PTA does not charge this. FBR does. PTA runs the blocking system and the registration; the duties and taxes are set and collected by the Federal Board of Revenue. PTA says so itself. That is why the only current figure for your own phone comes from their systems, and not from us.
How to get your exact figure
The figure comes from FBR, through PTA's DIRBS system. Every step below quotes PTA's own DIRBS pages.
- Note your IMEI. “Dial *#06# from the dial pad of your device and note down 15-digit IMEI number.” If it shows two IMEIs, note both: PTA asks for “all IMEIs programmed within the device”. DIRBS FAQs, PTA
- Check the duty on FBR's page. DIRBS links it as “Know Individual Mobile Duties Via FBR”. DIRBS, PTA
- Or apply, and read it off the payment slip. “When a user applies for mobile device registration, a PSID is generated by FBR along with amount of tax.” A PSID is valid for 7 days; if it is not paid, it is deleted and you apply again. DIRBS FAQs, PTA
- Type that amount below. Use the figure for the way you will register. On a CNIC, or after 60 days in Pakistan, PTA says you “will have to pay additional tax/duty”. DIRBS FAQs, PTA
PTA's pages quoted here were read on .
What that amount is, in months
Bring the figure from the steps above and type it here. We do the division, nothing else.
The figure from the steps above, for the way you will register: CNIC or passport.
Enter the figure and this will show what it comes to in months of data.
How the amount is built
It is not a percentage of the price. FBR sets a fixed amount per phone by the band its C&F value falls into, in US dollars, and above US$ 200 adds sales tax on top of that fixed amount. Two things follow, and both surprise people:
- Two phones a few dollars apart can sit in different bands and cost very differently to register.
- Registering on a passport costs less than on a CNIC, and the passport route has its own condition: FBR’s own table is headed "with passport applied within 60 days of arrival in Pakistan".
The last table FBR published
This is FBR's own sheet, reproduced to the rupee, and it is for 2021-22. We show it because it is the last one they published and it is what the structure looks like — not because it is what you will pay today. Read the note under it before using any number in it.
| C&F value (US$) | On passport | On CNIC |
|---|---|---|
| Up to 30 | Rs 430 | Rs 550 |
| 30 – 100 | Rs 3,200 | Rs 4,323 |
| 100 – 200 | Rs 9,580 | Rs 11,561 |
| 200 – 350 | Rs 12,200+ sales tax | Rs 14,661+ sales tax |
| 350 – 500 | Rs 17,800+ sales tax | Rs 23,420+ sales tax |
| Above 500 | Rs 27,600+ sales tax | Rs 37,007+ sales tax |
Do not budget from this table. At least two things have changed since it was published: the standard sales tax rate is no longer the 17% printed on it, and regulatory duty was cut from 1 July 2026. FBR has not published a replacement sheet we can find. So the figure that is true for your phone today is the one their own system quotes you.
- Regulatory duty was reduced from 1 July 2026 by SRO 1064(I)/2026, which superseded SRO 1152(I)/2025. Customs active SROs for import, FBR
If you are here for a few months, it is free
PTA registers a visitor’s own handset for up to 120 days at no charge. Their announcement calls it a “free of cost registration process” for overseas Pakistanis and foreign nationals visiting the country, and says it can be availed on each visit. If your stay is inside that window there is nothing to pay, and nothing to work around.
- Up to 120 days, and it costs nothing.
- For overseas Pakistanis and foreign nationals visiting, on their own device.
- Done on PTA’s own portal: the Device Registration System.
If you are staying longer than that, or you live here, this is not your route and the paid registration above is.
CNIC or passport
DIRBS has both categories and they are not priced the same. FBR’s own clarification puts the difference on a handset worth more than US$ 500 at “about Rs. 9,000” — the passport route being the cheaper one, because it does not carry the advance income tax the CNIC route does.
The passport route carries its own condition, and FBR prints it on the table itself: it is for a device registered within 60 days of arrival in Pakistan. Register under the wrong category and the amount is simply the other one.
Who does not pay this at all
- Anybody visiting inside the 120-day window above.
- Anybody whose handset is already registered — it is charged once per device, not every year.
- Anybody on roaming. PTA’s DIRBS FAQ says users on roaming services continue to use their phones without any registration — that is the exemption this whole product sits inside, and it changes nothing about the tax itself.
If your phone is already blocked, the routes open to you are set out in the guide on a blocked phone.
What eJugaar is, and what it is not
eJugaar is a data-only roaming eSIM. It gives an unregistered phone mobile data, because a device running on roaming is outside DIRBS blocking. It does not register the phone, it does not pay this tax, and it does not change the phone’s status with PTA. If you want the phone registered, you pay FBR — this page exists so you can see both numbers side by side and decide.
There are two more things worth knowing before you decide: how long a SIM keeps working in an unregistered phone and whether your phone can take an eSIM at all.
Sources
- Rate of duty and taxes on mobile phones (2021-22), FBR
- Important advisory for mobile device buyers: ensure compliance with FBR taxes, PTA
- DIRBS FAQs, PTA
- Overseas Pakistanis can register mobile devices for temporary use of up to 120 days, PTA
- FBR issues clarification on excessive charge of duties and taxes on mobile phones
