How to Register a Mobile Phone with PTA

A phone brought into Pakistan from abroad works for a while, then stops. Roughly two months in, the networks reject it, and the only fix is registering the handset and paying the tax on it.

The whole thing runs off one number: the IMEI. Dial *#06# on the phone and it appears on screen.

Check the IMEI before you pay anyone

This belongs first, because it is the step that saves money rather than spending it.

A phone advertised as PTA approved is not always PTA approved. If you are buying used or imported, check the IMEI yourself, on the actual handset, before money changes hands. Not from a photograph of the box, and not on the seller's word.

If the phone turns out to be unregistered, the tax becomes your problem the moment you own it. On an expensive handset that can be a large share of what you just paid.

Two practical notes. A dual SIM phone has two IMEIs, and both matter, so check both. And a status of blocked means exactly that: it will not work on any Pakistani network, whoever is holding it.

How to read the status properly is in our guide to checking an IMEI number.

Registering the phone

1. Dial *#06# and write the IMEI down.
2. Check its current status before doing anything else. It may already be registered.
3. Create an account on the DIRBS portal.
4. Enter the IMEI and your identity details, passport for a visitor, CNIC for a resident.
5. Pay the assessed amount and wait for confirmation.

The portal shows what you owe before you pay. That figure is the one that governs, which is why we do not publish tax amounts here.

Two different registrations

The temporary route is the one people miss. If you are visiting Pakistan and want your own phone to work on a local SIM, you do not need to pay device tax on a handset you are taking home again. Register it against your passport for the length of the visit.

That matters for overseas Pakistanis coming for a few weeks. Paying full device tax on a phone you will fly out with is money thrown away.

Why we do not print the tax figures

You will find specific rupee amounts for each phone quoted widely. We are not adding to them.

Device tax varies by handset and by category, and it is revised through finance legislation. We did not read a current schedule on PTA or FBR material, and a wrong figure here is not an abstract error, it is somebody deciding whether to buy a phone.

The portal shows the assessed amount before you pay. That is the authority. If a shop quotes you a different number, believe the portal.

The same applies to the free period for tourist registration and to exactly how long an unregistered phone keeps working. Around two months is the commonly cited figure for the latter, and we describe it that way rather than stating a precise day count we have not verified.

Do it yourself

The registration is a form, an IMEI and a payment. It does not need an agent.

Shops offering to register a phone for you charge for doing something you can do in ten minutes, and handing over your passport or CNIC details to arrange it creates a risk that did not need to exist.

Be especially wary of anyone offering to make a blocked phone work without registering it, through a patched IMEI or a cloned identifier. That is not a registration. It leaves you holding a handset with someone else's identifier on it, and it can be blocked again at any point with nothing to appeal.

If the phone is already blocked

A blocked handset is not bricked. It has simply been cut off from Pakistani networks, and registering it restores service.

Work through it in order. Confirm the IMEI on the handset itself. Check its status. If it is unregistered rather than reported stolen, register and pay. If the status suggests it was reported lost or stolen, that is a different matter entirely and not something a payment resolves.

If the fault is with the SIM rather than the handset, that is a separate problem, covered in reactivating an expired SIM.

For the wider rules on what equipment may be used on Pakistani networks, see PTA equipment standards, and for complaints against an operator, the PTA complaint guide.

Questions readers are asking

How do I register my phone with PTA?

Get the IMEI with *#06#, check its status, then register it on the DIRBS portal with your CNIC or passport and pay the assessed amount.

How much is the tax?

It depends on the handset and is revised periodically. The portal shows the assessed amount before payment, and that figure is the one that counts.

How long does a new phone work before it is blocked?

Commonly reported as around 60 days. We are not stating an exact day count we did not read at source, so register early rather than testing it.

I am visiting Pakistan. Do I have to pay?

There is a free temporary registration route for visitors, done against a passport for a limited period. You should not be paying device tax on a phone you are taking home.

Can I check a phone before buying it?

Yes, and you should. Dial *#06# on the actual handset and check the IMEI status. On a dual SIM phone, check both.

Should I pay someone to register it for me?

No. It is a form, an IMEI and a payment, and handing your identity documents to a third party adds risk for no benefit.

What about a patched or cloned IMEI?

Avoid it. That is not registration, and a handset carrying someone else's identifier can be cut off again with no recourse.