PTA Tax Calculator
Work out what it costs to register an imported phone in Pakistan. Enter the handset’s value, pick passport or CNIC, and see the duty plus the total landed cost.
Estimate your duty
Use the price you actually paid, or the market value abroad.
Adjust to today’s rate — the bands are set in dollars.
Estimated cost
Enter the phone’s value to see the estimated registration duty.
An estimate based on the FY 2024–25 schedule. Rates change with each finance act and PTA’s own valuation of your handset may differ from the price you paid. Confirm on the official DIRBS portal before you rely on this figure.
Full rate schedule
| Device value | On passport | On CNIC |
|---|---|---|
| Up to $30 | Rs 1,230 | Rs 1,430 |
| $31 – $100 | Rs 6,400 | Rs 7,843 |
| $101 – $200 | Rs 17,280 | Rs 20,031 |
| $201 – $350 | Rs 23,800 | Rs 24,770 |
| $351 – $500 | Rs 34,000 | Rs 39,000 |
| $501 – $700 | Rs 52,000 | Rs 63,500 |
| Above $700 | Rs 60,000 | Rs 71,500 |
How PTA registration works
Every phone used on a Pakistani mobile network has to be registered with the Pakistan Telecommunication Authority against its IMEI. Handsets sold by local retailers are normally already approved and the duty is included in the shelf price — this only affects phones brought in from abroad or bought from sellers who imported them privately.
An unregistered handset works on a Pakistani SIM for a short grace period and is then blocked for cellular use. Wi-Fi keeps working, but the phone stops being a phone. The duty is banded by the device’s value in US dollars, which is why a flagship costs so much more to register than a budget handset.
Passport or CNIC?
The passport rate is lower at every band, but it can only be used once per person per year and within roughly 60 days of your arrival in Pakistan. The CNIC route has no such restriction and costs more. If you are bringing back one phone after travelling, the passport route is almost always the cheaper option.
Before you import
Add the duty to the purchase price before deciding whether importing is worth it. On mid-range handsets the total often lands very close to the local PTA-approved price, at which point buying here is simpler and comes with a local warranty. Compare against current local prices before committing.
Frequently asked questions
- What is PTA tax on mobile phones in Pakistan?
- It is the registration duty payable to have a handset recognised on Pakistani networks. Phones bought locally already include it. A phone brought in from abroad must be registered against its IMEI and the duty paid, or its SIM functionality is blocked after the grace period.
- Is registering on a passport cheaper than a CNIC?
- Yes, meaningfully so at every value band. The passport rate applies once per person per year and must be used within 60 days of arriving in Pakistan. Registering on CNIC has no arrival requirement but costs more.
- How long can I use an unregistered phone?
- A newly imported handset works on a Pakistani SIM for a limited grace period, currently around 60 days. After that the device is blocked for cellular use until the duty is paid, though Wi-Fi continues to work.
- Do I pay PTA tax on a phone bought in Pakistan?
- No. A PTA-approved phone from a local retailer already has the duty included in its price. Always confirm approval status before buying, particularly from grey-market sellers.
Mobile Specs is an information site. This calculator is an estimate and not tax advice — confirm on PTA’s official DIRBS portal before relying on it.