Car Registration Process in Pakistan | Complete Guide

The car registration process in Pakistan helps make sure your new or used car is legally allowed on the road. This guide covers the required steps, documents and fees, along with how to check a car’s registration before buying it.

How to Register a Car in Pakistan Step by Step

Registration starts at the showroom or the excise office, depending on where you live and how you bought the car. Every vehicle needs a registration number, a registration book and number plates before it can legally run on the road. In Punjab, authorized dealers now register new cars before delivery for buyers holding a Punjab CNIC, so you may drive home with plates already fitted. In Islamabad and Sindh, you usually visit the excise office yourself. An excise inspector first checks the vehicle and your papers in person. If everything matches, a data entry operator processes your file and the fee is paid at the designated bank. After that, the registration book and number plates are issued, and in Islamabad the original documents are sent to your address by courier. The fees depend mostly on engine capacity, so a bigger engine usually means higher charges at the counter and later in yearly tax. Each province runs its own system, so always confirm the latest steps with your local excise office before you go.

Documents Required for Registration

Your paperwork depends on how the car reached you. Everyone starts with a written application addressed to the Excise and Taxation Officer. For a locally made car, add the sale invoice and the sale certificate. For an imported car, you need the bill of entry, the bill of lading and the old registration book. If you bought the car at an auction, bring the auction voucher with the other papers. Use one address on every document, including the affidavit, because your original papers are couriered there. The inspector will physically check the car, so take it with you and make sure the chassis and engine numbers match the papers. A small mismatch can send you back to the start, so check every detail before you leave home. Dealers often handle most of this for new local cars, but it is still smart to read every paper they hand you. Ask for copies of everything and keep them in one folder, since you will need them again for future transfers and token tax payments.

Taxes and Fees You Pay

Registration fee
Advance tax
Token tax
Income tax and professional tax (Islamabad)
Number plate and courier charges

Online Car Registration Check Before You Buy

Check Car Registration Online in Islamabad and Sindh

Verifying a vehicle takes a few minutes and can save you from buying a stolen or mismatched car. Most excise departments now offer an online car registration check where you enter the registration number and read the result on screen. To check car registration online, open the official excise portal of the province, pick the vehicle type, type the number exactly as it appears on the plate and submit. For Islamabad car registration check online, use the verification service of the Islamabad Excise and Taxation Department and compare the details with the registration book. For car registration check Sindh, the provincial excise portal shows the registration date, owner name, make, model year, engine number and tax payment status. Sindh also allows a search through the owner’s CNIC. Match the engine number with the car itself and read the remarks field. Type the web address yourself and avoid links sent by strangers, since fake sites copy the real ones. If the record does not appear, visit the motor registration office with the car and its papers before paying anything.