Own-CNIC checks only · Reviewed 29 September 2026 · Your own handset, by PTA’s published DIRBS rules
An IMEI check in Pakistan answers one question about a handset, whether PTA’s DIRBS lets it use Pakistani mobile networks: read the IMEI with *#06#, then send it by SMS to 8484 or enter it at dirbs.pta.gov.pk. What comes back is a status, with the brand and model when the IMEI is valid and the IMEIs registered with it when it is compliant; it never names a person, a CNIC number, a SIM or a location. Below: what each reply means, IMEI registration and FBR duty for imported phones, free temporary registration for visitors, blocking a lost phone through PTA’s Lost & Stolen Device System, and lifting each kind of block.
IMEI and DIRBS: What PTA’s Device Check Decides
DIRBS, PTA’s Device Identification Registration and Blocking System, decides whether a device’s IMEI may use Pakistani mobile networks; it started by mapping IMEIs on 10 May 2018 and has blocked non-compliant devices since 16 January 2019.
The IMEI (International Mobile Equipment Identity) is a unique 15-digit number carrying a GSMA-issued Type Allocation Code, and it identifies the device itself rather than the SIM in it. DIRBS counts any SIM-based device, from a phone to a dongle, a smart watch or a tablet. Devices already on Pakistani networks by 15 January 2019 stayed in service, and those whose IMEIs were not programmed to GSMA’s standard were paired with the number in use at that cut-off. The rules rest on the Pakistan Telecommunications Policy 2015 and PTA’s DIRBS Regulations 2017. The four identifiers people mix up are set side by side in how a SIM, a mobile number, a CNIC and an IMEI differ.
Compliant, in PTA’s Words: The Four Conditions
A device is compliant only when all four hold; failing any one makes it non-compliant.
- Its IMEI was assigned through GSMA.
- No other device is using the same IMEI.
- It is not on the stolen or lost lists reported to PTA and, under PTA’s SOP, to GSMA.
- Its model is type-approved, or holds PTA’s certificate of compliance.
A compliant device needs no registration, because PTA treats it as already registered.
How to Check an IMEI in Pakistan: *#06#, 8484, the DIRBS Site and the App
The status comes from one of three PTA channels, each starting from the phone’s IMEI: an SMS to 8484, the DIRBS website, or PTA’s DVS app.
Finding the IMEI: the Dialler, Settings, the Box and the Back Cover
Dialling *#06# shows every IMEI programmed in the phone, and each one needs its own check, because PTA requires every IMEI in a device to be registered: a dual-SIM phone carries two, and PTA says an Apple phone carries a physical and a digital IMEI.
The same numbers appear in Settings under About phone or About device, on the box, and under the back cover or battery on models that open; on an iPhone, the path is Settings, General, About. For an eSIM phone, the extra step the networks ask for is in the eSIM IMEI instruction.
The 8484 SMS, Step by Step
The SMS goes through your own Pakistani network, which may charge up to 10 paisa plus tax per query.
- Open Messages on the phone.
- Start a new message.
- Type one 15-digit IMEI.
- Send it to 8484.
How can I check my PTA IMEI online?
Type the 15-digit IMEI into the “Check status of your device” box on dirbs.pta.gov.pk and press Check, or use PTA’s DVS app from Google Play. PTA states that the DIRBS website is accessible only within Pakistan. The dvs.pta.gov.pk address still printed in PTA’s own FAQ does not load.
What Each 8484 Reply Means
Every reply is one of five published wordings, plus a sixth for a phone PTA has paired with named numbers, and the status word decides the next step.
