How to Verify Your Phone IMEI to Avoid Blocking in Pakistan - Complete Guideline

How to Verify Your Phone IMEI in Pakistan

Dear Students, Here we will discuss how you can verify your Smart phone IMEI number is Valid , Invalid or Compliant. We will also help you understand how DIRBS works, and How can you register your phone to avoid any blocking by PTA. You can Avoid Smart Phone Blockage by PTA, by Registering Before October 20, 2018. Please read the complete article to get most out of it.

How to Verify Your Phone IMEI to Avoid Blocking in Pakistan

What is DIRBS , IMEI and its Types?

Before we discuss the Procedure to verify your phone IMEI. Here are a few terms that you need to know well.

• What is DIRBS ?
• What is IMEI ?
• What are Types of IMEI in DIRBS ?

What is DIRBS ?

DIRBS stands for Device Identification, Registration and Blocking System - that will be used to block all smuggled and unregistered smartphones and feature phones in Pakistan.

What is DIRBS

What is IMEI Number?

IMEI stands for International Mobile Equipment Identity, which is a unique number issued to every mobile phone in use. 

What is IMEI Number

This unique number is set at the time of its manufacturing and no two phones in the world can have same IMEIs.

What are Types of IMEI in DIRBS?

1. Invalid IMEI
2. Valid IMEI
3. Compliant IMEI / PTA Approved IMEI

1. What is Invalid IMEI

Any Mobile phone in the world can be identified if it has invalid IMEI by simply checking its IMEI number against GSMA’s list of approved IMEIs.

For Example:

Some Chinese phone makers do this is because they want to avoid a nominal fee that’s charged by GSMA for issuance of IMEI list.

if you bought your phone from a local market, chances are that your IMEI number is flashed (software is re-installed) and re-coded with an invalid IMEI.

2. What is Valid IMEI

In This Category are those phones that come with GSMA approved IMEIs but are not registered with PTA.

For Example:

A Smart phone that your cousin or brother brought from Dubai may have valid IMEI but not compliant IMEI.

3. Compliant IMEI or PTA Approved IMEI 

In short, any IMEI number that is Valid and PTA approved is considered as Compliant IMEI or PTA approved IMEI.

For example:

Let's Say, Samsung is importing 20,000 phones into Pakistan per month, So First of all they will need to share the list of IMEI numbers of all the phones with PTA. These phones contain valid IMEIs and once they are registered with PTA, the IMEI numbers of those phones will be considered as PTA approved IMEI number / Compliant IMEI.

How to Check IMEI number of a Smart Phone?

If You want to Check Your Phone's IMEI Please Follow the instructions given below:

• Just dual  *#06#  from your dial pad.
• You will get a pop-up that displays all the IMEI numbers of the phone (depending on whether you have a single SIM or dual SIM phone).

How to Check if an IMEI is Valid, Invalid or Compliant?

There are a some reasons why you may need to check whether your phone’s IMEI(s) is Valid, Invalid or Compliant / PTA Approved.

Reasons:

As we know we usually buy phones from OLX or an Online Store, Or May be Your Brother or cousins  may have brought it for you from Dubai.

How to Verify Your Phone IMEI Through Web:

• Go to this website: http://dirbs.pta.gov.pk/ Verify Now
• Enter your 15 Digit IMEI number
• Press ‘Check’
• You will be shown the status of the IMEI number on the next screen

How to Verify Your Phone IMEI Through SMS

• Write a new SMS message
• Type your 15 digit IMEI
• Send it to 8484

How to Verify Your Phone IMEI via Android App

• Download this Android app from DIRBS Android App
• Install the DIRBS app on your smartphone
• Open app and enter your 15 digit IMEI number and that’s it.

Three Possible Replies of IMEI Check by PTA

While checking the IMEI number of your phone through the above three methods, there could be three possible replies for your phone:

Valid IMEI: 

This means that your phone IMEI is GSMA approved but not PTA approved.

