For foreign visitors and people returning to Pakistan the Federal Board of Revenue has announced the “mobile tax policy”. The board has also announced custom duties that have been imposed on the imported handsets.

People are still confused about how to get registration done, how much it will cost them and what is the implication of this new policy on them.

What is the Registration Process?

The registration process is completely voluntary. On landing in the country, the mobile can be registered at the customs counter of that airport. The declaration form can also be printed and filled in advance to save the time. The form is available on the PTA website.

You also have the option to get your mobile device registered within 15 days of your arrival in the country from any of your nearest customs office in Karachi, Islamabad, Lahore, and Peshawar.

During the registration process, the phone will not be confiscated. In order to get your mobile registered you have to provide the 15-digit IMEI number of your device to the customs or the proof of identity and that IMEI number will be registered against your name.

Do I need to register my set? Sets exempt from registration

1-All the people flying to Pakistan can get one set register without any duty charges

2-There is no need to register your handset if you are planning to use it on roaming with a foreign SIM card.

3-There is no need to register your phone if it is intended to be used for less than 30 days with a Pakistani SIM card.

4-If your phone has ever been used in Pakistan before Dec 01, 2018 with a local SIM card, you don’t need to register it again.

5-If you are carrying an additional mobile phone in Pakistan to be used with a local SIM card for more than 30 days, you need to get it registered.

6-One traveler can bring one duty-free phone with a gap of 7 days with a maximum 5 mobile phones in a year.

How much will the registration of a mobile in Pakistan cost?

In order to get a rough estimate about the tax you have to pay on your device below mentioned- calculator can be used.

What is the Purpose of the Mobile Registration System in Pakistan?

The basic purpose of this system is that the government wants to develop a control on the inflow of the smuggled mobile devices in the country through a system called DIRBS which is a short form of “device identification registration & blocking system”.

Smuggled phones have been a problem for the country and DIRBS intend to make these phones useless as if your phone is smuggled and its EMEI is not registered then with just a click it will not be able to use any of the mobile networks.