How to Verify Car Registration via MTMIS Pakistan (All Provinces)
Short answer: to verify car registration in Pakistan, open your province's official Excise website (the MTMIS system), type the number plate, and match the owner, chassis and engine numbers with the car in front of you. It's free and takes under a minute.
On a basic phone? In Punjab, SMS the registration number to 8785. For a stolen-car check anywhere, SMS the chassis number to 8521.
Why it matters now: the rules have changed. Sindh number plates now belong to the owner, not the car. Punjab moved ownership checks to a biometric app. So the plate alone no longer proves anything. This guide shows you exactly what to check, province by province.
We verify thousands of imported cars every year at AutoOnes. These are the same steps our own team uses before trusting any car.
MTMIS vehicle verification at a glance
Every province keeps its own record, so check where the car is registered, not where it's parked.
Where the car is registered | Official website | What you type | SMS option |
|---|---|---|---|
Punjab | excise.punjab.gov.pk → Online Verification of Registered Vehicles | Registration number | 8785 |
Sindh | excise.gos.pk → Vehicle Verification | Registration number, or owner's CNIC | None |
Khyber Pakhtunkhwa | kpexcise.gov.pk → Motor vehicle records | Registration number | None |
Islamabad (ICT) | islamabadexcise.gov.pk → Check Vehicle Detail | Registration number + registration date | 8521 (stolen check) |
Balochistan | excise.balochistan.gov.pk → Online Vehicle Verification | Registration number (district if asked) | None |
Gilgit-Baltistan, AJK | Local excise office | Registration book + CNIC | 8521 (stolen check) |
Free everywhere. No official portal charges you to look up a car. If a site asks for money to "verify", close it.
How to verify a vehicle in Punjab (MTMIS Punjab)
Punjab has the most complete system in the country. You can check online, by SMS, and complete the transfer from your phone.
Online, step by step
Open the official site: go to excise.punjab.gov.pk and pick Services → Online Verification of Registered Vehicles. This opens MTMIS Punjab.
Type the number plate: enter it exactly as printed, e.g. LEB-23-1234 or ABC-123.
Read the record: you'll see the owner, make, model, colour, chassis number, engine number, registration date and token tax status.
Match it to the car: check the chassis and engine numbers on the car itself, not just on the papers.
By SMS: 8785
Send: the registration number to 8785.
You get back: token tax status, chassis and engine number, make, model, registration date, colour, owner name, father's name and city (PITB launch note).
Biometric transfer on the PAK-ID app
Since 16 February 2026: Punjab Excise, NADRA and PITB have moved ownership checks for registration and transfer to the PAK-ID app, with fingerprint and Face ID (The News).
Overseas sellers: no more embassy visits, attested affidavits or power of attorney. The old manual routes are abolished.
Speed: once both sides verify and the fee is paid through E-Pay, the transfer is finalised within 48 hours.
Buyer tip: don't hand over the full amount on a promise. Do the PAK-ID verification together, and pay once the transfer is submitted.
Your card can be digital too
Punjab issues an E-Registration Card. Enter the registration and chassis numbers on the Excise website to download it to your phone (Bol News).
How to verify a vehicle in Sindh (Karachi, Hyderabad and all districts)
Sindh's check is online only, and it matters more than ever, because the number plate now follows the owner.
Online, step by step
Open the official site: go to excise.gos.pk and open Vehicle Verification.
Pick the type: car or motorcycle.
Type the number plate, or search by the owner's CNIC to see every vehicle in that person's name.
Read the record: owner name, make, model year, engine number, registration date and tax status. Look for the CPLC and safe custody remarks too (ProPakistani).
Match it to the car: chassis and engine numbers must match exactly.
Number plates now belong to the owner
From 16 February 2026, Sindh Excise enforced the Provincial Motor Vehicles (Amendment) Act 2024. Number plates are now linked to the owner's CNIC (Profit by Pakistan Today).
The seller can keep the plate and move it to his next car. So the car you buy may get a new number.
The chassis number is now the car's ID (VIN). Trust the chassis number, not the plate.
Buyer tip: if the plate on the car doesn't match the Excise record, stop. Ask the seller to show the chassis number on the car and on his CNIC-linked record.