| The reply says | What it means | Next step |
|---|---|---|
| “compliant (PTA Approved/Registered)” | Registered; the reply also lists every IMEI recorded for the device and may note registration under an individual CNIC/Passport | Owner: nothing. Buyer: the checks before paying |
| “valid, not Approved/Registered by PTA” | A genuine GSMA IMEI nobody has registered yet | registering it with PTA |
| “non-compliant” | Fails one of the four conditions; the reply warns of a block after first use | The fix for its kind of block |
| “blocked (Reported Stolen/Lost/Misused to PTA)” | A stolen, lost or misuse report is on PTA’s record | Owner: unblocking a recovered phone. Buyer: the buyer checks |
| “reported/Identified under fraudulent activity”, with a block date | PTA has flagged the IMEI and set a block date | The fraud row in the blocked-phone table |
| Non-compliant, but paired with your mobile number | Tied to named numbers (a phone in use before the January 2019 cut-off, or a genuine duplicate); it works with those numbers only | Send “pair” to 8484 to list the IMEIs paired with your number |
Registering a Phone With PTA: Routes, PSID and FBR Duty
A phone whose reply reads valid but not registered becomes compliant once it is registered through DIRBS and FBR’s duty is paid against a PSID, by one of three routes, and there is no registration counter at any airport.
| Route | Where | Charge besides FBR duty | What you need |
|---|---|---|---|
| Online | dirbs.pta.gov.pk/drs | None shown | Traveller: the passport used for the journey, a CNIC or NICOP if held, and a SIM issued on your passport, CNIC or NICOP. Local applicant: your CNIC and a SIM issued on it. Both: the IMEIs |
| USSD | Dial *8484# | None stated | A phone with a local SIM issued on your CNIC |
| Franchise or customer service centre | Any operator’s outlet | Rs 100 per registration | Registration help at the outlet |
For the outlet route, start with finding your operator’s genuine franchise.
- Sign up on the online route as “Pakistani (Local/International Travelers/Dual Nationality Holder)” or “Foreigner (Travelled on visa)”; the table’s last column lists what you enter.
- Apply with every IMEI the phone has (see finding the IMEI).
- Check the model and maker in the SMS that brings the PSID. If either is wrong, do not pay: PTA can block such a device after the duty is paid, and does not refund it.
- Pay against the PSID by online banking, ATM, mobile banking or at a bank branch, within the limit in the deadline table.
- Once FBR confirms payment, the application moves from Pending to Approved and the IMEIs are white-listed.
One person can register at most five devices in the personal category on a CNIC or passport per calendar year; a sixth is refused. That limit is separate from the eight-SIM limit on a CNIC. Dialling *8484# shows how many devices are registered against your passport; report a count you do not recognise in CMS under Misuse of Credentials. A phone received as a gift from abroad needs registration too.
How to check PTA mobile tax online?
The tax is FBR’s customs duty, not a PTA fee: FBR’s WeBOC page “Mobile Device Duty Information” publishes it, and the PSID SMS gives the amount for your application. A traveller registering after the 60-day passport window, or a local applicant on a CNIC, pays additional duty, and the free baggage exemption ended on 30 June 2019.
Every Deadline in the DIRBS Rules
Every deadline in PTA’s device rules sits in one table, with the event that starts each clock and what happens when it runs out.
| Period | Starts | Applies to | At the end |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 day | First use on a Pakistani network | A non-compliant IMEI | Blocked |
| 60 days | The same first use, counted from the day a SIM goes in | A valid IMEI not yet registered | No service until registered; not renewed on a later visit with the same phone |
| 60 days | Arrival in Pakistan (see the note below) | A traveller registering a phone brought in baggage, on the passport route | Still possible, with a prescribed fine; for the duty, see how the tax is found |
| 120 days | The date of arrival, not of applying: in PTA’s example, applying 30 days after arrival leaves 90 days | A visitor’s temporary registration | Day 120 and the next visit |
| 7 days | The PSID is generated | Paying the duty | Application deleted; apply again |
| 24 hours | A conforming registration application | Registration | IMEI registered |
| Hourly | Payment confirmed for a device already blocked | Its registered IMEIs | Sent to the operators for unblocking |
| 24 hours | An LSDS blocking or unblocking request | The block or unblock | Carried out |
| 7 days | DIRBS’s SMS saying the IMEI is cloned | Sending proof of a genuine device | IMEI blocked if nothing arrives |
| 7 working days | A one-slot complaint in CMS (see the blocked-phone table) | Resolution | Resolved |
PTA words the traveller’s passport window two ways: the SOP and the FAQ’s registration answer count 60 days from arrival, while the FAQ explains the DRS error “entered passport is not eligible for tax exemption” as a phone registered more than 60 days after its activation in Pakistan. Registering within 60 days of both dates meets either wording.