Invalid IMEI: 

Not a GSMA approved IMEI, nor PTA approved.

Compliant IMEI: 

It is both GSMA approved and PTA approved IMEI number.

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How to Register Your Phone IMEI to avoid Blocking

Here’s what you need to do to register your smartphone so that it doesn’t get blocked from normal use later in Pakistan by PTA.

Invalid IMEI Numbers

Below are few possible factors if your IMEI number is Invalid:

• Your phone is manufactured by a low-end Chinese company that didn’t use a GSMA approved IMEI number
• You flashed your phone (re-installed the software) and now your new IMEI is not GSMA approved

You will get an SMS from the DIRBS system directing them to pair their smartphone with SIMs that they want to use on this phone. After a certain deadline (that will be mentioned in SMS from DIRBS), this phone won’t accept any new SIM.

How to Register Invalid IMEI Numbers

If your smartphone has an Invalid IMEI number, you must use all the SIMs that you want to use with this smartphone till the end of deadline. After the deadline, you won’t be able to use a non-paired SIM on this phone.

Using a SIM means, making at least one revenue generating activity, i.e. make a call, send an SMS or use mobile internet.

Once paired with a SIM, phones with Invalid IMEI numbers can be used with only these SIMs till the end of life of the phone.

And if you haven’t paired the phone (with Invalid IMEI) before the deadline, you won’t be able to use this phone ever again in life in Pakistan.

Valid IMEI Numbers

If Your Phone has valid IMEI , this usually happens because:

• You bought a phone from Dubai and using it in Pakistan,
• You ordered a phone from Ali Express that was delivered to you through a courier company,
• You bought the phone from an online store that imported the device from abroad.

How to Register Valid IMEI Numbers 

Phones with Valid IMEIs but not Compliant IMEIs must use the phone at once - with any SIM - before the deadline (that will be communicated to you in the SMS sent by DIRBS/PTA).

If you use this phone before the deadline, then you will never be asked to register the phone. In fact, you can use other SIMs on these phones without the need to pair them.

If these phones are used before deadline, you will be allowed to use them as normal for the remainder of their life, just like you do it now.

If a phone (with valid but not complaint IMEI) was never used even once after the deadline then you will be given around 20 days to register the IMEI numbers with PTA, i.e. by going to PTA’s website and getting an NOC from there.

This is the same NOC that is currently required if you order a phone from Ali Express or from anywhere else.

Not to mention, after the deadline, a custom fee might be required in order to get an NOC from PTA to register the IMEI number.

Also remember that all those phones with Valid (but not compliant) IMEI numbers will not be allowed to register with Pakistani mobile networks if deadline expires and if NOC is not obtained.

Compliant IMEI Numbers

if Your phone's IMEI Number is compliant that means it is Valid and PTA approved IMEIs. Now You need to do nothing. They can continue using your smartphones as you were using before and there is not going to be any blocking or Problem on them by PTA.

Must Check IMEI Number before Buying a New Phone

You should always make sure to check the IMEI number of the phones while making new purchases by Local market. Whether you’re getting it from a friend or from an online store or even when you buy a phone from a shop, don’t forget to check its IMEI number.

You can check IMEI number of a phone through http://dirbs.pta.gov.pk/

Benefits of DIRBS in Pakistan

You must be thinking that this new system brings a lot of limitations and hurdles to owning a mobile phone in Pakistan. However, if implemented correctly, DIRBS has lots of benefits for every mobile user in Pakistan.

Benefits of DIRBS in Pakistan

Here are some of the benefits of DIRBS:

• Phone snatchers won’t be able to sell your phone, since you can easily get them blocked via your registered IMEI number.
• Local Shop sellers who sell you a refurbished phone for the price of a new one will not be able to do so again.
• With this system in place, you are going to get 100% legal devices, that naturally come with better quality, after sales services and warranties.

Don't Wait and Verify Your Phone IMEI to Avoid Blocking in Pakistan. Thank You.