Importing a car to Pakistan: gift, personal baggage or transfer of residence

For a car import to Pakistan in 2026, an overseas Pakistani has two routes left: gift (to a family member here) or transfer of residence (when you move back). The personal baggage route ended on 15 January 2026 under S.R.O. 61(I)/2026. A car can be up to three years old, you need 850 days abroad in the last three years, and you pay the duty and taxes from foreign exchange.

Which car import schemes are left in 2026?

The rules are in Appendix-E of the Import Policy Order, 2022, as amended by S.R.O. 61(I)/2026. As of October 2026:

The federal cabinet approved the change in January 2026, ratifying an Economic Coordination Committee decision of 9 December 2025 (Profit). The Ministry of Industries and Production had wanted the gift scheme ended too, citing misuse and foreign exchange concerns.

Who can import or gift a car?

Under Appendix-E, you can import or gift a vehicle if you are a Pakistani citizen living abroad, including dual nationals and holders of a Pakistan Origin Card (POC). Minors can’t.

You are not eligible if you are:

• a student receiving money from Pakistan
• a non-earning family member of a Pakistani living abroad
• someone who imported, gifted or received a vehicle in the last 850 days, counted from the date the goods declaration for the last import was filed

You also need to have been abroad for at least 850 days in the past three years. The old minimum was 700 days.

For the gift scheme, “family” means parents, brothers, sisters, husband, wife and children, married or not, but not children under 18.

How old can the car be?

• Cars: no more than three years old.
• Other vehicles (buses, vans, trucks, pick-ups, 4x4s): no more than five years old.

Age is counted from 1 January of the year after the car was made to the shipment date on the bill of lading. By our reading, a car made in 2023 is counted from 1 January 2024, so it must be shipped by the end of 2026.

S.R.O. 61(I)/2026 also applies the safety and environmental standards for commercial used-car imports, notified by the Ministry of Industries and Production or the Engineering Development Board, to gift and transfer of residence cars.

How much is car import duty in Pakistan?

There is no duty-free route. Finance Minister Muhammad Aurangzeb has told the National Assembly that no rule lets a car be imported without paying customs duty and taxes (Gulf News).

We couldn’t find a current official duty schedule for gift and transfer of residence cars. FBR’s Vehicles page has one, but the same page still lists the personal baggage scheme that ended in January 2026, so it hasn’t been updated since then. Treat the figures below as what that page shows, not as today’s duty.

The same page says the duty structure is the same under each scheme, that the amount falls by 1% for each month of the car’s age, and that hybrids get 50% off up to 1800cc and 25% off from 1800cc to 2500cc.

Cars above 1300cc are unresolved. A June 2023 PakWheels report said the 2023-24 budget ended the fixed amounts above 1300cc, but FBR’s page still lists them up to 1800cc. We found no current FBR notice that settles it either way.

New cars can be imported by anyone and pay duty under the normal tariff. The 2026-27 tariff sets customs duty on a new, fully built petrol car at 30% up to 850cc, rising to 50% above 1800cc, before other duties and taxes. Our customs duty guide shows how those layers stack.

How do I pay the duty from abroad?

The duty and taxes must be paid from foreign exchange, not rupees you already have in Pakistan:

• The money must be sent from the bank account of the Pakistani sending the car from abroad.
• It must arrive in that person’s own account in Pakistan or, if they have none, in a family member’s account.
• The bank’s encashment certificate, showing the foreign currency was converted into rupees, is your proof.

If the rupee falls or duties go up after the money arrives but before you file the goods declaration, you can pay the shortfall from local money. For ways to send the money, see sending money to Pakistan.

How does the import work, step by step?

Documents for the gift scheme:

• the CNIC of the family member receiving the car
• the purchase receipt
• the bill of lading, showing the consignee’s name and address
• an attested copy of your passport or POC

Documents for transfer of residence:

• the purchase receipt
• an attested copy of your passport or POC
• the bill of lading, dated no later than 120 days from your arrival in Pakistan

If the overseas Pakistani dies, a transfer of residence car is released to the legal heirs.

Can I sell an imported car straight away?

No. Cars imported under either scheme can’t be transferred for one year from the date of import. PakWheels reported in October 2026 that during that year the excise record still shows the importer as owner, even if a buyer has paid, and an affidavit or sale agreement doesn’t change that.

Once the year is up, see our guide to vehicle transfer in Punjab.

What about commercial used-car imports?

That is a separate route, under Appendix-C of the Import Policy Order. From 1 July 2026, S.R.O. 1065(I)/2026 charges these imports an extra 30% regulatory duty on top of the regulatory duty under S.R.O. 1064(I)/2026. The SRO covers Appendix-C imports, not gift or transfer of residence cars.

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