Non-PTA SIM Time in Pakistan: 60 vs 120 Days

If you landed in Pakistan with a phone bought abroad, one question decides how the next few weeks go: how long will it keep working with a Pakistani SIM? People call this “SIM time”. The honest answer is that two different PTA rules sit behind it, and which one applies to you depends on who you are and what you do with the SIM. This guide sets both out in plain words, as we read PTA’s DIRBS FAQ page on 1 November 2026.

What does “non-PTA” actually mean?

A phone’s IMEI is its identity number. PTA keeps a database of IMEIs, called DIRBS, and a phone is “PTA approved” when its IMEI has been registered there. A non-PTA phone is simply one whose IMEI has not been registered. It does not mean the phone is fake, stolen or low quality. Most non-PTA phones are ordinary handsets that someone bought in the UAE, the UK, the US or Saudi Arabia and carried home.

That is the whole difference. The phone works the same; the question is whether Pakistani networks will keep serving it once a local SIM is in it.

How the 60-day SIM time works

According to the DIRBS FAQ, a device brought in from abroad works with a Pakistani SIM for 60 days from the day a SIM is inserted, without registration or tax. Three details are easy to miss:

• The clock starts when you insert the local SIM, not when you land. A phone that sits in a drawer for a fortnight has not used any of its 60 days.
• After day 60 the phone receives no service unless it has been registered and the duties paid.
• The 60 days are not renewed when you come back on a later trip.

Older news stories mention 60 days, 90 days and other figures. Temporary relief during the 2020 pandemic is one reason the numbers differ. The DIRBS page above is PTA’s own statement, so use it, and check it again before you rely on a date, because rules like this are revised.

The 120-day option for overseas Pakistanis and visitors

The second route is a temporary registration for overseas Pakistanis and foreign nationals visiting Pakistan for a short stay. ProPakistani described the current version in an article from 18 June 2026, and the DIRBS FAQ confirms the main points:

• It lasts up to 120 days from the date you arrived in Pakistan. The arrival date is checked against FIA data when you apply.
• If you apply late, the days still count from arrival. Apply 30 days after landing and you have 90 days left.
• It covers one device per person, and the phone must leave Pakistan with you.
• You declare a Pakistani SIM that is issued in your own name, and the phone works only with that declared SIM.
• Every new visit needs a new application.

You apply online through PTA’s Device Registration System. Keep your passport or CNIC details, the phone’s IMEI (both IMEIs on a dual-SIM phone) and your dates of travel to hand. PTA, not us, decides eligibility, so read its current instructions before you start.

What if you are staying longer?

After the temporary period ends, or if you live in Pakistan, the phone needs permanent registration. That means paying the duties and taxes that apply to your model. We deliberately do not quote an amount here, because it depends on the phone and is revised often. Use the calculator in PTA’s Device Registration System, or ask an operator franchise, before you decide whether to keep a phone in service. The DIRBS FAQ says the payment slip is valid for 7 days, and registration can also be started by dialling *8484# or visiting an operator franchise.

Do the sum before you buy a phone abroad as well. For an expensive handset, the registration cost can change whether the “cheap” overseas price was cheap at all.

How to check your phone today

1. Find the IMEI. Dial *#06# on the phone, or look in Settings and on the box. A dual-SIM phone, or one with an eSIM, has more than one IMEI, and you should check every one.
2. Send the 15-digit IMEI by SMS to 8484, or enter it at dvs.pta.gov.pk.
3. Read the reply carefully. “Compliant” and “registered” are different statuses, and PTA lists separate handling for IMEIs that are not valid on the GSMA database.

Where an eSIM fits in

A Simless Pakistan plan is a data-only travel eSIM. It gives your phone mobile internet; it does not give you a Pakistani number, and it is not a replacement for PTA registration. The DIRBS FAQ says that a user roaming in Pakistan on an international SIM is allowed service, and that registration is needed when a local SIM is inserted. Whether a particular travel eSIM counts as roaming for those purposes is a question for the provider and for PTA, so ask before you assume. We do not present our plans as a way around registration.

If you want the practical side, our guides on eSIM on an imported phone and the options for an imported phone go through the choices, and the Pakistan eSIM page lists current plans and prices.

Mistakes we see most often

• Counting from arrival. The 60 days start when the SIM goes in, but the 120 days start on arrival. They are not the same clock.
• Forgetting the second IMEI. Dual-SIM and eSIM phones have two. Check both.
• Registering the wrong phone. The 120-day facility covers one device per person, so choose the phone you will actually carry.
• Relying on an old article. Check the DIRBS page, because dates and amounts in older news stories may have changed.
• Skipping the second IMEI on an eSIM phone. Zong’s eSIM page tells customers with two IMEIs to send both to 8484, so that the second one is not blocked.
• Importing several phones without checking limits. The DIRBS page refers to Type Approval Regulations 2021 and a limit of five devices per calendar year. Read the details before you plan to bring in more than one.

Three examples, in days rather than dates

• You land, buy a local SIM on day 3, and never register. Your SIM time runs from day 3, so the phone stops getting service on day 63 of your trip. If you leave before then, nothing happens.
• You are an overseas Pakistani staying six weeks, and you register as a visitor on day 10. The 120 days count from arrival, so you have 110 left, which comfortably covers the stay. You then leave with the phone, as the facility requires.
• You are moving back for a year. Neither short-term rule is enough. Plan for permanent registration, and cost it before you decide to keep the phone.

The point of the examples is the clocks: SIM time starts at insertion, the 120 days start at arrival, and neither is paused when you leave the country.

Quick questions

Do I have to register at all if I only roam on a foreign SIM? No. The DIRBS FAQ says registration is needed when a local SIM is inserted, and that a user roaming with an international SIM is allowed service.

Is the visitor registration only for overseas Pakistanis? No. PTA describes it for overseas Pakistanis and for foreign nationals visiting Pakistan on a short-term basis.

Can I register two phones? The facility covers one device per person, so pick the one you will use most.

Does the temporary registration cost anything? ProPakistani’s June 2026 report says it carries no FBR tax for the permitted period, and it does not mention an application fee. Confirm on the application page before you pay anything.

What if I stay 130 days? The temporary registration ends after 120 days. To keep using a local SIM in that phone you need permanent registration, with the tax that applies to the model.

Where can I read the rules myself? The DIRBS FAQ at dirbs.pta.gov.pk/faqs, and the registration steps in PTA’s Device Registration System. Our summary will age; theirs is the source.

The short version

Sixty days with a local SIM and no paperwork, up to 120 days if you apply as a visitor or overseas Pakistani, and permanent registration with tax after that. Check your IMEI before you travel, and treat PTA’s own pages as the final word.