How to check if a phone is PTA-approved

ptakaro is not part of the PTA or FBR. PTA runs the official check, called DIRBS, and this guide only explains how to use it.

Find every IMEI in the phone

The IMEI is the phone’s 15-digit identity number. To see it, dial *#06# on the phone; it is also on the box and in the phone’s settings (DIRBS FAQs, question 1). A phone can have more than one IMEI: one for each SIM slot, and a digital one for an eSIM. All of them have to be registered, and PTA asks you to check each one (DIRBS FAQs, questions 10 and 11).

Check each IMEI

PTA offers three ways to check (DIRBS FAQs, question 2; DIRBS home page):

• By SMS. Type the 15-digit IMEI as a message and send it to 8484.
• On the web. Enter the IMEI in “Check status of your device” on the DIRBS website.
• In the app. Use PTA’s DVS app for Android, linked from the DIRBS website.

What the reply means

PTA lists these replies (DIRBS FAQs, stolen mobile devices, question 4):

• Compliant. The phone is PTA approved or registered, and the reply lists the IMEIs registered with it. Make sure they are the IMEIs your phone shows. A compliant phone does not need to be registered again (DIRBS FAQs, question 7).
• GSMA valid. The IMEI is a valid number but the phone is not registered with PTA. It has to be registered, and the duty and taxes paid, within 60 days of its first use on Pakistani networks.
• Non-compliant. The phone does not meet PTA’s conditions, for example because its IMEI is not a valid GSMA number or is duplicated (DIRBS FAQs, registration verification, questions 1 and 2). It will be blocked after one day of use on Pakistani networks.
• Stolen. The phone is blocked because it was reported stolen, lost or misused.
• Fraudulent activity. The IMEI has been flagged and will be blocked on the date given unless PTA receives a justification from you through its complaint management system.

An unregistered phone works for 60 days

A phone that is not registered keeps working on a local SIM for 60 days from the day it first connects, then stops receiving service. The 60 days are not renewed if you bring the same phone back later (DIRBS FAQs, question 14; DIRBS SOP, clause 17.14). To keep using it, register it and pay the tax; see our guide on registering an imported phone.

Before you buy a phone

• Check every IMEI the phone shows, before you pay (DIRBS FAQs, important disclaimer).
• If a reply says the phone is registered under the “individual” category, it was registered on someone’s CNIC or passport. PTA advises getting the PSID and customs duty record from the seller, and says buying or selling such a phone is at your own risk.
• If the IMEIs in the reply do not belong to the phone in your hand, PTA says the phone is subject to blocking and legal action.

PTA’s DIRBS website is the official source for a phone’s status. To estimate the tax for a phone that still needs registering, use our PTA tax calculator.