Good News! PTA Waived Import Taxes on Personal Mobile Phones

All smartphones imported into Pakistan must be certified by the PTA within 60 days, or they would cease to function with local cellular networks. This implies that all smartphones brought into Pakistan must pay import tariffs, although this may no longer be the case, at least for some phones.

The excellent news comes directly from the Pakistan Telecommunication Authority (PTA), which has just released a briefing stating that smartphones bought from outside would no longer be blocked. The telecom authority has requested that smartphones be exempted from import tariffs by the Federal Board of Revenue (FBR), but there is a catch!

The charges only apply to one smartphone brought from abroad for personal use. Smartphones imported in bulk or for retail purposes, for example, will still be subject to standard import duties in order to obtain PTA certification. The adjustment should allow foreign Pakistanis to avoid paying additional fees for phones they already own.