In a move that has sparked public discussion, the Islamabad Traffic Police (ITP) has introduced a revised fee structure for driving licenses, resulting in increases of up to 33%. This change is attributed to the introduction of additional service charges.
Under the new structure, a portion of the fees reaching up to Rs800 will be earmarked for the ‘welfare’ of the police department and collected directly in cash by the police officers. The standard license fee of Rs2,400 will continue to be deposited into the national exchequer through bank transactions. However, the police will handle the additional service charges separately, including optional fees such as the road test fee.
This decision, approved by the police chief following directives from the interior minister, expands ITP license eligibility to all citizens nationwide and implements the fee hike through an executive order.
A notification from the Inspector General of Police (IGP) office, endorsed by the Police Executive Board’s recommendation, has made these service charges effective immediately.
Fresh Driving License Fee
- Rs. 5,000 Non-Professional (M. cycle, M. car)
- Rs. 12,000 Professional (LTV, HTV, PSV, M. cab, TRAC, Comm.)
Other License Fees
- Rs. 5,000 Duplicate License Fee
- Rs. 1,000 Learner Permit
The revised fee structure includes the following charges:
- Rs 200 medical fee
- Fast-track license processing option for an additional Rs 2,000
Road test fees:
- Rs 200 for motor cars
- Rs 300 for light-traffic vehicles
- Rs 500 for heavy-traffic vehicles
- Rs 200 road safety education session fee
- Rs 1,000 fee for driving license no-objection certificate (NOC), required when changing the license-issuing authority
Furthermore, fees for community driving schools have seen a significant increase:
- Rs 12,000 for motor cars
- Rs 18,000 for light-traffic vehicles
- Rs 25,000 for heavy-traffic vehicles
An additional Rs 200 mobile facilitation fee has been introduced for the ‘license on wheels‘ service, recently launched by Interior Minister Mohsin Naqvi.
However, legal experts and police officers have raised concerns that the fee adjustments, made through an office order, may contravene the Motor Vehicles Ordinance 1965, which stipulates that only the federal government has the authority to enact such changes.