Uzbekistan has introduced visa-free travel for citizens from 27 countries.

Uzbekistan's President-elect Shavkat Mirziyaev signed a decree on December 6, according to which citizens of Australia, Austria, Britain, Germany, Spain, Italy, Canada, Luxembourg, the Netherlands, South Korea, Singapore, Finland, Switzerland, and Japan can enter the country without a visa for tourism purposes for up to 30 days.

The decree also states that citizens aged 55 or over from the United States, Belgium, France, Poland, Hungary, Portugal, the Czech Republic, Indonesia, China, Malaysia, Vietnam, and Israel can enter Uzbekistan without a visa for up to 30 days for tourism purposes.

Tourists from all 27 countries will have to pay a $50 entrance fee. The decree comes into force on April 1, 2017.

Mirziyaev was elected president of post-Soviet Central Asia's most populous country on December 4.