Sindh cabinet approves plan to register cars using owner’s CNIC

The Sindh cabinet approved on Thursday a proposal by the Excise department to introduce a CNIC-based vehicle registration system, along with personalised registration marks (PRMs), under which the number plate will remain with the owner even after they sell the vehicle.

In a meeting chaired by Chief Minister Syed Murad Ali Shah, ministers, advisors, and officials agreed to link vehicle registration directly with the owner’s CNIC instead of the chassis number. This change will allow owners to keep and reuse their personalised number plates even after selling their vehicle. The Vehicle Identification Number (VIN) will still be based on the chassis number, ensuring a permanent identifier for each vehicle. Under the new system, plates can be retained and reassigned to another vehicle, or surrendered for auction or re-issuance if the owner chooses not to keep them.

The cabinet also approved legal changes to align Sindh’s system with international standards and reforms already introduced in Islamabad. The Excise Department will develop and test the system before it is fully launched, ensuring integration with NADRA’s database for better traceability and uniformity across provinces. In addition, the cabinet approved Standard Operating Procedures (SOPs) for registering seized or confiscated government vehicles with tampered chassis or cut-and-weld modifications. Only federal and provincial government departments will be allowed to register such vehicles under special, non-transferable series.

The registration fee for these vehicles will be based on their invoice value, and thorough verification will be required before approval. Seized vehicles in the Excise Department’s possession may be released to Pakistan Customs, provided they are registered within 60 days under the new SOPs. These decisions are part of the government’s ongoing efforts to modernise vehicle registration, improve administrative convenience, and enhance road safety standards in the province.