Record a New Engine on Your Vehicle Registration in Punjab: Rs 1,500 Fee

If you fit a new or used engine in a car in Punjab, record the new engine number with Excise. The alteration fee is Rs 1,500 for a private vehicle and Rs 3,000 for a transport vehicle. Take the engine's purchase receipt, Form F with the new engine number, your CNIC copy and the original registration certificate with token tax paid.

An engine swap is common once a car is old enough. The mechanic finishes the job, the car runs, and the paperwork gets forgotten. Then the registration still shows the old engine number while the car carries a different one. We read the Excise and Taxation Department's registration and tax pages on 2 October 2026. The papers and fees below come from them.

Why the engine number on your registration must match

Your registration certificate records the engine number and chassis number. When you fit a different engine, the record no longer matches the car. Excise treats this as an alteration and changes the record when you apply with proof of where the engine came from.

The mismatch shows up at the worst moment. A buyer compares the numbers on the engine with the smart card. A police vehicle check can do the same. When you go for a car ownership transfer in Punjab, a number that does not match turns a routine visit into questions you cannot answer on the spot.

The purchase receipt is the heart of it. An engine with no receipt could be from a stolen car, and that is exactly what the check is meant to catch. Buy from a seller who will give you a written receipt naming the engine number.

The papers Excise asks for an engine change

Excise Punjab lists four items for a change of engine number, plus a fifth for older files. They are the receipt for the new engine, a copy of your CNIC, Form F showing the new engine number, and the original registration certificate with token tax paid.

Clear token tax arrears first, because the certificate must show tax paid. You can pay Punjab token tax online in a few minutes.

How to record a new engine, step by step

Collect the receipt, pay token tax, fill Form F with the new engine number, and submit at your district Excise office. Pay the alteration fee, keep the receipt, and check the record once Excise has updated it.

1. Get a proper receipt. Ask the seller to write the engine number, the date, the price and their own name and CNIC or business name.
2. Copy the engine number carefully. Read it off the engine block, not off an old invoice. One wrong digit means a second visit.
3. Clear token tax. The original registration certificate must be up to date.
4. Fill Form F. Enter the vehicle's particulars with the new engine number.
5. Submit at the Excise office. Hand in the receipt, Form F, CNIC copy and original registration certificate. Excise also runs an appointment portal at appointment-excise.punjab.gov.pk.
6. Pay the alteration fee. It is Rs 1,500 for a private vehicle and Rs 3,000 for a transport vehicle.
7. Check the result. Track the application on e-MTTS Punjab, then confirm the new engine number appears on the record.

Other changes Excise counts as an alteration

The same Rs 1,500 or Rs 3,000 alteration fee applies to any alteration in a motor vehicle. Excise lists a separate paper set for a conversion, which needs an endorsement from a Motor Vehicle Examiner, and for an ownership certificate.

In plain terms, a conversion is a change to the vehicle itself, such as its body or type. The Motor Vehicle Examiner inspects the vehicle and endorses Form F with the nature of the change. Fitting a gas kit is a separate process with its own safety rules, set out in the steps to fit a CNG or LPG kit legally.

The word "tie-up" in the Excise list refers to commercial vehicles that need a fitness certificate. A private car does not need one for a conversion under this list.

Check a used engine before you buy it

Before you pay for a used engine, make sure it did not come from a stolen car. Ask for the engine number, the seller's CNIC and, if the engine came from a scrapped car, that car's registration details.

A seller who will not write a receipt is the warning sign. Without one, Excise has no proof of where the engine came from. If you suspect an engine or car is stolen, the steps to report a stolen car in Pakistan show where such cases go.

Keep the receipt with the registration papers after the change. The next buyer will want to see it.

Common questions

Do I need to tell Excise if I change my car's engine in Punjab?

Yes. Excise lists a change of engine number as an alteration. You submit the engine receipt, Form F with the new number, your CNIC copy and the original registration certificate.

What is the fee to change the engine number in Punjab?

The alteration fee is Rs 1,500 for a private vehicle and Rs 3,000 for a transport vehicle, on Excise's motor vehicle tax page.

Can I change the engine without a receipt?

Excise lists the purchase receipt for the new engine as a required paper. Without it, your file is incomplete.

Does a motorcycle engine change need the same process?

Excise's list does not separate cars and motorcycles for an engine change. A motorcycle counts as an "other vehicle", so the fee is Rs 1,500.

Can I sell my car before the new engine is recorded?

You should not. The transfer needs the original registration certificate, and a buyer will see the engine number does not match.

How we verified this

What we checked, where we read it, and what we could not confirm.

Last checked on 2 October 2026. We read Excise Punjab's vehicle registration and post registration page, which lists the papers for a change of engine number, a conversion and an ownership certificate, and its motor vehicle tax page, which sets the alteration fee at Rs 3,000 for transport vehicles and Rs 1,500 for others. Neither page gives a deadline for reporting an engine change or a processing time, so we have not stated one.