9009, followed by Uzbekistan in 63rd place with 0.7999 and Kyrgyzstan in 78th place with 0.7316. Tajikistan ranked 123rd, scoring 0.5606.
The difference is also evident in the Online Service Index, which measures the availability and development of online government services. Kazakhstan scored 0.9390, Uzbekistan 0.7648, Kyrgyzstan 0.6072 and Tajikistan 0.4476.
Tajikistan has made progress: its overall EGDI score increased from 0.5039 in 2022 to 0.5606 in 2024. Nevertheless, the gap with its neighbors remains substantial.
Slow, predominantly in-person administrative procedures cost citizens and businesses time and money, create queues and require repeated visits to government offices. The greater the number of face-to-face interactions and the less transparent the decision-making process, the greater the potential for corruption.
Putting bureaucracy online is not enough
One common mistake in digital reform is transferring existing administrative procedures to the internet without simplifying them first.
If obtaining a certificate requires visits to four institutions, five documents and three signatures, an online application form alone will not solve the problem. Citizens may still have to deliver paper documents in person, visit government offices or obtain information that another state agency already holds.
The World Bank’s GovTech approach advocates a government-wide model of digital transformation, centered on accessible, citizen-oriented services and the modernization of core government systems.
Digital Public Infrastructure (DPI) is another key component. It includes reliable digital identification, electronic payments and secure data exchange between government systems, allowing agencies to share common digital tools rather than building incompatible platforms.
What needs to change?
Tajikistan needs a unified digital government architecture rather than a collection of separate departmental platforms.
A single public services portal should allow citizens to identify themselves through one system, find the services they need, submit applications and track their progress. Behind the portal, government databases — including those maintained by tax authorities, civil registry offices, the Interior Ministry, social protection agencies, the cadaster and transport authorities — must be able to exchange information securely.
The “once-only” principle should mean that if the state already holds information about a person or company, another agency cannot demand that it be submitted again.
Administrative procedures must also be reviewed before being digitized. For each priority service, authorities should identify the documents required, the number of agencies involved, unnecessary signatures and approvals, and the information already available in government databases. Unnecessary steps should be eliminated before the service goes online.
Legislation must keep pace with these changes. Electronic documents, digital identification, electronic signatures, payments and inter-agency data exchange need clear legal status. Strong safeguards are also required for personal data, government access to information, data storage and cybersecurity.
Reliable internet access is equally essential. According to a World Bank assessment cited in the article, Tajikistan had around 38 unique mobile internet users per 100 residents in 2024, while fixed broadband penetration among households stood at approximately 8%. The Bank has identified limited availability and high broadband costs as constraints on the country’s digital economy.
Government institutions — from ministries and district administrations to hospitals, schools and registration offices — need reliable, high-speed connections. Otherwise, even well-designed platforms may be slow or inaccessible in the places where people need them most.
The country also needs trained civil servants and a central body with the authority to set technology standards, enforce interoperability and prevent agencies from developing yet more isolated systems.
Artificial intelligence could eventually help process applications, answer routine enquiries, analyses data and identify risks. However, the priority should be to establish reliable digital infrastructure and high-quality data before introducing AI at scale. Pilot projects should be evaluated before wider implementation, with safeguards for privacy, cybersecurity, transparency and human oversight.
Digital services must also be accessible to people with different levels of digital literacy and different needs. Feedback mechanisms are essential to identify problems and improve services.
The shortage of digital specialists
Digital transformation cannot succeed without reform of the civil service and better incentives to recruit and retain qualified IT professionals.
Tajikistan’s public sector often struggles to compete with private technology companies, banks, telecommunications operators and international organizations on salaries and working conditions. This makes it difficult to attract and retain developers, systems architects, data specialists, cybersecurity experts and digital project managers.
Possible measures include dedicated career paths for IT professionals, more competitive salaries and bonuses for scarce skills, transparent recruitment and continuous professional development. Government agencies could also work more effectively with private IT companies while retaining enough in-house expertise to set technical requirements, oversee contractors and maintain the systems they develop.