Stolen check in Karachi: CPLC
Call CPLC on 1102, 021-35662222 or 021-35682222. Give the registration, engine and chassis numbers. They check it against their stolen and snatched vehicle database (CPLC).
How to verify a vehicle in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa (MTMIS KP)
KP's check is online through the Excise department. There's no public SMS service, so keep a phone with internet handy at the deal.
Open the official site: go to kpexcise.gov.pk and open the motor vehicle records search.
Type the number plate exactly as printed.
Read the record: owner, make, model, registration details and token tax.
Match it to the car: chassis and engine numbers on the car must match the record.
No record found? Old manual registrations aren't always online. Don't buy until the seller gets the record fixed at the district Excise office.
How to verify a vehicle in Islamabad (ICT Excise)
Islamabad asks for one extra detail: the registration date. Get it from the seller's registration card before you search.
Open the official site: go to islamabadexcise.gov.pk and choose Online Services → Check Vehicle Detail (ETTC guide).
Enter the registration number and the registration date.
Read the record and match the chassis and engine numbers with the car.
On your phone: the City Islamabad app (Android and iPhone) handles token tax payments for ICT vehicles (ICT Administration).
In person: Excise & Taxation office, next to the HEC building, Service Road, Sector H-9.
Stolen check by SMS: 8521
Send one of these to 8521:
RNO ABC123to check by registration numberCNO 123456to check by chassis numberENO 123456to check by engine number
This is a police crime check, not the Excise record, so do both (Punjab Police).
How to verify a vehicle in Balochistan
Older guides say Balochistan has no online check. That's out of date. The Excise department now links an online verification service from its homepage.
Open the official site: go to excise.balochistan.gov.pk and find Services → Online Vehicle Verification.
Enter the registration number, and the district if asked.
Read the record and match the chassis and engine numbers with the car.
Check the plate too: the same Services box has a Check your number plate tool. Smart card verification is listed as "under process".
Pak ID app now covers Balochistan vehicles
NADRA's Pak ID app shows digital registration cards for Balochistan-registered vehicles (PhoneWorld).
Buyer and seller can complete the mandatory biometric check by phone, with no Excise office visit.
Record missing or wrong? The district Excise and Taxation Officer has to fix it before the sale.
Gilgit-Baltistan and Azad Kashmir
At our last check, GB and AJK had no working public online check. Verify in person, and be extra careful.
Go with the seller to the local Excise office with the registration book and both CNICs.
Run the stolen check by SMS to 8521 with the chassis number.
Ask about duty: some GB-registered vehicles were never duty-paid, and can be seized once they leave GB (Business Recorder). Get proof that customs duty was paid before you buy a GB-number car for use anywhere else.
What the MTMIS record shows, and what to match on the car
A clean record means nothing if it belongs to a different car. Match every line below with your own eyes.
On the Excise record | Check it against | If it doesn't match |
|---|---|---|
Chassis number | Number stamped on the body and on the chassis plate | Walk away. This is the car's real ID. |
Engine number | Number on the engine block | Ask for engine-change papers. No papers, no deal. |
Owner name | Seller's original CNIC | Deal only with the registered owner, or a valid transfer letter in their name. |
Make, model, colour | The car in front of you | A colour change must be recorded with Excise. |
Registration date | Registration card or book | Ask why the papers differ. |
Token tax | Paid-up status on the record | Unpaid tax has to be cleared before the transfer. Agree who pays. |
Remarks (Sindh: CPLC, safe custody) | Should be blank | Any flag means stop and ask Excise or CPLC. |
Our rule at AutoOnes: if the chassis number on the car and the record differ by even one character, we don't go further.
Latest rule changes every buyer should know
These recent changes affect how you check and transfer a car. Newest first.
Date | Change | What it means for you |
|---|---|---|
Jul 2026 | NADRA Pak ID app adds Balochistan vehicles (PhoneWorld) | Digital registration card and biometric check by phone. |
Mar 2026 | Punjab re-registration of outside vehicles gets no takers in Rawalpindi Division (ProPakistani) | Optional, not compulsory. It needs an NOC from the home province. |
16 Feb 2026 | Punjab moves ownership checks to the PAK-ID app (The News) | Transfers by fingerprint or Face ID, done within 48 hours. |
16 Feb 2026 | Sindh links number plates to the owner's CNIC (Profit) | The seller may keep the plate. Trust the chassis number. |
The big picture: ownership is moving from paper and plates to your CNIC and biometrics. Fewer fake papers, but you must check the chassis number every time.
