How to Check a Phone's PTA Status Using Its IMEI

Step-by-step: checking PTA status

PTA keeps it simple. Dial *#06#, write down each 15-digit IMEI, and SMS each one to 8484. Those steps are printed right on the DIRBS website (checked October 2026). It takes less than a minute, and all it costs you is one ordinary SMS.

1. 1
   Find the IMEI

   Open the dialler and type *#06#. Write down every 15-digit number that appears. Dual-SIM phones have two.

2. 2
   Match the box and the phone

   Compare the IMEI on screen with the box sticker and, on iPhones, Settings > General > About. A mismatch is a warning sign.

3. 3
   Send the IMEI to 8484

   Create a new SMS, type the 15-digit IMEI and send it to 8484. Repeat for the second IMEI.

4. 4
   Or check on DIRBS

   Open dirbs.pta.gov.pk and use the device verification option with the same IMEI.

5. 5
   Read the reply before paying

   If the reply does not confirm the phone is approved for use, walk away or renegotiate as a non-PTA set.

How to check PTA status on an iPhone

Same drill on an iPhone. Type *#06# in the Phone app's keypad, or find the IMEI under Settings > General > About. Newer iPhones with eSIM show two IMEIs as well. Run both through 8484.

What the result means for a buyer

PTA approved, non-PTA and "JV": what sellers mean

PTA approved: the IMEI is registered, and the phone works on local networks. Non-PTA: it isn't registered, which you'll see a lot on sets brought in from Dubai or the UK. Then there's JV, which turns up in used-phone ads and in shop talk at places like Hafeez Centre. It's market slang, not a PTA term, and usually means a set running on some workaround instead of proper registration. Don't trust any of these labels. Only the 8484 reply counts.

How to register a phone with PTA

PTA says you can register a phone on dirbs.pta.gov.pk/drs (checked October 2026), by dialling *8484#, or at a mobile operator's franchise centre. There are no registration counters at airports, according to PTA. Registering normally means paying a tax that the government sets. We don't quote amounts because they change; check the current figure on DIRBS the day you register.

Before you buy a used phone: 6 checks

Worked example: buying a used iPhone in Saddar or Hafeez Centre

Picture this. You're at a phone market in Lahore and the seller hands you an iPhone: "PTA approved, both slots." You open the keypad and dial *#06#. Two IMEIs come up, one for the physical SIM and one for the eSIM. Copy the first into a new SMS, send it to 8484, and repeat with the second.

First reply: approved. Second one: not. So it's approved on one slot only. Your Jazz or Zong SIM will work fine in that slot, but a second number in the other one may not. Plenty of phones from abroad end up like this. It's a fair reason to push the price down. It's not a reason to believe the seller's next claim without checking.

Now flip the box over and read the IMEI sticker. Doesn't match the screen? Then the box belongs to another phone. Some sellers hang on to boxes from approved sets just to dress up an unregistered one. Takes five seconds.

What the DIRBS reply can and can't tell you

The 8484 reply answers one question only: is this IMEI allowed on Pakistani networks? It says nothing about whether the phone was stolen abroad, is still tied to someone's iCloud, or has a cheap replacement screen. You still have to do the hands-on checks below. A quick look at the screen edges and the charging port is worth thirty seconds.

Registering a phone you brought from abroad

Bought a phone abroad, or thinking about buying one that isn't approved? PTA gives three ways to register it: dirbs.pta.gov.pk/drs (checked October 2026), the USSD code *8484#, and operator franchise centres. You'll pay whatever tax applies to that model on that day. The government sets it, and it varies by phone, so we don't print numbers here. DIRBS will show you the real one.

Keep your passport and the IMEI ready before you start. On a dual-SIM phone each IMEI is registered separately. Add up the total cost before you agree to buy an unregistered set with the plan of registering it yourself; it's often more than people expect. Ask the seller why he never registered it himself. Sometimes the answer tells you more than the price.

Common mistakes buyers make

• Checking just the first IMEI. On dual-SIM and eSIM phones, check both.
• Taking a screenshot of an 8484 reply as proof. Send the SMS yourself, from your own phone, with the IMEI you read off the device.
• Believing the box sticker without dialling *#06#.
• Paying a shop a "PTA approval" fee on the promise that they'll register it later. Use PTA's own channels, or just buy a phone that already shows approved.

Happy with the phone? From here it's like any second-hand deal. Our safe buying and selling guide walks through fake payment screenshots and the other usual tricks. Selling instead? Selling a phone goes quicker when the PTA status is right in the ad title. Or browse used mobile phones on QuickSell.