How to Check a Car’s Excise Record Before Buying Used

Before you pay for a used car in Pakistan, check its record with the Excise and Taxation department. This shows who the registered owner is and whether the chassis and engine numbers match. It does not tell you everything. Here are the steps for each province, what the record shows, and what it cannot prove.

Get These From the Seller First

• The registration number exactly as on the number plate.
• The registration date, from the registration card. Punjab and Islamabad ask for it.
• A photo of the registration book or smart card, and the seller’s CNIC.
• The chassis and engine numbers, which you will compare with the car itself.

The record is checked online for free. Do not pay a website or agent to “unlock” vehicle details. Many private sites use the name “MTMIS” and are not official, according to GoPunjab, an independent guide.

Punjab

1. Open the Punjab Excise website, excise.punjab.gov.pk, and choose “Online Verification of Registered Vehicles.” Type the address yourself.
2. Enter the registration number and pick the registration date from the calendar.
3. Type the picture code and press Search.
4. Compare the result with the seller’s papers and the numbers on the car.

GoPunjab (updated 25 September 2026) gives the portal as mtmis.excise.punjab.gov.pk and says the old address, mtmis.punjab.gov.pk, no longer opens. An older Zameen guide (2020) gives a different address. The Excise helpline is 0800-08786, according to GoPunjab and Zameen.

AutoOnes (14 October 2026) says you can also send the registration number by SMS to 8785 to get the record. GoPunjab says it could not confirm in September 2026 that this service still works. Try it, but do not rely on it.

Records can show the make, model, engine and chassis numbers, registration date, owner’s name and token tax status. GoPunjab says the form has changed before, so the live page may differ.

Islamabad

1. Open the Islamabad Excise website, islamabadexcise.gov.pk, and choose the vehicle verification page (AutoOnes calls it “Check Vehicle Detail”).
2. Enter the registration number and the registration date.
3. Read the record and match the chassis and engine numbers.

CarOK says the check is free and shows the registration status and dates, token tax dates, make, model, year, registered owner and registering city. It says the portal does not reliably show bank loans, leases or hypothecation. It also says the portal does not confirm that the ownership chain was completed or that your car’s numbers match the record.

CarOK says you can send the registration number to 8521 by SMS for basic details. AutoOnes describes 8521 as a stolen-vehicle check instead. The sources differ on what 8521 does, so see the section on stolen vehicles below.

Sindh

1. Open the Sindh Excise website, excise.gos.pk, and choose Vehicle Verification. Type the address yourself.
2. Choose car or motorcycle.
3. Search by number plate, or by the owner’s CNIC to see all vehicles in that person’s name, according to AutoOnes.
4. Check the owner, make, model year, engine number, registration date and tax status.

AutoOnes says number plates in Sindh have been linked to the owner’s CNIC since 16 February 2026, and the seller may keep the plate. So the car may get a new number. It says to trust the chassis number. I could not confirm this change from an official source.

Khyber Pakhtunkhwa

AutoOnes says to open kpexcise.gov.pk and use the motor vehicle records search with the number plate. Then match the chassis and engine numbers. If no record appears, it says older manual registrations may not be online. It advises waiting until the seller gets the record fixed at the district Excise office.

Balochistan, Gilgit-Baltistan and Azad Kashmir

• Balochistan: AutoOnes says there is an Online Vehicle Verification service at excise.balochistan.gov.pk. I did not confirm what it shows.
• Gilgit-Baltistan and Azad Kashmir: AutoOnes found no online check. It says to visit the local Excise office with the registration book and both CNICs. It also warns that some GB-registered vehicles may not have had duty paid and can be seized outside GB.

What the Record Cannot Tell You

• Stolen status. A clean Excise record does not prove the car is not stolen. AutoOnes says to run a separate stolen-vehicle check by SMS to 8521, using the registration number (RNO), chassis number (CNO) or engine number (ENO). For Karachi it gives the CPLC numbers 1102, 021-35662222 and 021-35682222. I did not verify these numbers.
• Loans or hypothecation. CarOK says Islamabad’s portal does not reliably show these. AutoOnes does not mention them.
• Fake documents. A record does not prove that the papers in the seller’s hand are real.
• Physical numbers. You must read the chassis and engine numbers on the car yourself and match them to the record.

Warning Signs

• The chassis or engine number differs from the record, even by one character.
• The owner on the record is not the person selling.
• No record appears, and the seller cannot explain why.
• The seller sends you a link or a screenshot instead of letting you search yourself.
• The seller wants payment before you finish your checks.

These points are mostly general advice, with the mismatch rule taken from AutoOnes.

After the Checks

If the record matches, finish the ownership transfer through your Excise office. AutoOnes says Punjab transfers now use the PAK-ID app with fingerprint or Face ID checks since 16 February 2026, and can finish within 48 hours once both sides verify and pay the fee. That is one source, and I did not confirm it with the department. Ask your Excise office for the current transfer steps.

What I Could Not Confirm

• The live portal pages. I could not open any Excise website, so the steps come from guides.
• The exact Punjab portal address, since the guides differ.
• Whether the Punjab SMS service (8785) still works.
• What Islamabad’s SMS service (8521) does, since sources differ.
• Whether Sindh’s plate change and Punjab’s PAK-ID transfer rules are as described.
• Whether the records show hypothecation in any province.

This is general information, not legal advice. Confirm details at your Excise office before you pay.

Frequently Asked Questions

Is the online car record check free?
Yes, according to GoPunjab, AutoOnes and CarOK. Standard SMS charges apply if you use SMS.

What do I need to check a car in Punjab or Islamabad?
The registration number and the registration date, according to GoPunjab and CarOK.

Does the record show if the car is stolen?
No. Run a separate stolen-vehicle check.

Does the record show a bank loan?
Not reliably, according to CarOK for Islamabad.

What if the chassis number does not match?
Do not buy, according to AutoOnes.

Can I check by CNIC?
In Sindh, yes, according to AutoOnes. It lists all vehicles in that person’s name.

Check the record yourself, match the numbers on the car, run a stolen check and pay only after that.