Without these capabilities, the government risks becoming dependent on external contractors for system integration, quality control, cybersecurity and ongoing maintenance. Building the state’s own digital workforce is therefore as important as investing in internet connectivity and information systems.
What has Tajikistan achieved so far?
Tajikistan is not starting from scratch. The Agency for Innovation and Digital Technologies under the President has operated since 2021 as the central body responsible for digitalization policy and e-government. The unified government services portal, ekhizmat.tj, is also operational, with access through the IMZO identification system.
According to the agency, by July 2026 the portal offered more than 116 services from 16 government bodies. Around 977,000 people had completed identification, and more than 62,000 applications had been submitted. Among the most frequently used services were permits for tinted vehicle windows, with more than 500 applications per day, and criminal record certificates, with more than 100 per day.
Users can apply online to register as sole traders, check tax identification numbers, obtain certificates confirming the absence of tax arrears, arrange vehicle powers of attorney and inspection certificates, and register births, deaths and marriages.
However, the portal’s actual functionality remains limited. In mid-October, it listed 37 government bodies and 235 services, but applications could be submitted for only 50 of them. Nearly half of those were licenses issued by a single agency, the Communications Service.
Pension applications, social benefits, residence registration and passports were not available through the portal.
Citizens must also visit a Government Services Centre in person to register and submit biometric data. Meanwhile, the tax authority’s website, the customs single window, electronic visas, vehicle registration through vin.tj and telephone registration through imei.tj continue to operate on separate platforms.
Tajikistan therefore has a unified portal and a designated digitalization agency, but the next step is to integrate the services and give the agency sufficient authority to ensure that government bodies comply with common standards.
Start with a few high-demand services
Trying to digitize hundreds of government services simultaneously could prolong reform for years. A more practical approach would be to select a small number of widely used services, make them fully digital from application to final result, evaluate the outcomes and then expand the model.
Notarial services could be one starting point.
The author describes a personal experience of obtaining notarial services in Dushanbe, where the process involved preparing and printing documents, submitting them in person for review, returning to make corrections and visiting again to complete the paperwork and payment.
Clients may also lack clear information in advance about official fees, the sequence of procedures and the final cost.
A unified electronic notarial system could introduce online appointments and document submissions, preliminary digital checks, automated access to state registries, transparent fees, electronic payments and digital verification of notarized documents. In-person attendance could remain mandatory only where required by law.
Other possible priorities include business registration, selected permits and licenses, cadastral services, certificates and social payments.
The selection criteria should be straightforward: which procedures take the most time, require the most visits and generate the greatest number of administrative interactions for citizens and businesses?
Digitizing these services first could deliver the most immediate and visible benefits.
Lessons from neighboring countries
Tajikistan does not need to develop an entirely new model. Experiences in Uzbekistan, Georgia and Estonia offer examples of different approaches to digital government.
Uzbekistan’s unified portal, my.gov.uz, provides access to more than 900 government services. In the 2024 UN e-government index, Uzbekistan ranked 63rd, 60 places ahead of Tajikistan.
Georgia has developed its my.gov.ge portal alongside a network of Public Service Halls, which provide multiple services under one roof. Such one-stop centers remain important for people who cannot yet use digital services independently.
Estonia offers a different model. Rather than relying solely on a single government website, it uses X-Road, an infrastructure that enables secure data exchange between government information systems. Data transfers are encrypted, operations are logged, and the once-only principle reduces the need for citizens to repeatedly provide the same information.
No model can be copied without adaptation. Tajikistan must account for its own levels of digital literacy, internet access, administrative capacity and the significant differences between Dushanbe and the regions.
Ultimately, the success of the country’s digital transformation will depend not on how many services appear on a website, but on whether citizens can complete procedures online without returning to paper documents, queues and multiple government offices.