Pakistan Single Window plans a digital wallet for customs duties and port charges

Importers and exporters in Pakistan may soon pay customs duties, taxes and port charges from a pre-funded digital wallet, under a new Unified Payment System (UPS) planned by Pakistan Single Window (PSW), ProPakistani reported on Monday, 2 November 2026. The wallet is an extra option: today's Pre-Deposit (PD) accounts and bank or payment-gateway payments stay, and existing PD accounts will not be moved.

How the trade wallet will work

• Who runs it: a licensed bank or fintech, under a structure the State Bank of Pakistan permits, using infrastructure it already has. PSW itself will not hold, route or settle traders' money.
• Top-ups: inter-bank transfer (IBFT), Raast, banking apps and portals, or cash over the counter. Balances can be reused and withdrawn remotely.
• What it pays: payment advice raised anywhere in the PSW system, including the PSW platform, the Maritime Single Window and Port Community System, the Air Community System and Customs clearance.
• Checks: the provider handles custody, refunds, reversals and settlement, plus customer due diligence and anti-money laundering checks.
• More providers later: PSW can plug in further wallet providers through the UPS without rebuilding the system.

What it means for traders

For a small importer in Karachi, Lahore, Sialkot or Faisalabad, the gain is mainly time. Instead of separate payments for duty, port and other charges on each consignment, a business can park money in advance and clear several charges from one balance, with each payment, its settlement and reconciliation visible in one place. Faster payment can shorten the time goods sit at port, where demurrage adds to the landed cost.

No launch date, provider or fee structure has been announced. Until then, nothing changes: PD accounts and bank payments work as before.

Before you import

• Work out the sales tax element on a consignment with our sales tax calculator.
• Dollar-priced invoices can be turned into rupees at today's rate with the currency converter, and the dollar rate page tracks the interbank rate daily.