Courier Parcels, Warranty Swaps and IMEI Errors
Four less common cases have their own routes: courier parcels, warranty replacements, a wrongly entered IMEI and an IMEI the system says already exists.
Customs releases a phone held from a courier or postal parcel once duty is paid through a PSID generated in DIRBS; a replica, fake, non-GSMA or reported-stolen one is confiscated. A warranty replacement is applied for through DRS with the maker’s job order listing old and new IMEIs, for the same model only, and the damaged IMEIs are blacklisted. A wrong IMEI in a pending application is fixed by deleting it and applying again (up to five deletions); in an approved one, by a CMS complaint in the one-slot category named in the blocked-phone table. An IMEI that “already exists” needs a CMS complaint for its removal first, and PTA checks every dual IMEI with the manufacturer, rejecting or holding any it cannot validate.
Overseas Pakistanis and Visitors: The Free 120-Day Registration
An overseas Pakistani or a foreign national on a short visit can register one phone free of charge for up to 120 days, and each IMEI registered this way works only with the Pakistani SIM, issued on the applicant’s own CNIC or passport, that was declared for it.
How to apply for PTA temporary registration 120 days?
Online, through the temporary registration link in PTA’s Device Registration System, a process PTA describes as fully digitised. Get the Pakistani SIM first: PTA tells visitors without one to have it issued at an operator’s franchise after arrival, before registering the phone.
- Create a DIRBS account with the credentials the sign-up form asks for, then open the temporary registration form.
- Enter the passport number, the CNIC or NICOP number (Pakistanis only), the number of the SIM described above, the IMEIs, an email address, and the arrival and intended departure dates.
- DIRBS checks the SIM with its operator and the arrival date with FIA’s Integrated Border Management System, in real time; if either fails, the application stops.
- To add a dual-SIM phone’s second IMEI within the 120 days, apply again with a second SIM that meets the same rule.
What Happens on Day 120, and on the Next Visit
When the 120 days run out the temporary registration ends: FBR’s customs order says the IMEIs are then blacklisted from local networks, and staying connected on a Pakistani SIM beyond that point needs full registration with duty.
The next visit needs a fresh application with the same credentials, and the operator and FIA checks run again. The phone must leave Pakistan with the applicant. An IMEI that has used the facility cannot use it again on another person’s passport; it must then be registered with duty.
Buying a Used or Imported Phone: The IMEI Checks Before Paying
Pay for a second-hand or imported phone only after the checks in PTA’s own buyer guidance pass; a phone that fails any of them is one to walk away from.
- The same numbers. Every IMEI in the compliant reply’s list must appear on the phone’s *#06# screen: PTA warns that IMEIs not belonging to the same device lead to blocking and legal action.
- The right status. Every reply must read compliant; for anything else, go by what each reply means, not the seller’s explanation.
- Individual registration. If the reply carries the individual-registration notice (the reply table’s first row), take the PSID and a copy of the customs-duty slip from the seller.
- A visitor’s phone. One sold or gifted by someone who registered it on the free temporary route must be registered by its new user the normal way, with duty.
Lost or Stolen Phone: Blocking the IMEI Through PTA’s LSDS
PTA’s LSDS, its Lost & Stolen Device System, blocks a missing phone’s IMEIs on every Pakistani network on its owner’s own complaint; it blocks the handset and does not find it.
The phone’s whereabouts and the SIM are covered in locating, locking or wiping a lost phone and suspending the lost SIM and getting a replacement on the same number.
| Item | Why |
|---|---|
| Your name, father’s name, CNIC and city (email and address optional) | Identifies the complainant |
| A mobile number registered to your CNIC and used in the phone within the last 6 months | The OTP goes to that SIM, so a phone never used with a Pakistani SIM cannot be blocked this way |
| The IMEIs, for example from the box (see where the IMEI is shown) | The numbers PTA blocks; give only the one in use if the second slot never held a working SIM; on a PTA-approved dual-IMEI phone, blocking one blocks both |
| Brand, model and colour | Matched against DIRBS |
| Reason (lost, stolen or snatched), place and date | Recorded with the block |
| FIR number | Optional |
- If the SIM went with the phone, get a duplicate SIM from the operator first.
