Punjab Vehicle Re-Registration Scheme Fails

A Punjab government initiative designed to increase revenue by allowing vehicles registered in other provinces to be re-registered in Punjab has failed to attract applicants.

Since the scheme launched in November 2025, not a single vehicle from Khyber Pakhtunkhwa, Sindh, Balochistan, Gilgit-Baltistan, or Azad Kashmir has been re-registered in the Rawalpindi Division, officials from the Excise, Taxation, and Narcotics Control Department confirmed.

Due to the lack of response, authorities have closed the dedicated counter that was set up to process re-registration requests.

The initiative aimed to encourage owners of vehicles registered outside Punjab to transfer their registration to the province, allowing the government to collect additional taxes and fees.

However, industry representatives say strict standard operating procedures discouraged applicants.

Bilal Khan, Vice President of the Motor Car Dealers Association, said the process required multiple steps, including obtaining a no-objection certificate (NOC) from the vehicle’s original province, submitting complete documentation, securing a clearance certificate, and getting police verification through Police 15 in Punjab.

He said the lengthy and complicated procedure made the scheme unattractive for vehicle owners.

“If the process had been simpler and limited to document submission and basic police verification, the scheme could have generated millions of rupees in revenue for the provincial government,” he said.

Officials from the Excise Department’s Motor Branch confirmed that no vehicle from another province has been re-registered since the scheme began.