Calculate PTA DIRBS mobile registration tax in Pakistan. Enter your phone's value in USD, choose passport or CNIC registration, and see the exact tax — plus total landed cost.
Popular phone values:
PTA registration tax
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Enter your phone value above.
Tax slabs (PKR) — editable, update to latest PTA rates
Phone value (USD)
Passport tax (₨)
CNIC tax (₨)
Slab defaults are approximate PTA DIRBS rates and change with budgets. Tap any amount to edit it to the latest official rate, then recalculate. Always verify against the official PTA DIRBS portal before paying.
Every mobile phone used in Pakistan on a local SIM must be registered with the PTA through DIRBS (Device Identification, Registration and Blocking System). Unregistered phones get blocked after a grace period. Registration requires paying a tax that depends on the phone's assessed dollar value.
Passport vs CNIC registration
Overseas Pakistanis can register one phone per passport per year at a much lower tax rate. Registration on CNIC costs significantly more. If you are bringing a phone from abroad, register it on your passport within the allowed window to save thousands of rupees.
How to pay
Dial *8484# from your mobile, or visit the PTA DIRBS portal.
Enter your phone's IMEI (dial *#06# to find it).
Choose passport or CNIC registration and pay the generated PSID via bank, JazzCash or EasyPaisa.
Frequently asked questions
How is PTA mobile tax calculated in Pakistan?
PTA charges a fixed tax per USD value slab of your phone. Enter your phone's dollar value above and the calculator finds your slab and shows the passport and CNIC tax amounts.
Is PTA tax cheaper on passport or CNIC?
Passport registration is much cheaper — often less than half the CNIC rate. Overseas Pakistanis should always register on their passport when eligible.
Do PTA tax rates change?
Yes, rates are revised periodically. The slab table above is editable — update the amounts to match the latest official PTA notification.
Is this PTA tax calculator free?
Yes. It is 100% free with no signup required.
How long does PTA approval take after payment?
Usually 24–72 hours after the PSID is paid, though it can occasionally take longer during busy periods. You can check your registration status anytime by dialing *8484# or entering your IMEI on the DIRBS portal.
What happens if I don't register my phone?
After the grace period expires, DIRBS blocks the unregistered IMEI from all local mobile networks — the phone will show 'no service' on Pakistani SIMs. Wi-Fi still works, but calls, SMS, and mobile data do not until you register and pay.
Can I register a phone on someone else's passport or CNIC?
No — registration is tied to the traveler or CNIC holder. The passport route allows one phone per passport per year for overseas Pakistanis bringing devices personally. Using someone else's documents violates PTA rules and risks the registration.
Do filers and non-filers pay the same PTA tax?
No. On CNIC registration an advance income tax component is included, and non-filers pay it at a higher (doubled) rate under the Income Tax Ordinance. Passport registration does not include the income-tax component at all, which is one reason the passport amounts in the slab table are lower.
Can overseas Pakistanis use a phone in Pakistan without paying PTA tax?
Yes, temporarily. PTA's temporary registration system lets overseas Pakistanis and foreign visitors use one personal device free of tax for up to 120 days per visit. After that, normal DIRBS registration and tax apply.
How do I pay the PTA tax after calculating it?
Register your IMEI on the DIRBS portal (dirbs.pta.gov.pk) or through your mobile operator to generate a PSID, then pay the amount against that PSID via online or mobile banking, JazzCash, Easypaisa, an ATM or a bank branch. Registration usually activates within 24–72 hours of payment.
How PTA's DIRBS tax slabs work
Every phone used on a Pakistani SIM must be registered with the PTA through DIRBS (Device Identification, Registration and Blocking System), which pairs your phone's IMEI with the network — unregistered devices are blocked after a grace period. The tax is a flat amount per USD value slab (not a percentage): find your phone's assessed dollar value, locate its slab, and pay that slab's fixed tax. Two registration paths exist: passport (for overseas Pakistanis, one phone per passport per year, much cheaper) and CNIC (standard, significantly more expensive). Payment generates a PSID (via *8484# or the DIRBS portal) payable through banks, JazzCash, or EasyPaisa.
Worked example: a $450 phone
$450 falls in the $351–500 slab. From this page's table: passport registration = Rs 32,000, CNIC registration = Rs 38,000. An overseas Pakistani registering on their passport instead of CNIC saves 38,000 − 32,000 = Rs 6,000 on the identical phone. Drop to a $250 phone ($201–350 slab) and the figures become Rs 17,300 vs Rs 21,000 — the passport advantage holds at every slab.
Practical tips
Dial *#06# to get your IMEI before starting, and register within the allowed window after arrival — late registration can complicate the process. PTA revises these rates periodically, so if the numbers above look stale, update the editable slab table on this page to match the latest official notification before relying on the total.
Bring vs buy locally: the real comparison
Overseas Pakistanis constantly face this math. Bringing a $450 phone: passport tax Rs 32,000 (this page's table) plus the phone's price. Buying the same model locally: the shop price already bakes in the importer's CNIC-rate tax and their margin. Rough rule: if the foreign retail price + passport tax beats the local market price by a clear margin, bring it; if local sellers are within a few thousand rupees, buy locally and skip the DIRBS paperwork entirely. Also factor warranty — locally bought phones carry local warranty; personally imported ones usually do not, and one dead motherboard erases every rupee you saved.
Worked examples
Using this calculator's default slab table above, here is the estimated registration tax at popular phone values:
Phone value
Passport tax
CNIC tax
You save on passport
$80
₨3,170
₨4,600
₨1,430
$150
₨11,500
₨13,900
₨2,400
$300
₨17,300
₨21,000
₨3,700
$450
₨32,000
₨38,000
₨6,000
$800
₨55,000
₨65,000
₨10,000
Estimates only — the final amount is set by FBR's valuation of your exact model in the DIRBS system.
What the PTA tax includes
The single figure in the slab table is actually several government charges combined:
Customs & regulatory duty — a fixed rupee amount per value band, set by FBR notifications.
Sales tax — charged ad valorem on the phone's PKR value.
Mobile handset levy — a fixed per-band charge under the Finance Act.
Advance income tax — charged on the CNIC route only, and at a higher rate for non-filers. This is a key reason passport registration works out cheaper in the table above.