Tajikistan has completed the main phase of a nationwide re-registration of pensioners using facial recognition technology, with nearly 877,000 recipients entered into an updated electronic database as of July 1, 2026.
Biometric identification will now become a permanent requirement and will be carried out on an ongoing basis, Abdurahmon Halimzod, director of the Agency for Social Insurance and Pensions, told reporters in Dushanbe on July 22.
During the campaign, pensioners’ personal information, including their names, home addresses and telephone numbers, was updated in the registry, while their identities were verified using facial recognition.
All citizens applying for a pension for the first time will now undergo biometric identification and be added directly to the electronic database. Information about deceased pensioners will be removed from the registry promptly, Halimzod said.
Remote identification under development
The agency is also developing a system that will allow pensioners to verify their identity remotely.
“We are introducing online facial recognition. This will allow citizens who are temporarily abroad for medical treatment, study or other reasons to avoid travelling to Tajikistan solely to complete the identification procedure,” Halimzod said.
“They will be able to verify their identity remotely and send us the necessary information.”
At present, pensioners must personally visit a branch of the Agency for Social Insurance and Pensions with a valid identity document. Their photograph and personal information are then entered into a dedicated electronic system.
Illegal pension payments uncovered
The re-registration process also uncovered cases in which pensions had been collected unlawfully.
According to Halimzod, some payments continued after recipients had died, while others were being made to people who had lived abroad for years or had acquired citizenship of another country.
“There were cases in which people had been living abroad for years, and some had already obtained citizenship of another country. All of this was identified during the verification process, and the unlawfully paid funds were fully recovered,” he said.
The agency did not disclose the number of such cases or the total amount recovered.
The mass re-registration began in the second half of November 2025. Authorities said the campaign was intended to improve transparency and administration in the pension system and prevent fraud and corruption.
Pension payments to more than 14,000 people were previously suspended because they had not completed the registration procedure. Payments were restored after their identities were verified.
Nearly 877,000 pensioners registered
According to the agency, Tajikistan had 876,990 pensioners as of July 1, 2026, which was 216 fewer than at the beginning of the year.
The agency provided the following regional breakdown:
- Gorno-Badakhshan Autonomous Region (GBAO) — 30,585 pensioners;
- Sughd Province — 274,176;
- Khatlon Province — 313,283;
- Dushanbe — 85,524;
- Districts Subordinate to the Center (RRP) — 175,641.
However, these regional figures add up to 879,209 pensioners, which is 2,219 more than the stated nationwide total. The agency has not explained the discrepancy.
Of all pension recipients, 170,757 are people with disabilities.
The average pension in Tajikistan, including insurance pensions, is 513 somoni. The average retirement pension is 646 somoni, while the average social pension stands at 355 somoni.
