How to Verify a Vehicle Online Before Buying It in Pakistan

A used car can look perfect and still be a problem: unpaid token tax, a tampered chassis number, or a record that does not match the seller's story. In Pakistan, you can check most of that from your phone in under two minutes — before you pay a single rupee.

Start with the registration number

Every province runs its own vehicle database, so use the portal for the province where the car is registered — a Karachi car will not appear on Punjab's system. The checks are free, and you only need the registration number exactly as printed on the number plate.

Punjab: open the MTMIS portal at mtmis.excise.punjab.gov.pk — the Motor Transport Management Information System, run by the Punjab Excise Department. Enter the registration number and the registration date from the car's papers, solve the picture code and search. No internet? Text the registration number to 8785 by SMS for the basic record.

Sindh: use excise.gos.pk, choose vehicle verification, select four-wheeler or two-wheeler, and enter the registration number.

Islamabad: use the Excise and Taxation Department portal at islamabadexcise.gov.pk and choose the vehicle verification option.

Khyber Pakhtunkhwa: the department site is kpexcise.gov.pk, though its verification link is not always available — if so, verify by phone or at the district Excise office.

What the result should show

Compare the record with the car's papers: the owner's name, make, model and year, engine and chassis numbers, colour, registration date and token tax status must all match. If the seller's CNIC name does not match the owner field, the car has not been legally transferred to them yet — do not pay until that is resolved at the Excise office.

Then check the car physically. Match the engine number against the engraving on the engine block and the chassis number against the plate on the car — not just against the documents. A scratched or re-stamped number is a red flag. Also confirm the token tax is fully paid up to date, since unpaid dues usually have to be cleared before a transfer.

Check for theft and unpaid fines

For a Karachi or Sindh car, call the Citizens-Police Liaison Committee (CPLC) helpline on 1102 with the registration, engine and chassis numbers, to check the vehicle against the stolen-vehicle database.

Run an e-challan check too — unpaid fines become your responsibility once the transfer is complete. Our guide to paying a traffic challan online explains the portals for each city: https://risepakistannews.blogspot.com/2026/11/how-to-pay-traffic-challan-online-in.html

The transfer rule that protects you

Biometric verification is mandatory for both buyer and seller in Punjab, Sindh and Islamabad. Never pay in full until the seller is available for biometric verification at the Excise office — a seller who cannot or will not appear is selling a car they cannot legally transfer.

If you are still deciding how to buy safely, read our guide to buying and selling used cars online in Pakistan: https://risepakistannews.blogspot.com/2026/10/how-to-buy-and-sell-used-cars-online-in.html

Frequently asked questions

Is the online check really free? Yes — checking on the official provincial portals costs nothing, and you need no login or CNIC. SMS checks may carry a normal text-message charge.

Can I check a motorcycle the same way? Yes. The same portals cover motorcycles, cars, rickshaws and commercial vehicles.

What if the portal shows no record? Older registrations and some Sindh records show incomplete data, but a car with no record at all should not be bought until the Excise office confirms its status in person.

How do I spot a fake verification site? Only use the official portals listed above, reached from the Excise department's own website — never a link forwarded on WhatsApp. Fake verification sites are common.

Follow Rise Pakistan on Facebook for daily updates: https://www.facebook.com/profile.php?id=100077289971426