How to Apply for a New Gas Connection in Pakistan

You can apply for a new domestic gas connection again. The application itself is free. But there is a condition that decides what you will pay every month for the rest of the connection's life, and most people applying do not know about it.

The ban has only been relaxed for RLNG, not for system gas. RLNG is imported and it is billed at a higher tariff.

We opened SNGPL's own website and read the notice rather than relying on the many pages summarising it, because the figures being quoted around the internet do not agree with each other. Everything below comes from the utility.

What SNGPL actually says

In its own words, the government "has relaxed the ban for provision of new domestic gas connections, only on the basis of Re-Gasified Liquefied Natural Gas (RLNG) tariff".

Priority goes to applicants who had already paid an urgent fee or a demand notice before the ban was imposed. Those applicants can take an RLNG connection by signing an RLNG contract, giving an undertaking on notarised stamp paper of at least Rs 100, and paying the difference in security.

If you already had a system gas application in the queue, you can switch it to a new RLNG application, on either normal or fast track merit.

The charges, from the utility's own page

So a standard connection on a house up to 10 Marla is Rs 21,500 up front, of which Rs 20,000 comes back to you when the connection is eventually terminated. The real, non-returnable cost of a normal application is Rs 1,500.

That is a small number, and it is worth sitting with, because the cost that matters is not this one.

RLNG is the expensive part, and it is monthly

System gas is the cheaper, locally produced supply. RLNG is imported, regasified and billed at a higher tariff. Reports have put the difference at around 70 per cent above conventional domestic rates. We could not find a tariff notification we could open and read ourselves, so we are giving you that figure as reported rather than as established.

What is not in doubt is the direction. You are being offered the more expensive gas, because the cheaper gas is not being connected. A connection charge of Rs 1,500 tells you almost nothing about what this decision costs over ten years.

How to apply

1. Choose your company. SNGPL covers Punjab, Khyber Pakhtunkhwa, Azad Jammu and Kashmir and Islamabad. SSGC covers Sindh and Balochistan.
2. Apply online, through the app, or in person. SNGPL names its website, its ConnectOn mobile app, and its offices and Customer Services Centres. There is no fee at this stage.
3. Decide on fast track. The urgent fee is Rs 25,000 and it buys priority in the queue, not a guaranteed date.
4. Wait for the demand notice. You pay the security and serviceline cost only after it is issued, not when you apply.
5. Sign the RLNG contract and undertaking on notarised stamp paper of at least Rs 100.
6. Keep your application number. Status is checked against it and your CNIC.

The queue is the real answer to "should I apply"

The fee schedule makes this look quick. It is not.

The reported backlog runs beyond 700,000 applications. Normal processing is reported at two to three years, and even fast track is reported at six to twelve months rather than the three months sometimes quoted. We are labelling all of those as reported because we could not open a figure published by the utility itself.

Here is the practical conclusion. Because applying is free and the queue is measured in years, there is no reason to delay applying, and every reason not to build your plans around getting gas. If you are fitting out a kitchen or choosing a water heater this year, decide as though the connection will not arrive.

What this means for your bill later

Once connected, you are a gas customer like any other, and the billing questions start. Meter reading dates, the slab structure and the protected categories all apply, and we walked through reading and paying a gas bill in our guide to checking your Sui gas bill online.

It is also worth being honest that gas is not the only utility where the cheap option has quietly been withdrawn. The same pattern showed up in electricity this year, where a scheme that paid solar owners at par was replaced by one that buys their power at a wholesale rate, which we set out in the piece on what solar export pays now.

Questions readers are asking

Is the ban on new gas connections lifted in Pakistan?

Partly. SNGPL says the government has relaxed the ban only for connections on the RLNG tariff. New system gas domestic connections remain unavailable in most areas.

How much does a new gas connection cost?

There is no application fee. After the demand notice you pay a refundable security of Rs 20,000 plus a serviceline cost of Rs 1,500 for a house up to 10 Marla or Rs 3,000 above 10 Marla. Fast track adds an urgent fee of Rs 25,000.

What is the difference between system gas and RLNG?

System gas is locally produced and cheaper. RLNG is imported, regasified and billed at a higher tariff. New domestic connections are currently offered on RLNG only.

How long does a new gas connection take?

Reported waits are two to three years on normal processing and six to twelve months on fast track, against a backlog reported at more than 700,000 applications. Neither utility publishes a guaranteed timeline that we could read.

Can I switch my old system gas application to RLNG?

Yes. SNGPL says applicants who already submitted system gas applications may submit a new RLNG based application on either normal or fast track merit.

Do I get the security deposit back?

Yes. SNGPL lists the Rs 20,000 security as refundable. It is returned when the connection is terminated. The serviceline cost and the urgent fee are not refundable.