ISLAMABAD: Federal Board of Revenue (FBR) has made mandatory for the importers of mobile phone to have a Certificate of Clearance (CoC) from Pakistan Telecommunication Authority (PTA).
The FBR has amended the Import Policy ordered 2016 under which now onward no phone will be imported to Pakistan without PTA’s Clearance Certificate.
The FBR made amendments in the Import Policy Order exercising the powers conferred by sub-section (1) of section 3 of the Imports and Exports (Control) Act, 1950 (XXXIX of 1950).
The office order, issued by TP Deputy Director Ashfaq Ahmad, reads: “59, import shall be subject to the type approved by PTA and production of a CoC issued by PTA after ensuring that the handset has a valid GSMA IMEI etc and white listed in the Device Identification Registration & Blocking System (DIRBS).”
Earlier, the FBR had clarified that after December 31, 2018, all non-duty paid mobile phones will be seized, while those devices which will be matched with PTA’s White List will be auctioned but if the seized mobile phone didn’t match with that PTA’s List, they will be destroyed.
