How Much is PTA Mobile Tax for Overseas Pakistanis?

Let’s discuss the PTA mobile tax on overseas Pakistanis.

What is the PTA Mobile Tax on Overseas Pakistanis?

Since overseas Pakistanis bring mobile phones with them to Pakistan – if they are coming for more than 4 months, they will have to pay a PTA mobile tax to keep their smartphones active. The tax applies on the passport.

Here is a breakdown of tax that overseas Pakistanis have to pay as PTA mobile tax.

Why Overseas Pakistanis have to pay tax?

Well, Overseas Pakistanis will be using their smartphones in Pakistan. This will include using the PTA network. If they are using local sim cards like Ufone, Warid, Jazz and others, they will have to pay a tax on their smartphones to keep their local sim cards running.

If they do not want to pay tax, they can use their international sim cards without any issue.

How Much PTA Mobile Tax Overseas Pakistanis will have to pay?

Here is an example to calculate how much PTA mobile sales tax overseas Pakistanis will have to pay to keep using their smartphones in Pakistan.

Let’s say, someone brings Samsung Galaxy S24 to Pakistan. The price of the smartphone in the international marketing at the time of writing is 1060 USD.

In Pakistan, the price of the smartphone is equivalent to 300,000 PKR.

Now, the smartphone is over 1000 USD. The tax bracket it falls into is the last one. In our case, it is the following: $501 to above than $501PKR. 36870 plus 17% sales tax Ad Valorem.

Now, in this case, there will be a flat tax on the mobile that is being brought to Pakistan. That will be 36870 PKR. Now this is the flat tax.

Calculating PTA Smartphone Sales Tax

Now we will have to calculate the sales tax on PTA smartphone. The sales tax is 17%. So, 17% of 300,000 will be 351000 PKR +  36870 PKR that we discussed earlier.

So, in total the price of the Samsung Galaxy S24 in Pakistan will be 387780 PKR.

This is almost the same price that you will have to pay if you buy the smartphone directly in Pakistan. Because the smartphone that you buy locally will also be PTA approved.

Of course, some vendors in Pakistan will sell the smartphone for a higher price because they will charge a commission for that. But the price will not vary more than a few thousands rupees.

Is PTA Import Tax on Smartphone Cheaper on Passport than CNIC?

Yes. There is a slight difference in the PTA import tax on CNIC in comparison with a passport. The import tax on PTA smartphones on passport is around 10,000 PKR cheaper than on CNIC.

That’s why most people that are coming from overseas and are passport holders of another country, they can get the smartphones in Pakistan for a cheaper price. These smartphones can then be sold in the local market as well.

How Can Overseas Pakistanis Pay PTA Mobile Tax?

To pay the PTA mobile tax as an overseas Pakistani, follow these steps:

1. Create an account: Visit the official website of the Pakistan Telecommunication Authority (PTA) at https://dirbs.pta.gov.pk/drs and click on the “sign up” option to create an account.
2. Choose the correct category: During the registration process, choose the category of “Overseas Pakistanis and Foreign Citizens”.
3. Fill out the registration form: Provide your personal details, such as ID card number or passport number, entry and departure dates, and the mobile network operator you plan to use.
4. Generate OTP: Submit the form to generate a six-digit OTP. Enter this OTP in the designated section to activate your account successfully.
5. Verify your account: Upon submission, users will receive an email and SMS for verification. Activate your account by following the link provided in the SMS/Mail.
6. Login and declare: Log in to the portal with your credentials, where you will encounter a declaration form. Agree to the Terms & Conditions and select “Temporary Registration for Overseas Pakistanis/Foreign Nationals”.

How Can Overseas Pakistanis Check PTA Mobile Verification Status?

To check the PTA mobile verification status for overseas Pakistanis, follow these steps:

1. Get the IMEI number: Dial *#06# from your mobile device to obtain the IMEI number.
2. Send the IMEI number to 8484 via SMS: Alternatively, you can send an SMS containing the IMEI number to 8484.
3. Check the status online: Visit the Device Identification, Registration and Blocking System (DIRBS) website at dirbs.pta.gov.pk. Unfortunately, the DIRBS website cannot be accessed outside of Pakistan, so sending the IMEI number to 8484 via SMS is the recommended method for checking the status.