PTA and IMEI
Every handset here states its PTA status before you can add it to a cart. This is what each status costs you.
What the IMEI is
An IMEI is the fifteen-digit serial number built into the handset itself, not into the SIM. Pakistan’s regulator, the PTA, keeps a register of the IMEIs allowed on local networks. We check every handset’s IMEI against that register before it is listed, and we check it is a real, valid number at intake — a cloned or blocked IMEI is rejected on the shop floor and never reaches the site.
PTA approved
Nothing further to pay and nothing to do. Put your SIM in and it works.
PTA tax unpaid
Not PTA approved.
This device is not registered with the PTA. It will work on a Pakistani SIM for about 60 days from first use, after which calls and mobile data will be blocked until you register it and pay PTA tax. Wi-Fi keeps working indefinitely. The registration tax is your responsibility and is not included in this price.
These are genuine handsets, legitimately sold. What has not happened is the registration: the tax that would put this IMEI on the PTA register has not been paid, and whoever ends up using the phone is the one who pays it. That is why the price on an unregistered handset is lower, and why the amount is not included in it.
You register a device yourself through the PTA’s DIRBS service. The amount depends on the model, so we do not quote it — check it against the handset’s IMEI before you buy, and treat it as part of what the phone costs you.
Blocked or reported stolen
A handset whose IMEI is blocked, cloned or reported stolen is refused at intake and can never be published. You will not see one on this site.
Where to check it yourself
Every listing shows the handset’s short reference, and we will give you the full IMEI on request before you pay so you can check it against the PTA register yourself. How the rest of the listing is decided is set out in how we grade.