- File the complaint in the PTA CMS app or at complaint.pta.gov.pk.
- Enter the OTP.
- Keep the reference number PTA sends by SMS; it tracks the complaint.
- For recovery, go to the local police or, in the cities that have one, the CPLC.
A phone lost long ago can still be blocked with the correct IMEI. PTA refuses a request when the number does not match the operator’s record or the IMEIs are not in DIRBS. If the online form fails, call PTA’s helpline 0800-55055, announced for its Consumer Support Centre as open 9 am to 9 pm, seven days a week, or visit a PTA office.
Unblocking a Recovered Phone
Only the person whose details were used for the block can lift it: an unblocking request in CMS with the earlier complaint reference and the CNIC, confirmed by an OTP sent to the number given for the block, and acknowledged by SMS or email.
How to Unblock an IMEI: The Fix for Each Kind of Block
Each kind of block has its own cause and its own fix, and the table below pairs them, from an unregistered phone to a cloned IMEI.
| What you see | Cause | Fix | Where |
|---|---|---|---|
| The phone stops; its reply had read valid, not registered | Not registered within the first-use period (deadline table) | Register and pay the duty | The three registration routes |
| Reply: blocked (reported stolen, lost or misused) | An LSDS block on PTA’s record | The unblocking request | The LSDS unblocking request |
| One IMEI compliant, the other not | The second slot was never registered | Complaint in the CMS category “One Slot Compliant/One Non-compliant”; once the maker confirms that IMEI, PTA registers it without FBR duty; no route if it is GSMA-invalid or reported stolen | CMS |
| SMS: your IMEI is detected as cloned | One IMEI seen on more than one device | Send the *#06# screenshot, serial number, brand, model and your mobile numbers; a genuine phone is paired with up to five numbers, a non-genuine one stays blocked | [email protected], CMS or in person |
| Reply: fraudulent activity, with a date | PTA’s audit found the IMEI registered against another application for a different model | Justification with proof before that date | CMS |
| Non-compliant: a copied handset, or an IMEI that is not GSMA-standard or was reprogrammed | Fails the GSMA or authenticity check | None: it cannot be registered | Courier parcels and other cases, for a courier parcel |
| Duty paid, status still “Not PTA Registered” | Payment not yet confirmed from the bank to FBR | Ask whether the payment has reached FBR | Your bank, then FBR |
| A paired phone refuses a new SIM | The pairing is with the old SIM | Re-pairing request, allowed for a damaged or lost SIM replaced without a number change, a SIM upgrade that keeps the number, or a genuine duplicate sold or gifted | [email protected] or CMS |
| Compliant reply, still no signal | Not a DIRBS block | Restart; try another network’s SIM; ask your operator’s helpline to review the network side; have the maker’s service centre check the phone | Operator, service centre |
What should I do if my IMEI is non-compliant?
Do not pay anyone yet. DIRBS texts a non-compliant phone the reason through its network, and that reason decides the route: look it up in the table above before acting, since a clone notice, a stolen report and an unregistered second slot each have a different fix.
Pay duty only against the PSID DIRBS issued for your own application: a payment against someone else’s PSID is a matter for FBR, not PTA. A doubt goes to PTA’s helpline or to PTA’s WhatsApp help line. A demand for duty outside a PSID is outside PTA’s process, and the route for reporting a fraud or harassment number covers reporting it.
What an IMEI Check Never Tells You
PTA’s replies stop at the handset: none carries an instalment or loan record or a carrier-lock status.
