For people living abroad, there is a common demand from family members, relatives, and friends to bring a mobile phone for them. However, things have changed very rapidly and are not like the past when you could bring as many phones as you wanted as gifts for your acquaintances. Now, importing a mobile phone into Pakistan is not possible without paying the PTA Tax, which sometimes costs you a very handsome amount. Therefore, overseas Pakistanis are now very familiar with the PTA tax. The only thing they find hard to understand is how to calculate the PTA tax.
This article will help you understand how the PTA tax calculator works and how you can find the exact tax on your phone, and that too without asking someone else for help.
The PTA tax calculator works by taking the original value of a mobile phone in US dollars and then adding 17% of the original value to the fixed duty rate as mentioned by the FBR.
PTA Tax = Rate of duty + 17% sales tax.
The sales tax is always fixed, i.e., 17%. However, the duty rate varies with the cost of the phone and the means of registration, i.e., passport or CNIC.
The FBR has announced different PTA taxes for phones based on their market price in US dollars. It means a mobile phone valued at USD 100 will pay a lower fixed duty rate than phones valued at more than 100, and similarly it goes on until USD 500. For phones valued at more than $500, the duty rate is fixed at PKR 27,600 plus 17% sales tax. Below, mobile phones with corresponding duty and sales tax are mentioned as per the FBR official website.
Here is a full insight into how much duty rate will be applied to you in PKR if you have a passport.
S.No. | Mobile Phones Value in USD | Fixed Rate in PKR |
1 | Below 30 | 430 + 17% sales tax |
2 | Above 30 up to 100 | 3200 + 17% sales tax |
3 | Above 100 up to 200 | 9580 + 17% sales tax |
4 | Above 200 up to 350 | 12200 + 17% sales tax |
5 | Above 350 up to 500 | 17800 + 17% sales tax |
6 | Above 500 | 27600 + 17% sales tax |
Registering mobile phones via CNIC follows the same process as that of a passport. However, the duty rate is slightly higher for CNIC than for a passport. Here is the list of the PTA tax in PKR for people with CNIC:
S.No. | Mobile Phones Value in USD | Fixed Rate in PKR |
1 | Below 30 | 550 + 17% sales tax |
2 | Above 30 up to 100 | 4323+ 17% sales tax |
3 | Above 100 up to 200 | 11561 + 17% sales tax |
4 | Above 200 up to 350 | 14661 + 17% sales tax |
5 | Above 350 up to 500 | 23420 + 17% sales tax |
6 | Above 500 | 37007 + 17% sales tax |
The current price of an iPhone 15 in the USA is USD 799. So, the duty rate for this phone on a passport is PKR 27,600, and on a CNIC, it is PKR 37,007. The sales tax is 17%, which is equivalent to PKR 37,764. By adding these two taxes, the PTA tax for the iPhone 15 on a passport is PKR 65,364, and on a CNIC, it is PKR 74,771.
The current price of the Samsung S23 in the USA is USD 774. As we know, phones costing more than USD 500 have a duty rate of PKR 27,600 plus a 17% sales tax. The 17% of USD 774 in PKR is PKR 36,583. By this calculation, the current PTA tax for the Samsung S23 on a passport is PKR 64,183, and on a CNIC, it is PKR 73,590.
The current price of the Samsung A31 in the market is USD 130, which is equivalent to PKR 36,000. The fixed duty rate for a phone priced between USD 100 and 200 is PKR 9,580. The applied 17% sales tax for the Samsung A31 is PKR 6,120. By adding these two figures, we get a PTA tax of PKR 15,700.
To check your mobile PTA tax, simply go to the FBR official website, click on the third option as mentioned as (iii) Mobile Device Duty Information, a new page will open where you will be required to enter your mobile’s IMEI. Once you enter it, the PTA tax will appear along with other details of your phone, such as mobile model, manufacturer as per GSMA, etc.
The easiest way to find out your mobile PTA tax in Pakistan is by going to the official website of the FBR. After opening the website, you will see four separate pages named Online Services, Income Tax, Sales Tax/FED, and Customs. Click on the Customs page, and there you will see DIRBS. After clicking on it, a new page will open where you will see Mobile Device Duty Information listed third. Clicking it will lead you to a page as shown in Image 1.
Here, you will be required to enter your phone’s IMEI number. After entering the IMEI, click on the search button, which will give you the details of your PTA tax as shown in Image 2.
The cost varies from mobile to mobile and the ways of registration. For example, the same mobile model will cost less when registering with a passport than with a CNIC.
To pay your FBR PTA Tax, you will be required to know how much tax you will need to pay on your phone. For that purpose, go to the FBR website and click on the Customs page. For that purpose, go to the FBR website and click on the Customs page. After that, enter your IMEI number, and the PTA tax due on your phone will appear on your screen. After that, enter your IMEI number, and the PTA tax due on your phone will appear on your screen.
To calculate your PTA tax, simply take into consideration the cost of your phone in US dollars. If its current price is USD 200, add PKR 12,200 plus 17% sales tax. Let’s suppose 1 USD to PKR is equal to 278; this means the value of your phone in PKR is 55,600. Then add PKR 12,200 plus 17% sales tax, which is equal to 9,452. The total amount is PKR 21,652. That’s how you can calculate your mobile PTA tax.
To register your Apple iPhone 15 series device with PTA, remember that this device costs more than USD 500. Therefore, you need to be mentally prepared for a fee of PKR 27,600 along with 17% sales tax.
Step-by-Step Guide:
Go to dirbs.pta.gov.pk/drs
Yes, the temporary mobile phone registration system will work each time you leave and re-enter Pakistan.
If you stay in Pakistan for more than 120 days, the IMEI number(s) registered will be suspended and you won’t be able to use them on the local network.
Register your phone with PTA by paying all the due taxes as discussed in the article. Otherwise, the consequences will be in the shape of PTA blocking your phone to operate on local network in Pakistan.