Is it stolen? Run a police check too
An Excise record only shows who the car is registered to. A stolen car can still show a clean record, so always run a second, police check.
The risk is real: CPLC recorded 5,726 motorcycles and 281 cars stolen in Karachi in just January and February 2026 (Express Tribune).
Where | How to check | What you need |
|---|---|---|
Anywhere in Pakistan | SMS to 8521: | Chassis, engine or plate number |
Karachi and Sindh | Call CPLC: 1102, 021-35662222, 021-35682222 (CPLC) | Registration, engine and chassis numbers |
Punjab | Police Khidmat Markaz in your district (Punjab Police) | Registration and chassis numbers |
Do both checks on the same day you pay. A car can be reported stolen between your first look and the deal.
Red flags: stop the deal if you see these
"No record found" on the official site, with an excuse ready.
Seller isn't the registered owner and has no valid transfer letter.
Chassis number looks re-stamped: uneven letters, fresh paint or welding around it.
Plate doesn't match the record, and the seller avoids the chassis check.
A "verification" link sent by the seller. Type the official address yourself, every time.
Pressure to pay today, before you can run both checks.
Cash only, with no written sale agreement.
Before you pay: a 5-minute checklist
Excise record checked on the official site
Chassis and engine numbers match the car
Seller's CNIC matches the owner
Stolen check done (8521 or CPLC)
Token tax status agreed
Transfer started (PAK-ID in Punjab, biometric in other provinces)
Buying an imported Japanese car? MTMIS isn't enough
The Excise record starts the day the car was registered in Pakistan. It says nothing about the car's life in Japan.
No mileage history: Excise doesn't record the odometer, so a rolled-back reading won't show.
No accident history: repairs done before export are invisible.
No grade: you can't tell a grade 4.5 car from a repaired grade R one.
The fix: check the original auction sheet. Enter the chassis number at AutoOnes Auction Sheet Verification to see the sheet from the Japanese auction: grade, mileage at auction and the inspector's damage marks. AutoOnes has issued more than 5,600 of these reports.
Then compare: if the mileage on the dashboard is lower than the mileage at auction, you've found a rollback.
Shopping now? Browse used cars on AutoOnes and check a fair price with the car price calculator before you meet the seller.
FAQs
What does MTMIS stand for?
Motor Transport Management Information System. It's the computerised vehicle record each provincial Excise department runs.
Is MTMIS vehicle verification free?
Yes. Every official Excise website lets you look up a car for free. Standard SMS charges apply to 8785 and 8521.
Can I verify a car by CNIC?
Yes in Sindh, where Excise offers a CNIC search that lists every vehicle in that person's name. Elsewhere, search by registration number.
Can I check a Punjab car from Karachi?
Yes. Records follow the province of registration, not your location. Use Punjab's site for a Punjab number, wherever you are.
Why does it say "record not found"?
Check the format first, with and without dashes. If it still fails, the record may be old and manual, or the plate may be fake. Don't buy until Excise confirms it.
Does a clean record mean the car isn't stolen?
No. Excise shows registration, not theft. Run the police check by SMS to 8521, or call CPLC in Karachi.
Can an overseas seller transfer a Punjab car?
Yes. They verify through the PAK-ID app by fingerprint or Face ID. No embassy visit or power of attorney needed.
In Sindh, will my number plate change when I buy?
It can. Under Sindh's CNIC-linked plate rules, the seller may keep his plate for his next car. Buyer and seller can also agree to keep it with the car.
Disclaimer
We review this guide regularly against official Excise websites and Pakistani news reports. Government portals and rules change often, so always confirm on the official website or at the Excise office before you pay.
AutoOnes is not a government body. This guide is general information, not legal advice.
Written by the AutoOnes team. Reviewed by Abdur Raheem (AZi), founder of AutoOnes, in the Japanese car auction market since 2007.