No website or app can show who owns a phone number, as what a mobile number can and cannot reveal sets out. A site that offers owner details by IMEI fails the test any real SIM service must pass. Whether an iPhone is carrier-locked shows in its own settings, as the carrier-lock check for iPhones explains, and Apple says only the carrier it is locked to can unlock it.
How to check SIM number with IMEI?
Use the SIM, not the IMEI. To read the number of a SIM you hold, dial your network’s own-number code from the phone with that SIM inside; to see how many SIMs are registered on your own 13-digit CNIC, use 668 or cnic.sims.pk.
More Questions About IMEI Checks and DIRBS
How can I check my mobile PTA approved?
Check the phone’s own IMEIs, not its model: approval attaches to the IMEI, so two phones of the same model can get different replies, one registered and one not. The reply PTA counts as approved reads “compliant (PTA Approved/Registered)”; any other status means the phone in your hand is not approved yet.
How to use SIM without PTA approved?
Only for a while, and only if the IMEI is valid: an unregistered phone with a valid IMEI takes any Pakistani SIM for 60 days from its first use on a local network. After that DIRBS blocks the handset itself, whatever Pakistani SIM goes in. A foreign SIM roaming in Pakistan needs no registration.
Roman Urdu mein: IMEI ke sawal, sahi hissa
- Phone ka IMEI kahan milta hai: IMEI dhoondne ke tarike.
- PTA ke jawab ka matlab: har jawab ki tafseel.
- Bahar se laya hua phone aur FBR duty: registration ka tarika.
- Overseas Pakistani aur foreign visitors: temporary registration ka tarika.
- Purana ya bahar se aaya phone lena ho: khareedne se pehle ke checks.
- Chori ya gumshuda phone: IMEI block karwane ka tarika.
- Blocked phone dobara chalana ho: har block ka hal.
- Poori guide Roman Urdu mein: SIM check karne ka poora tarika.
Where the Facts on This Page Come From
| Source | What it supports | Date |
|---|---|---|
| PTA DIRBS home, dirbs.pta.gov.pk | *#06#, the 8484 steps, the web check, the three registration routes, no airport counters, the DVS app | Read 29 September 2026 |
| PTA DIRBS FAQs | Reply texts, the compliant-device definition, all IMEIs registrable, the first-use period, passport and local routes, PSID, duty lookup, additional duty, five devices, temporary registration, buyer guidance, one-slot and clone routes, re-pairing | Read 29 September 2026 |
| PTA DIRBS SOP v1.12 (amended 28 November 2022) | Phases, definitions, the 10-paisa ceiling, the model check before paying, timelines, the clone procedure, LSDS refusals, notices by SMS | 28 November 2022 |
| PTA DIRBS page and Temporary Registration page | DIRBS accessible only within Pakistan | Read 29 September 2026 (DIRBS page) and 28 September 2026 (Temporary Registration page) |
| PTA DIRBS Mobile Operators Facilitation Centers | The Rs 100 franchise charge | Read 29 September 2026 |
| PTA release on temporary registration | 120 days, each visit, free, fully online | 25 April 2025 |
| FBR Customs General Order 01 of 2019, as amended to 21 March 2024 | The temporary-registration checks and blacklisting after 120 days | 21 March 2024 |
| FBR WeBOC, Mobile Device Duty Information | Where FBR publishes duty information | Read 28 September 2026 |
| PTA Lost & Stolen Device System FAQs | LSDS details, OTP, dual-IMEI blocking, recovery, unblocking | September 2026 |
| PTA CMS app release | The CMS app and web address | 28 October 2021 |
| PTA Consumer Support Centre release | 0800-55055 and its hours | 18 February 2020 |
| PTA release on its WhatsApp help line | PTA’s WhatsApp help line | 25 February 2026 |
| Apple Support, IMEI on iPhone | Settings, General, About | Read 29 September 2026 |
| Apple Support, unlocking an iPhone for use with a different carrier | Who can unlock a carrier-locked iPhone | Published 22 January 2026; read 29 September 2026 |
PTA’s reply texts are paraphrased on this page, except the status words, which are quoted as PTA prints them. Reviewed by Muhammad Zayan on 29 September 2026.