ISLAMABAD – Registering imported mobile phones in Pakistan could become easier on the pocket as Federal Board of Revenue (FBR) rolled out a new facility allowing eligible users to pay sales tax in monthly instalments instead of bearing the entire financial burden upfront.
The move offers potential relief to mobile phone users who face substantial tax payments when registering imported devices under Pakistan’s Device Identification Registration and Blocking System (DIRBS). Under the new arrangement, eligible applicants can spread their sales tax payments across the remaining months of the financial year, making the registration process more financially manageable.
The facility has been introduced through Customs General Order No. 06 of 2026, which amends the regulations originally issued in 2019. The revised framework allows individuals who meet the prescribed conditions to select a monthly instalment plan when applying for the registration of imported mobile phones.
However, the facility is not automatically available to every mobile phone user. Applicants must satisfy the eligibility requirements before choosing the instalment option.
The number of instalments will depend on when a person applies for registration. According to the FBR, the total payable sales tax will be divided equally among the months remaining in the financial year, including the month of application. For example, an eligible applicant registering a phone in January could spread the tax over six monthly instalments, from January through June.
Anyone applying for registration in June will have to pay the entire sales tax amount before June 30, leaving no opportunity to spread the payment over multiple months. This is because Pakistan’s financial year ends on June 30, and all outstanding instalments must be cleared before that deadline.
FBR has also outlined the payment procedure to help applicants understand how the new system will operate. Once an eligible individual submits a registration application, the system will generate a Payment Slip ID (PSID) for the first instalment. A new PSID will subsequently be generated every month for the next scheduled payment.
If a particular month does not have the corresponding payment date, the system will issue the PSID for the final day of that month. Importantly, applicants will not have to wait until the final instalment date to clear their outstanding tax. The revised rules allow users to make advance payments, either partially or in full, before their scheduled deadlines.
While the new arrangement offers greater payment flexibility, the tax authority has made it clear that users must follow the prescribed payment schedule. Failure to deposit an instalment by its due date could result in the applicant being declared a defaulter. All payments must be completed by June 30, regardless of when the registration application was submitted.
The decision could make imported mobile phone registration more affordable in the short term by allowing eligible users to distribute their sales tax liability over several months. However, the change concerns the payment schedule rather than a reduction in the tax itself. The total applicable sales tax remains payable.
Mobile phone users planning to take advantage of the facility should first confirm their eligibility, review the relevant conditions and ensure they can meet the monthly payment deadlines.
The new arrangement marks a shift towards more flexible tax collection for eligible imported mobile phone registrations, potentially reducing the pressure of making a large one-time payment.
News Desk
The writer is a staff member.