Your network’s coverage is poor at home, its packages keep getting expensive — but your number is attached to your bank account, your WhatsApp, your CNIC records and ten years of contacts. Changing the number is not an option. Changing the network is.
That is exactly what Mobile Number Portability (MNP) is for. Under PTA’s Mobile Number Portability Regulations, you can move your number — including its operator prefix — to a different network. A 0321 number does not have to stay on its original network forever.
One correction before anything else, because most old guides get it wrong: the SMS keyword is MNP, not PORT. Every current PTA and operator source uses MNP to 667. Follow the steps below and the whole process takes one franchise visit and about four days.
The MNP Process, Step by Step
Step 1 — Send the MNP SMS. From the number you want to move, write MNP and send it to 667 (capitalisation does not matter). The reply contains your number, your name as registered, your CNIC number, your SIM (IMSI) number, your activation date, and your connection type — PRE for prepaid, POS for postpaid, PIR for postpaid with international roaming. The SMS costs Rs 2 + tax.
⚠️ Timing matters: that 667 reply is valid for 10 days only. Do not send it weeks before you plan to visit the franchise — if it is older than 10 days at your visit, the request is rejected (code R09A). If it has expired, simply send it again on the day.
Step 2 — Forward the reply to your new network. Forward the exact 667 reply SMS to the code of the network you are moving to:
| Moving to | Forward the 667 reply to |
|---|---|
| Jazz | 76300 |
| Zong | 76313 |
| Ufone | 76333 |
| Telenor | 76345 |
Step 3 — Visit the NEW network, with your original CNIC. Go to a customer service centre, franchise or authorised retailer of the network you are joining — the process starts with the recipient network, not the one you are leaving. Biometric verification in person is mandatory: the agent enters the CNIC from your 667 reply into the biometric device, you give your thumb impression, and it is verified against NADRA. If the CNIC does not match the 667 reply, no request is generated. Bring your original CNIC (or NICOP / passport / POC) — a photocopy is not enough, and you must be present yourself.
Step 4 — Sign the form, take the new SIM, wait. You sign PTA’s Port-In Form (same signature as on your CNIC) and receive a new SIM that is inactive. Keep using your old SIM as normal. When the port completes, the old SIM loses service — that is your signal to insert the new SIM. Your number, your WhatsApp, your bank OTPs: everything keeps working, because the number never changed.
Before You Start: The Four Requirements
- The number must be in YOUR name. Only the registered subscriber can port a number. If your SIM is in a relative’s name — a very common situation in Pakistan — you must first do a change of ownership into your name. Note that an ownership change restarts the 60-day clock below.
- The 60-day rule (MSP). You cannot port a number that was activated, ported in, or changed ownership less than 60 calendar days ago. It is 60 days — not the 90 days some websites still claim. (Pure data corrections, like fixing a name’s spelling or moving from an old NIC to a new CNIC, do not restart the clock.)
- The number must be active. A blocked or disconnected number cannot be ported.
- Postpaid dues must be cleared. Porting requires no outstanding financial liability. The donor network generates your final amount within 2 days of the request, you settle it, and the port proceeds. Warning: international roaming may be withdrawn as soon as your request is received — do not start a port while you are abroad.
Prepaid and postpaid numbers are both portable, and you can only run one port request at a time. Corporate numbers follow a different route (an authorisation letter on PTA’s template), and data-only/MBB SIM porting is not covered in PTA’s published guidelines — ask the recipient operator directly if that is your case.
How Long It Takes — and the Service Gap
PTA’s official time is 4 days for both prepaid and postpaid, excluding any hold time while dues or contract issues are settled. Once the central system broadcasts the change, all operators must update routing within 5 hours.
The gap with no service is capped at 24 hours by law — in practice it is simply the moment your old SIM dies; you insert the new SIM and you are back. There is no days-long blackout.
One honest conflict to know about: PTA says 4 days for postpaid too, but some operator pages quote much longer postpaid timelines (up to 13–18 business days). The likely reason is the final-bill hold, which PTA excludes from its 4 days — but if you are porting a postpaid number, ask the franchise for their realistic timeline before you start.
