Business development in Tajikistan’s market is resource and time intensive.  Relationship-building is key to success. Most Tajik business contacts will expect face-to-face meetings, and establishing a good relationship with your potential buyers and partners is very important.  Materials should be translated into Tajik or Russian.  

Many foreign-based companies use local agents and distributors.  Although foreign companies can establish a representative office, finding a reliable local partner can often be preferrable.  Again, developing a good relationship with a trustworthy local agent will pay dividends.

There are legal offices that specialize in assisting foreign companies to enter the Tajik market; working with such a company can ease some of the burdens of conducting market research, lower the learning curve in culturally and socially accepted business practices, and avoid long-known pitfalls within the regulatory and taxation environments.

For commercial services and support, please contact the U.S. Embassy in Dushanbe.  As of this report, Tajikistan does not have a formal Department of Commerce presence, but the Embassy can coordinate with a regional Commerce representative on behalf of a U.S. company.  Note that some of these services are fee-based.