Imported cars in Punjab: no transfer for one year after registration

Imported cars in Punjab can no longer be sold on straight after registration. The Punjab Excise Department now registers an imported vehicle only in the name of the person it was imported for, and that owner must keep it for one year from the date of registration before it can be transferred, ProPakistani and Pakistan Observer reported on Wednesday 30 September 2026. The department has added a system check that blocks any ownership transfer until the year is up.

What has changed

Imported vehicles make up about 20% of all vehicle registrations in Punjab, Pakistan Observer reported, and officials expect the change to affect Excise revenue. No exemptions have been announced.

Why it is happening

The federal government tightened the gift and transfer of residence schemes earlier this year to stop traders using overseas Pakistanis' passports to bring in cars for quick resale, PakWheels reported, citing SRO 61(I)/2026 of 15 January 2026. PakWheels says the personal baggage scheme was abolished, the gap between imports was raised from 700 to 850 days, and provincial excise departments began enforcing the lock in August and September. Punjab's system check is that rule being applied at the registration counter.

If you are buying an imported car in Lahore, Rawalpindi or anywhere in Punjab

1. Ask for the registration date, not just the import date. Punjab counts the year from registration. A car registered in March 2026 cannot be transferred before March 2027.
2. Do not pay in full on an "open letter". A car sold with signed transfer papers but no transfer is still legally the importer's. If it is used in a crime or picks up e-challans, the trail leads to the registered owner, not you.
3. Verify the car online first. Run the registration number through Punjab Excise's vehicle verification before any money changes hands.
4. Budget for the transfer when it becomes possible. Our vehicle transfer fee calculator and token tax calculator show what you will pay at the Excise office.

If you imported a car to sell

The quick-flip route is closed in Punjab. The car stays in your name for a year, with the token tax, insurance and any challans in your name too. Registering in another province to get around the lock is not a safe plan: the federal one-year rule on gift and residence imports applies across the country, PakWheels reports.

For what a new locally assembled car costs instead, see our car prices in Pakistan list, updated from the makers' own price sheets.