Sindh to have CNIC-based vehicle registration system to let owners keep number plates after selling vehicles

Sindh Chief Minister Syed Murad Ali Shah, while presiding over a cabinet meeting on Thursday, approved a series of wide-ranging reforms, including the launch of a CNIC-based vehicle registration system.

The Sindh cabinet reviewed a proposal by the excise and taxation department to introduce a CNIC-based vehicle registration system along with Personalised Registration Marks (PRMs).

The new system will link registration marks directly to a vehicle owner’s CNIC rather than the vehicle’s chassis, allowing owners to retain and reuse their personalised number plates even after selling their vehicle. The Vehicle Identification Number (VIN) will now be based on the chassis number, which remains the permanent identifier of the vehicle.

PRMs can be retained, reused, or surrendered by owners. The system enables real-time traceability of vehicles and aligns with international standards. CNIC-linked registration promotes easy tracking of taxpayer assets and improves administrative convenience.

It will be a modernised, owner-centric registration system with integration with NADRA’s national database and will have enhanced traceability and standardisation across provinces.

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Under the proposed model, number plates will be retained by owners, and upon sale of a vehicle, the plate is detached from the chassis and can be reassigned. If not retained, the number will be surrendered for auction or reissuance.

The cabinet, in principle, approved the CNIC-based registration model and its legal amendments to bring Sindh’s system in line with global best practices and recent reforms in the Islamabad Capital Territory. 

The CM directed the department to develop the CNIC-based system and then begin its testing, followed by amending the necessary law. The CNIC-based vehicle registration would not be implemented immediately, but he would hold follow-up meetings to oversee its implementation once it has been properly tested.