Islamabad Vehicle Registration, Transfer and Token Tax: 2026 Fees and Steps

In Islamabad, a private car up to 1000cc pays a one-time lifetime token tax of Rs 20,000. Cars from 1001cc to 2000cc pay 0.25% of the invoice value every year, and bigger cars 0.35%. Transfer of ownership costs Rs 2,750 to Rs 11,000, and the smart card Rs 2,400.

All of this comes from the Excise and Taxation Department of the Islamabad Capital Territory (ICT), which runs vehicle registration for the capital. Its own site, islamabadexcise.gov.pk, says it and the CITY ISLAMABAD app are the only official sources for its services. The site warns people off every other source.

We read the department's registration, transfer and post-registration pages, its full fee schedule, its fee calculator and the transfer fee notification on 27 September 2026. We did not register or transfer a vehicle ourselves.

Islamabad token tax rates for cars and motorcycles

Motorcycles and private cars up to 1000cc pay token tax once, for life. Private cars above 1000cc pay a percentage of the invoice value each year: 0.25% up to 2000cc and 0.35% above it. Electric vehicles pay no token tax but still pay income tax.

The schedule marks only the motorcycle and 1000cc rows as "lifetime". For bigger cars, the department's own calculator multiplies the percentage by the number of tax years. So a 1300cc car with an invoice value of Rs 5 million pays Rs 12,500 a year. That is our arithmetic from the published rate.

The tax year runs from 1 July to 30 June. A new car pays for the remaining months of the year in which it is registered.

Token tax is not the only annual charge. The schedule also lists withholding income tax, collected with it for private cars. For a filer it ranges from Rs 1,500 to Rs 10,000 depending on engine size, and a non-filer pays double. Cars older than 10 years, motorcycles and government vehicles are exempt. You can check your filer status before you pay. Professional tax is Rs 100 a year, or Rs 1,000 once for a lifetime vehicle.

How to pay Islamabad token tax online

Pay through the CITY ISLAMABAD app, which the department names as its official app. The home page notice also mentions the PAK APP for token tax. You can also pay at the National Bank booth inside the Excise office in Sector H-9.

If you once paid your token tax at a Post Office, go to the Excise office and get your record updated. The department's announcements page says this directly, next to lists of vehicles whose registration it has cancelled for unpaid tax. Those lists cover vehicles registered up to 2010, and vehicles with incomplete information up to 30 June 2015.

The rules are different in each province. Punjab token tax has its own rates and its own app, and a car registered in Punjab does not pay in Islamabad.

New vehicle registration in Islamabad, step by step

Register at the Excise office with your biometric slip, CNIC copy, purchase proof and Islamabad address proof. Staff check your papers, issue form F and a fee challan, and inspect the vehicle. The smart card is ready 10 days after the inspection.

1. Get a vehicle biometric verification slip, from the Excise office or any NADRA e-Sahulat centre.
2. Bring a CNIC copy, an application to the Excise and Taxation Officer, and proof of purchase: the sale invoice and sale certificate for a local car, or the bill of entry and bill of lading for an imported one.
3. Bring proof of an Islamabad address: a utility bill, lease, registry, allotment letter or rent agreement.
4. Get your papers checked, sign the computerised form F, and pay the challan at the National Bank booth or through the CITY ISLAMABAD app.
5. Pay the smart card and number plate fee in cash at the counter, then take the vehicle for physical inspection.

The total is registration fee, plus advance tax, token tax, income tax, professional tax, capital value tax where it applies, the Rs 2,400 smart card fee and the number plate fee. The registration fee is 1% of the value up to 1000cc, 2% from 1001cc to 2000cc and 4% above that. Electric vehicles pay no registration fee.

Two points need care. The department's two pages differ on commercial vehicles above 1000cc: the fee schedule says 1%, while the registration page says 2%. And the number plate fee is not published at all; the line is switched off in the department's own calculator. Ask at the information desk before you pay.

Capital value tax is 1% of the value for cars above 1300cc and electric vehicles above 50 kWh, for the first five financial years.

