Pakistan has allowed vehicles registered in Azerbaijan to enter the territory of Pakistan carrying transitive and bilateral trade cargo. An SRO issued by the Federal Board of Revenue (FBR)-SRO.2016(I)/2024-notifies the draft Azerbaijan-Pakistan Transit Trade Rules 2024 for such processing within the framework of the Azerbaijan-Pakistan Transit Trade Agreement, 2024. Under this treaty, the parties shall facilitate the processing of transit trade cargo through specific ports under the Customs Computerized System between them and Azerbaijan.
The ports of entry for Azerbaijan’s cargo include Karachi Port, Port Muhammad Bin Qasim, and Gwadar Port. Along with merchandise entering Azerbaijan, merchandise from this agreement is also applicable to the latter country.
Registration vehicles that have valid permits from Azerbaijan to use for the transport of transit or bilateral trade cargo should be able to enter Pakistan without submitting any financial security in the exercise of the relevant duties and taxes on that vehicle. This is by reciprocity between the two countries.
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An insurance guarantee PD account revolving with customs must be opened and maintained by all transport operators and customs clearing agents handling transit goods. The Directorate General Reforms and Automation will generate user IDs for registration in the Customs Computerized System for various users, including traders, government organizations, UN, or diplomatic missions in Karachi, for the focal person of the relevant ministry in Azerbaijan.
Foreign entities like traders, government organizations, and UN or diplomatic missions need to fill out necessary registration forms, after which the relevant Ministry of Azerbaijan will electronically submit it. In the two countries concerned, the vehicles transporting transit and bilateral goods must be licensed by the competent authorities of both countries as authorized transport operators for international transportation. Every vehicle entering Pakistan, as well as those leaving it, needs to possess and carry a currently valid permit issued by the relevant authority in the prescribed format.
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The Directorate of Transit Trade in Peshawar, Quetta, and Gwadar will manage issuing and regulating the permits above with respect to their respective land border customs stations. A GPS tracking device must now also be fitted on the door or front cabin of the vehicle by FBR-approved companies for the non-GPS-tracking foreign vehicles that will sync with the tracking device that will be installed on the containers.