How to Transfer a Vehicle From Another Province in Pakistan, With the NOC

To transfer a car registered in another province, get an NOC (no objection certificate) and the registration file from the excise office where the car is now registered. Clear its token tax first. Then apply at the excise office where you live. Islamabad lists every document. Punjab's law says to report the transfer within 30 days.

Moving a car between provinces is common. People buy a Karachi car in Lahore, or move from Peshawar to Islamabad for work. Yet no excise department we checked publishes a single page on how to get the NOC itself. So we read what each one does publish, and the law behind it, on 1 October 2026.

The short version: the NOC comes from the old office, and the transfer happens at the new one.

Your car stays legal in another province after you move

In Punjab, a car registered anywhere else in Pakistan stays validly registered. Section 29 of Punjab's Provincial Motor Vehicles Ordinance 1965 says so. You do not need new number plates just to drive it there. You do need to report a new address or a new owner.

Section 29 says a vehicle registered by a competent authority "in any part of Pakistan not included in the Province" shall "remain effective in the Province". Each province has its own version of the 1965 Ordinance, and we read Punjab's on the Punjab Code. We did not read the Sindh, Khyber Pakhtunkhwa or Balochistan versions.

So the question is not whether your car is legal. It is whether the records match the owner and the address. If they do not, you can face trouble with token tax, challans and any later sale.

The 30 day rule for a new owner or a new address

Punjab's law gives 30 days in both cases. A buyer must report the transfer to the registering authority where the buyer lives. An owner who moves must report the new address to the authority there, and send in the registration certificate.

• Section 32, new owner: "within thirty days" of the transfer, the buyer reports it to the registering authority "within whose jurisdiction he ordinarily resides", with the registration certificate and the fee. That office then tells the original office.
• Section 31, new address: within thirty days of moving, the owner tells the new registering authority and forwards the certificate so the address can be changed. This does not apply to a temporary move of up to six months.

In practice, both cases mean dealing with two offices: the old one releases the record, and the new one takes it on. Sindh also charges a daily penalty for a late transfer, so do not let the paperwork slide.

Islamabad's document list for a car from another district

Islamabad is the only place we found that lists the extra papers. On top of a normal transfer, you need proof of living in Islamabad, a copy of the registration book, a copy of the full registration file, and an NOC from the excise department where the car is registered.

The ICT page gives office hours of 8 am to 1:30 pm, Monday to Friday, at the excise office next to the HEC building in H-9, and a processing time of four weeks. It also says advance tax applies to vehicles less than five years from first registration in Pakistan. Islamabad also charges advance tax and capital value tax on some transfers.

One warning. The ICT page still shows a transfer fee of Rs 1,200 to Rs 3,000. The Islamabad excise department's own transfer page shows the newer notified rates: Rs 2,750 up to 1000cc, Rs 5,500 from 1001 to 1800cc, and Rs 11,000 above 1800cc. Go by the excise page.

How to get the NOC from the old excise office

Go to the excise office where the car is registered now. Pay all token tax arrears first, because Punjab's transfer papers ask for a registration certificate with token tax paid. Ask for the NOC and for the registration file, or a certified copy of it.

1. Check the car online in the old province, to confirm the owner's name and that it is not reported stolen. Each province has a working vehicle verification portal.
2. Clear the token tax in the old province, through its excise office or official payment channel. In Punjab, that is the token tax payment on the excise system.
3. Apply at the old excise office with the registration book, the owner's CNIC and the buyer's CNIC. Ask for the NOC for transfer of ownership and the file.
4. Take both to the new office with the new province's transfer papers and proof of where you live.
5. Keep every receipt. If the old office tells the new one directly, as Punjab's law requires, your receipts prove you acted in time.

We could not find a published NOC form, fee or time limit on the Punjab, Sindh or Khyber Pakhtunkhwa excise websites. Ask the old office for its fee before you go, and get it in writing on the receipt.

What Punjab and Sindh ask for at the new office

Punjab and Sindh do not publish a separate list for cars from other provinces. Their normal transfer lists still apply: the transfer form, CNIC copies, the original registration certificate with token tax paid, and the original file where it was returned to the owner.

Punjab's excise page lists the T.O. (transfer order) form, copies of both CNICs and witnesses, the original registration certificate "containing update payment of Token Tax", and the original registration file for cars under the "File Return Scheme". Its transfer fee is Rs 2,750 up to 1000cc, Rs 5,500 up to 1800cc and Rs 11,000 above that. The same papers cover any car ownership transfer in Punjab.

Excise Punjab also posted a headline on 26 January 2026 saying it would launch "re-registration of vehicles (registered outside Punjab)" in the last week of January. The notice carries only the headline. We found no rules, fee or deadline for it, so ask at the office whether it applies to you.

Sindh's transfer office note lists a sale deed on Rs 100 stamp paper, CNIC copies, the surrendered original registration certificate, the original returned file, and the T.O. form. Commercial vehicles also need a transport authority NOC and an inspection.

Common questions

Do I need new number plates if I move my car to another province?

Not under Punjab's law. Section 29 keeps a registration from elsewhere in Pakistan effective in Punjab. You still need to report a new address or owner within 30 days.

Where do I get a vehicle NOC for another province?

From the excise and taxation office where the car is registered now. Clear any token tax first. We found no online NOC application on any excise website.

How long does an inter-provincial transfer take in Islamabad?

ICT Administration lists a processing time of four weeks for a vehicle transfer.

Is there a fee for the NOC?

No excise department we checked publishes one. Ask the old office and make sure the amount appears on your receipt.

Can I sell a Karachi car in Lahore without moving the registration?

The buyer must report the transfer within 30 days to the office where the buyer lives, under section 32 of Punjab's Ordinance. That office then informs the Karachi office.

What is the File Return Scheme?

It covers cars whose registration file was handed back to the owner. Sindh's form calls it the "original returned file". If your car is one of them, the new office will want that original file.

How we verified this

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

Last checked on 1 October 2026. We read sections 29, 31 and 32 of the Provincial Motor Vehicles Ordinance 1965 on the Punjab Code, the ICT Administration vehicle transfer page, the Islamabad excise transfer page and FAQ, Excise Punjab's registration page, documents list and news page, and Excise Sindh's transfer form. We did not apply for an NOC, so the NOC fee and timing are not confirmed.