Late registration fines and number plate penalties

Registering late is expensive. A car up to 1000cc registered 61 to 120 days late pays Rs 60,000, rising to Rs 182,500 after 180 days. A fake number plate costs Rs 25,000 to Rs 100,000, and a non-pattern plate Rs 5,000 to Rs 20,000.

Delay counts from the invoice date, the bill of entry date or the auction letter date. So the clock starts when you buy, not when you visit the office.

• Fake number plate: Rs 25,000 up to 1000cc, Rs 50,000 up to 2000cc, Rs 100,000 above that, Rs 5,000 for a motorcycle.
• Non-pattern number plate: Rs 5,000, Rs 10,000 or Rs 20,000 by engine size within 45 days, and Rs 25,000 to Rs 100,000 for a repeat offence by the same owner. Motorcycles pay Rs 1,000, then Rs 5,000.
• Tinted glass: the same Rs 5,000 to Rs 20,000 scale, with Rs 25,000 to Rs 100,000 on a repeat.

The home page also warns that vehicles without an M-Tag face "strict action", and lists 14 M-Tag booths in Islamabad, open 9am to 9pm, seven days a week. You can check your M-Tag number online.

Vehicle transfer of ownership in Islamabad

Transfer needs an inspection token from the Excise website or app, biometric receipts for buyer and seller, CNIC copies, a transfer letter signed by both, and the vehicle itself. The fee is Rs 2,750 up to 1000cc, Rs 5,500 up to 1800cc and Rs 11,000 above.

These fees come from a Chief Commissioner ICT notification dated 11 April 2025, in force from 14 April 2025. It more than doubled the old fees; a car up to 1000cc went from Rs 1,200 to Rs 2,750.

1. Fill in the transfer details on islamabadexcise.gov.pk or the CITY ISLAMABAD app and print the inspection token.
2. Get biometric receipts titled "Transfer of Ownership" for the buyer and the seller.
3. Have the transfer letter filled and signed by both. A bank or company seller gives an NOC instead.
4. Bring the vehicle for physical inspection and pay the fee at the National Bank booth or through the app.
5. Submit everything at the counter and keep the receipt. The new smart card takes 10 days after inspection.

Advance tax also applies if the car was first registered in Pakistan less than five years ago, falling 10% a year. The two department pages give different non-filer amounts, so confirm yours at the desk. Before paying for any used car, verify the vehicle is not stolen or in default. The steps for other provinces are in vehicle ownership transfer in Pakistan.

If the seller has died, the department asks for the death certificate, NADRA family registration certificate, a succession document, and biometrics and CNIC copies of all legal heirs.

Common questions

What is the token tax for a 1000cc car in Islamabad?

Rs 20,000, paid once for the life of the vehicle, for a private car up to 1000cc.

Is there a lifetime token tax for a 1300cc car in Islamabad?

No. Private cars from 1001cc to 2000cc pay 0.25% of the invoice value every year. The published lifetime option covers only cars up to 1000cc and motorcycles.

How much is the vehicle transfer fee in Islamabad?

Rs 2,750 up to 1000cc, Rs 5,500 from 1001cc to 1800cc and Rs 11,000 above 1800cc, in force since 14 April 2025.

Can I pay Islamabad token tax online?

Yes. The Excise department names the CITY ISLAMABAD app for payment, and its home page notice also mentions the PAK APP.

How long does the Islamabad vehicle smart card take?

Ten days after the physical inspection of the vehicle, according to the department's service delivery times.

Do electric vehicles pay token tax in Islamabad?

No. Electric vehicles are exempt from token tax and registration fee, but income tax is still payable.

How we verified this

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

Last checked on 27 September 2026. The token tax, income tax, professional tax, registration fee, capital value tax, smart card fee, late registration fines and number plate fines are read in the fee schedules on islamabadexcise.gov.pk. The yearly charge for cars above 1000cc is read in the department's new registration fee calculator. The registration steps and fee formula are on its registration page, the transfer steps on its transfer page, and the transfer fees in the Chief Commissioner ICT notification of 11 April 2025, in force from 14 April 2025. The 10 day smart card time is on the service delivery page. The payment apps, M-Tag warning and cancelled vehicle lists are on the department's home and announcements pages. We did not register, transfer or pay tax on a vehicle.