Trust & Safety
PTA Approval Explained: What Every Buyer Should Know
Approved, non-PTA, or unknown? What each status actually means for your wallet, and how to avoid a phone that goes dark after 60 days.
"PTA approved" is the single most important line in any Pakistani phone listing, and the most commonly misunderstood.
What the statuses mean
Approved — the device is registered against the DIRBS database and will work on Pakistani networks indefinitely. This is what you want.
Non-PTA — the device has not been registered. It will work on Wi-Fi forever, but mobile network access stops after roughly 60 days from first use. Registering it yourself means paying duty, which can be substantial on flagships.
Unknown — the seller has not confirmed. Treat this as non-PTA until proven otherwise.
The cost nobody mentions
Registration duty on a recent flagship can run well over PKR 100,000. A "cheap" non-PTA iPhone often ends up costing more than an approved one once you register it. Always price the duty in before you compare.
How to check for yourself
Send your IMEI to 8484, or use the DIRBS web portal. Do this before money changes hands — not after.
What we do about it
PTA status is a required field on every MobileMart listing, our inspectors verify it independently during inspection, and it is a filter on the browse page so you can restrict results to approved devices only.
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