eSIM and SIM cards in Pakistan

The trap: your handset, not your SIM

• Pakistan registers mobile devices by IMEI, and an unregistered handset does not stay on the network.
• A visitor registers one device temporarily at dirbs.pta.gov.pk/drs, free of duty and tax, and the registration runs 120 days from the date of arrival, not from the day you apply. Apply on day 30 and you get 90 days, not 120.
• One device only, and an IMEI that has used the facility once cannot use it again on a later trip without paying the normal duty. A second visit means a fresh application for a different handset.
• The IMEI is paired to the Pakistani number you register. Put a different SIM into that phone and it will not get service. This catches people who buy a second SIM for data.
• You need the passport number, the IMEI, the Pakistani mobile number, your arrival date and your intended departure date to apply.

The way round it

• Roaming on your own foreign SIM needs no registration at all. The PTA says so explicitly: an international SIM used as a roamer is fine. If you are here for a week, that is the simpler answer.

Buying the SIM

• Go to an operator service centre or franchise, with your original passport and valid visa. Zong, for example, also records the FIA entry stamp.
• Biometric verification against NADRA is part of the process, so it happens in person and cannot be done for you by someone else.

Expect it to be switched off sometimes

• Mobile data and internet are cut without warning during protests and unrest, and have been in Pakistan-administered Kashmir recently. Download maps and confirmations in advance and keep a paper note of your hotel.