International travellers can get their phones seized at airports

ISLAMABAD: Minister of State for Revenues Hammad Azhar said on Tuesday that the government allowed only one duty free mobile phone set for people traveling from abroad into Pakistan under the new policy and all seized phones would be auctioned.

The FBR’s Customs authorities are registering mobile phones under the newly placed system known as Device Identification Registration and Blocking System (DIRBS).

Any passenger travelling from abroad if possessed 5 mobile phones while traveling into the country can get one phone without paying taxes but he will have to register and pay duty/taxes on remaining four imported phones.

If he did not register, the mobile devices could not be activated within the country because of restrictions slapped by Pakistan Telecommunication Authority (PTA). Citing an example, the official sources said that on import of a phone with price value of Rs24218, the FBR

was supposed to collect Rs10969 in shape of all duty and taxes.

In a tweet, Hammad Azhar stated that for benefit of people traveling into Pak from abroad, the mobile tax policy revealed that one phone is allowed to be registered as duty free. Secondly, no Registration/Duty needed on any phone(s) using roaming. “Thirdly, no Reg/Duty needed if phone(s) to be used in Pak for less than 30 days.”

Moreover, no registration/duty required on any phone that was activated or ever used in Pakistan before the 1st of December 2018. Hammad Azhar stated that the duties and registration can be done at either the airports or in any of the Custom Houses across Pakistan. “Phones are not detained during the process of registration or duty payments,” he added.

Meanwhile, the FBR has also allowed open auction of the mobile phones. In this regard, the FBR has revised the procedure for auction of mobile phones seized by Customs Department and directed collectors of customs to destroy all confiscated mobile phones which are not certified/white-listed by Pakistan Telecommunication Authority (PTA).

The FBR has directed Collectors of Model Customs Collectorates (MCCs) that the field formations shall examine the confiscated/seized mobile devices (new/used) ripe for disposal to compile the information including type of mobile phone and brands, model and IMEI numbers.

The PTA afterwards shall issue certification in respect of mobile devices that are white-listed in the DIRBS. Thereafter, the field formations shall dispose of such mobile devices through open auction following the prescribed procedure.

The mobile devices which are not certified/white-listed by the PTA shall be processed for disposal through destruction in the manner approved by the collector/director in accordance with the regulatory requirements.