The Federal Board of Revenue (FBR) and Pakistan Telecommunication Authority (PTA) have collaborated to develop a new system of temporary registration of mobile phones brought by overseas Pakistanis and foreign individuals.
The new system is aimed at resolving the concerns of overseas Pakistanis and foreign nationals visiting Pakistan regarding the blocking of their mobile devices.
The new temporary registration system was inaugurated by Pakistan Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif during a ceremony. The new system will render 120 days’ time for foreigners and overseas Pakistani to use their mobile phones without paying any tax.
Initially, the timeline was set to 60 days with an exception for some people to extend it to 120 days. Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif inaugurated Pakistan Telecommunication Authority’s ‘Temporary Mobile Registration System’.
The initiative aims to facilitate overseas Pakistanis and foreign nationals visiting Pakistan by allowing them to register and utilise their personal mobile phones for up to 120 days from the date of their arrival, without any duties and taxes.
PM Shahbaz Sharif, during his speech, asked the relevant authorities to erase the word exception and make it 120 days for all individuals. The Prime Minister stressed the government’s commitment to providing top-notch connectivity facilities to all visitors, ensuring that they can stay connected during their stay in Pakistan.
“We are dedicatedly working for the provisioning of smooth ICT services across Pakistan and pledge to ensure and extend connectivity with ease and comfort to all those overseas Pakistanis and foreign nationals who are visiting Pakistan,” said the Federal Minister for IT & Telecom, Syed Amin Ul Haq at the launch ceremony.
PTA Chairman Major General (R) Hafeez Ur Rehman expressed his gratitude to the stakeholders, including the Ministry of IT & Telecom (MoIT), Federal Board of Revenue (FBR), and the Federal Investigation Agency (FIA), for their invaluable support. He said that PTA has implemented numerous consumer-centric initiatives and regulatory measures to ensure the provision of high-quality ICT services nationwide.
The Temporary Mobile Registration System has been devised in consultation with MoITT, FBR and FIA. This facility can be used by visitors during each visit to Pakistan.
Users can apply online by visiting the official website: https://dirbs.pta.gov.pk/drs.
