Pakistan Customs Allowance for Travellers
Under FBR's Baggage Rules 2006, used personal effects and one personal electronics item are duty-free with no cap. New or non-personal items are allowed up to $400 (trips under 30 days), $800 (30–60 days), $1,200 (over 60 days), or $1,500 for overseas Pakistanis on long-term stays. Mobile phones have no duty-free allowance at all — every phone needs PTA/DIRBS registration and tax paid.
What governs Pakistan's customs allowance for travellers?
FBR's Baggage Rules 2006(SRO 666(I)/2006) are the rule that applies. A later draft that would have added a $1,200 commercial-goods limit was officially withdrawn, so the original 2006 framework is still what's in force. Rules can still change — check fbr.gov.pk directly before you travel.
What's duty-free with no specific value cap
- Personal effects — used clothing, footwear, and personal adornments, no specific value cap.
- Electronics for personal use — one unit of a common personal electronic item (laptop, camera, electric shaver, etc.).
- Consumables — up to 200 cigarettes, 50 cigars, 500g of manufactured tobacco, or a small quantity of perfume/eau de toilette.
Value limits on new/dutiable items, by time spent abroad
For new or non-personal items (not covered by the duty-free categories above), the allowance scales with how long you were abroad:
| Time spent abroad | Value limit |
|---|---|
| Up to 30 days | $400 |
| 30–60 days | $800 |
| More than 60 days | $1,200 |
| Overseas Pakistanis / long-term stay (2+ years) | $1,500 |
Per FBR's Baggage Rules 2006. These are the traveller's own limits based on their own time abroad — not a per-item BRNG allowance, and not something BRNG sets or can change.
Mobile phones are the one duty-free exception
There's no duty-free mobile phone allowance — every phone brought in has to be registered with PTA through DIRBS, with applicable duty paid, before it can be used on a local SIM. See our PTA tax guide for how that registration and tax process works.
Prohibited and restricted items
Prohibited (never allowed): narcotics, contraband, weapons, obscene or anti-state literature, and goods of Israeli origin.
Restricted / must be declared: cash or foreign currency over $10,000 must be formally declared on arrival through the Currency Declaration System (CDS). Multiple units of the same commercial item are treated as trade goods, not personal baggage, and get taxed under standard customs duty rather than the personal allowance above.
When should you declare an item?
If an item's value is at or near your limit from the table above, declaring it accurately at customs is always the safer path — an undeclared high-value item found during inspection tends to create a bigger problem than simply paying the duty would have. See our PS5-specific customs guide for how this plays out with a real commonly-requested item.
FAQs
- FBR's Baggage Rules 2006 (SRO 666(I)/2006). A later draft proposing a $1,200 commercial-goods limit was withdrawn, so the original 2006 framework still applies — check fbr.gov.pk for any future changes.
- Items over the applicable limit can be assessed customs duty by Pakistan Customs at the airport, based on declared value. Declaring accurately avoids bigger problems than just paying duty on the excess.
- One personal electronics item (laptop, camera, etc.) is duty-free. Mobile phones are the exception — there's no duty-free phone allowance at all, and every phone needs PTA registration through DIRBS with duty paid.
- Cash or foreign currency over $10,000 must be formally declared on arrival through Pakistan's Currency Declaration System (CDS).