Cars to be registered on CNIC in Sindh as cabinet approves plan

Karachi- August 8, 2025: The Sindh cabinet has approved a proposal by the Excise and Taxation Department to introduce CNIC-based vehicle registration and personalised registration marks (PRMs), ARY News reported.

The decision was taken during a cabinet meeting presided over by Chief Minister Syed Murad Ali Shah at the CM House, to align the province’s system with international standards and recent reforms adopted by the federal capital.

The new system, once implemented, will fundamentally shift the registration framework by linking number plates to the owner’s Computerised National Identity Card (CNIC) rather than the vehicle chassis.

According to officials, this owner-centric registration model will allow vehicle owners to retain, reuse, or surrender their personalised number plates even after selling their vehicles.

The permanent identifier of a vehicle will now be the Vehicle Identification Number (VIN) based on its chassis number, while the number plate will remain linked to the owner.

The Excise Department assured that the system would enable real-time traceability, better enforcement, and facilitate asset tracking for tax purposes. It will be fully integrated with NADRA’s national database and designed to ensure standardisation across provinces.

“Upon the sale of a vehicle, the plate will be detached from the chassis and can be reassigned by the original owner or surrendered for reissuance or auction,” an official briefed.

The cabinet approved the model in principle, along with the necessary legal amendments to operationalize the system. However, the Chief Minister made it clear that the new system would not be implemented immediately.

Instead, he directed the Excise Department to develop and test the model first before submitting a final draft law for enactment.

The move is being hailed as a progressive step toward digitising and simplifying vehicle ownership in Sindh and curbing vehicle-related fraud