Thursday, October 8, 2026
Guides for Pakistan
Smart information for a changing digital world
Tools · Phones and PTA
Enter your phone’s value to see the PTA tax you will pay on passport or CNIC, with every charge itemised: sales tax, regulatory duty, the mobile handset levy and income tax.
By Muhammad Daniyal, editor · Rates for FY2026–27, in force from 1 July 2026 · Last checked 8 October 2026
This is an estimate based on the rates FBR applies to phones registered through PTA’s DIRBS system. The amount DIRBS shows you is final, because it uses FBR’s own assessed value for your exact model and the customs exchange rate on the day. ProInfoDesk is not affiliated with PTA or FBR.
PTA does not charge a tax of its own. When you register a phone through PTA’s Device Identification Registration and Blocking System (DIRBS), FBR collects the customs duties and taxes that would have been paid if the phone had been imported commercially. The total is made of four parts.
The bracket is decided by the phone’s value in US dollars, so the exchange rate matters twice: once to convert the value into rupees for sales tax, and again if a rupee price pushes the phone across a bracket line.
These are the amounts in force from 1 July 2026. Sales tax is shown as a rate because it depends on the value; every other column is a fixed rupee amount.
| Phone value | Sales tax | Regulatory duty | Handset levy | Income tax, filer | Income tax, non-filer |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Up to US$30 | 18% | Rs 240 | Rs 100 | Rs 100 | Rs 200 |
| US$31–100 | 18% | Rs 2,400 | Rs 200 | Rs 100 | Rs 200 |
| US$101–200 | 18% | Rs 6,000 | Rs 200 | Rs 100 | Rs 200 |
| US$201–350 | 18% | Rs 8,800 | Rs 1,800 | Rs 970 | Rs 1,940 |
| US$351–500 | 18% | Rs 12,000 | Rs 4,000 | Rs 5,000 | Rs 10,000 |
| US$501–700 | 25% | Rs 17,600 | Rs 8,000 | Rs 11,500 | Rs 23,000 |
| Above US$700 | 25% | Rs 17,600 | Rs 16,000 | Rs 11,500 | Rs 23,000 |
Income tax is charged only on the CNIC route. The two thresholds to watch are US$500, where sales tax jumps from 18% to 25%, and US$700, where the handset levy doubles. On passport, a phone valued at US$505 pays almost Rs 20,000 more than one valued at US$500.
| Passport | CNIC | |
|---|---|---|
| Who can use it | Anyone arriving in Pakistan with a phone bought abroad | Anyone, including for phones bought in Pakistan |
| Deadline | Within 60 days of your arrival date | No deadline, but a fine can apply after 60 days |
| Income tax | Not charged | Charged, doubled for non-filers |
| Limit | Up to five phones per year can be registered against one passport or CNIC | |
If you are visiting for less than 120 days, you may not need to pay at all. PTA’s temporary registration lets overseas Pakistanis and foreign visitors use one phone free for up to 120 days per visit. Tick the visitor option in the calculator to see the conditions. Our guide to registering a phone without a CNIC walks through the passport route step by step.
| Phone value | Passport | CNIC, filer | CNIC, non-filer |
|---|---|---|---|
| US$250 (Rs 69,250) | Rs 23,065 | Rs 24,035 | Rs 25,005 |
| US$480 (Rs 132,960) | Rs 39,933 | Rs 44,933 | Rs 49,933 |
| US$900 (Rs 249,300) | Rs 95,925 | Rs 107,425 | Rs 118,925 |
Take the US$900 phone on passport. Sales tax is 25% of Rs 249,300, which is Rs 62,325. Add Rs 17,600 regulatory duty and the Rs 16,000 handset levy, and the total is Rs 95,925. On a CNIC, a filer adds Rs 11,500 income tax and a non-filer adds Rs 23,000.
Before buying a used phone, check its IMEI on DIRBS yourself. A phone that shows as registered on someone else’s CNIC can still be blocked later. Our used iPhone checklist covers what else to verify.
To match DIRBS exactly, enter the assessed value it shows rather than what you paid.
It depends on the value FBR assigns to your model, not the iPhone name. A recent flagship valued at US$900 comes to about Rs 95,925 on passport and Rs 107,425 on CNIC for a filer, at Rs 277 to the dollar. Every iPhone above US$700 pays 25% sales tax plus Rs 17,600 regulatory duty and a Rs 16,000 levy. See our iPhone 18 Pro Max PTA tax breakdown for a model-specific example.
Passport is always cheaper, because income tax is only charged on the CNIC route. On a phone above US$500 the difference is Rs 11,500 for a filer and Rs 23,000 for a non-filer. You can only use your passport if you register the phone within 60 days of arriving in Pakistan.
The Finance Act 2026 allows it from 1 July 2026, but FBR has not yet announced how the instalment option works. As of late August 2026 there was no way to choose it on DIRBS, and PTA has warned that notices claiming otherwise are fake. Until FBR publishes the procedure, the full amount is due in one payment.
PTA registration does not treat new and used phones differently. FBR sets the tax for each IMEI from its assessed value for that model, so an older model with a lower assessed value can fall into a cheaper bracket, but the same model costs the same whether it is new or used.
A phone with a foreign IMEI works on a Pakistani SIM for a short grace period. If its tax is not paid in that time, PTA blocks the phone on all local networks. It still works on Wi-Fi.
No. FBR and Pakistan Customs set and collect the tax. PTA runs DIRBS, the system that links your IMEI to the payment and unblocks the phone once FBR confirms it.
DIRBS uses FBR’s own assessed value for your exact model and the customs exchange rate on the day, which can differ from the price you paid. A late-registration fine can also be added on the CNIC route. Enter the value DIRBS shows to make the two match.
Read how we check and update guides in our editorial policy.