FBR clarified misinformation about money declaration obligations

• Some sections of the press have generated the false impression that Pakistan has introduced currency declaration rules for passengers entering the country, which is not the case.
• The required requirement for travellers entering Pakistan and bringing currency and/or negotiable instruments was notified by the SBP more than ten years ago.

On Sunday, the Federal Board of Revenue (FBR) clarified misinformation about money declaration obligations.

Some sections of the press have generated the false impression that Pakistan has lately introduced currency declaration rules for passengers entering the country, which is not the case.

The required requirement for travellers entering Pakistan and bringing currency and/or negotiable instruments was notified by the State Bank of Pakistan (SBP) more than ten years ago by notification No FE1/2012-SB dated 16th June 2012. This regulation became effective on July 1, 2012.

Following that, in order to broaden the scope of declaration to include gold jewellery, precious stones, and other prohibited/restricted articles, Pakistan Customs introduced a complete “Customs Declaration Form for Passengers,” which was notified via SRO 689(I)/2019 dated June 29th, 2019.

These regulations apply to both entering and exiting passengers. These declaration criteria are consistent with international standards and best practises recognised by the majority of the world’s governments.

Passengers can declare their goods either manually at the Customs desk or electronically in the Customs System. Pakistan Customs has been partnering with the Civil Aviation Authority, Airlines, and Immigration Authorities to improve its outreach for both departing and arriving passengers in order to raise awareness among foreign passengers.

As a result, compliance has progressively increased. The FBR has also stated that the currency disclosure procedure for all international passengers has been in place for more than a decade and was not implemented in response to any current FATF review criteria.