What It Costs: The Honest Answer
PTA does not fix the porting fee. PTA’s guidelines leave the amount to the recipient operator, “to be regulated by market forces” — and the published figures genuinely range from free to Rs 550. Even Jazz contradicts itself: one official Jazz page says Rs 300 for prepaid, another Jazz page says Rs 550. Other sources report some networks porting free or for a token amount.
So the practical advice is boring but important: ask the exact fee at the counter before you start, and get a receipt. Also know that if you cancel after your request has been acknowledged, the fee is not refundable.
What Does NOT Transfer: Use It or Lose It
This is the part that costs people money. PTA’s rule is explicit: unused prepaid balance is not refunded or adjusted — the principle is “use or lose.” The same applies in practice to your active bundles, free incentives and loyalty points. They stay behind with the old network.
So before you send that SMS to 667: spend your balance down and let your bundles run out (or use them up) in the days before the port completes. What does carry over automatically is your phone’s PTA/DIRBS pairing — the operators must transfer it within 24 hours of the port, so your PTA-approved phone keeps working on the new network.
Rejection Codes, Decoded
If a port is rejected, the reason comes as a code. Here is what the common ones mean and what to do:
| Code | Meaning | Fix |
|---|---|---|
| R04A | Number blocked | Get the number unblocked/active with the donor first |
| R05A / R05B | Name or CNIC mismatch | The 667 reply data must match your CNIC exactly |
| R05C | SIM number mismatch | Re-send the 667 SMS from the correct SIM |
| R06A | Bill / balance outstanding | Clear the dues, then re-apply |
| R07A | Under 60 days | Wait until 60 days pass from activation / last port / ownership change |
| R08B | Ownership change pending | Let the ownership transfer complete first |
| R09A | 667 SMS too old | Re-send MNP to 667 (valid 10 days) and re-apply |
A hold is not a rejection — it pauses the port while dues or a contract term are settled, and the 4-day clock excludes hold time.
Can You Port Back?
Yes. Porting back to your old network — or to a third one — is a completely normal port with no special treatment. The only limit is the same 60-day rule: the clock restarts on your port-in date, so you must stay at least 60 days before moving again.
If Something Goes Wrong
Complain to the operator first and keep the complaint/reference number — PTA’s system requires it. If the issue is not resolved, escalate to PTA through the CMS portal at complaint.pta.gov.pk, the PTA CMS mobile app, or the toll-free helpline 0800-55055. For a rejection, though, the fastest path is usually simpler: fix the cause from the code table above and re-apply.
The full process above follows PTA’s MNP Porting Process Guidelines, which remain the governing document for porting in Pakistan.
Also read: All Networks Check Codes in Pakistan · Unsubscribe Any Package: Stop Auto-Renewal and Hidden Services
FAQs
Q: Do I send PORT or MNP to 667? Send MNP to 667. The “PORT” instruction survives in old articles and word of mouth, but no current PTA or operator source uses it. The keyword is not case-sensitive, the SMS costs Rs 2 + tax, and the reply you get back stays valid for 10 days — forward it to your new network’s code (Jazz 76300, Zong 76313, Ufone 76333, Telenor 76345) and visit that network’s franchise with your original CNIC for biometric verification.
Q: How much does porting cost in total? There is no single official fee. PTA deliberately does not fix the price — it is set by the network you are joining, and published figures range from free to Rs 550 (Jazz’s own pages list both Rs 300 and Rs 550 for prepaid, which shows how unsettled the number is). Add the two SMS charges (Rs 2 + tax each). Ask for the exact fee at the counter before starting, take a receipt, and remember a cancellation after acknowledgement does not get the fee refunded.
Q: Will I lose my balance and my active bundle? Yes — plan for it. PTA’s rule is “use or lose”: unused prepaid balance is not refunded or transferred, and active bundles, free incentives and loyalty points stay with the old network. Spend your balance and use up (or run out) your bundles in the days before the port completes. Your number itself, your WhatsApp and your bank services are unaffected, because the number does not change.
Q: The SIM is in my father’s name. Can I port it? Not directly. Only the registered subscriber can port a number, so the SIM must first be transferred into your name through a change of ownership — and that change restarts the 60-day minimum-subscription clock, meaning you would wait 60 days after the ownership transfer before the port can go through. If the number is already in your name and more than 60 days old, you can start today.