Amendments to Baggage Rules proposed: FBR to withdraw facility of bringing duty-free cellphone

The Federal Board of Revenue (FBR) has decided to withdraw baggage facility of bringing one mobile phone without payment of duties and taxes for incoming international passengers. The FBR has proposed amendments to the Baggage Rules, 2006 through an SRO 653(I)/2019 issued here on Wednesday.
The FBR has also prescribed a customs declaration form for the incoming and outgoing international passengers seeking personal details including residential address/names of sponsors of trip and other details. Under the baggage rules, allowances are available for Pakistani nationals. The FBR has specified list of items of personal use allowed duty-free on any visit after stay abroad for more than seven days. The FBR has excluded mobile phone from the said list.
Resultantly, the incoming passengers cannot bring one mobile phone free of duties and taxes under the baggage rules. According to the FBR, the Board has specified a customs declaration for passengers. In case of accompanied baggage, the passengers at the time of arrival or departure shall file a customs declaration form as specified.
Customs declaration form for passengers included information like name, date of birth, passport number, nationality, country coming from/going to, country going to (if in transit), name of countries visited during last seven days, purpose of visit, contact person/sponsor, contact number in Pakistan and address.
Customs declaration form for passengers seeks information whether the passenger is carrying prohibited/restricted goods such as narcotics, psychotropic substances, firearms, weapons, satellite phones, etc. Customs declaration form requires international passengers to declare any gold jewellery, precious or semi-precious stones, and foreign currency in US dollars or equivalent. The FBR has circulated the draft for comments and objections or suggestions thereon, if any may be sent for consideration of the Board within seven days of publication of the draft amendments in the official Gazette.