Basant Portal 2027: Who Registers, What It Costs and How to Apply

Basant 2027 registration is open for kite and string manufacturers on the Basant Portal, and sellers, traders and kite flying associations are expected to register in January or February 2027. Ordinary kite flyers do not need a licence at all. The festival is set for 12 to 14 March 2027 in Lahore, under the deputy commissioner's notification of 23 October, and we cover the Basant 2027 dates, holidays and rules separately.

This is the first concrete step in the run-up to Lahore's second regulated Basant. Here is what was announced, who actually has to register right now, how the portal works, and what it means if you just want to fly a kite at the festival.

• Manufacturer registration opened on 5 September 2026 and is still open.
• Right now it is for kite and string manufacturers only. Sellers, traders and kite flying associations register in January or February 2027.
• Manufacturers need a No Objection Certificate (NOC) before they make anything. Only approved kite sizes and cotton string are allowed.
• Kite flyers do not need a licence. Only businesses register, and the portal's rooftop option has no published details yet.

Where Basant 2027 registration stands now (November 2026)

As of November 2026, this is where each step stands:

• Manufacturers: registration has been open on the Basant Portal since 5 September 2026 and is still open.
• Sellers, traders and kite flying associations: not open yet. The district administration expects their window in January or February 2027, and the exact date has not been announced.
• Trade and sales: the deputy commissioner's notification of 23 October 2026, reported by Dawn, allows buying, transporting and storing kites and string from 1 February 2027 and sales to the public from 10 February 2027, through registered sellers only.
• Festival: 12 to 14 March 2027 in Lahore, approved by the Punjab cabinet and notified by the deputy commissioner.
• Kite flyers: no licence needed. The section on flying below explains why.

Licence, NOC or registration: what the document is actually called

Most people search for a kite licence. The official system uses a different word, which is why the portal can be hard to find. Three names are in circulation for the same process:

• Registration is the official term. The Basant Festival 2027 portal and its FAQ use only this word, and what you receive at the end is a registration certificate, which must be displayed at your business premises.
• NOC, or No Objection Certificate, is the term DC Lahore used when announcing that nobody may prepare kite flying equipment without approval. It does not appear anywhere on the portal itself.
• Licence is what the trade and the press call it. The District Kite Flying Association was reported asking for licences to be issued early, and it is the word most people type into a search box.

If you are searching for a kite licence in Lahore, registration on the Basant portal is the process you want. Registration is mandatory: without it, manufacturing, trading, selling or organising kite flying is illegal, and can bring penalties, seizure of material and legal action. We set out the penalties and the rooftop rules in full.

What DC Lahore announced when the portal opened

The announcement is short and specific: the Basant Portal 2027 opens for registration on 5 September, and a permit is now mandatory for anyone preparing kite flying equipment anywhere in Lahore. The Nation quotes the Deputy Commissioner directly: "The registration on Basant Portal 2027 will start from September 5."

Only people who obtain an NOC may prepare equipment, and district administration teams will monitor the approved production process. The stated aim, per the same report, is to revive the traditional kite flying culture while keeping it inside the safety regulations.

The second half of the quote matters as much as the date: "Only use of approved sizes and cotton strings can ensure a safe Basant." Dawn's report adds the enforcement language, with the DC promising a zero tolerance approach towards chemical coated string and metallic wire, and inspections of manufacturing facilities under the Punjab Regulation of Kite Flying Act, 2025.

Who has to register now, and who waits until January

Only manufacturers can register so far. If you make kites or string, you need to be on the portal and hold an NOC before production starts.

Dawn's report is the clearest on this split. Registration from 5 September is for manufacturers of kites and other Basant material. Sellers, traders and associations will be asked to register in January or February 2027, with the exact date to be announced later.

With the festival now set for 12 to 14 March, that window comes well before it. No exact date for seller registration had been announced as of early November 2026.

The official trade timeline

The deputy commissioner's notification of 23 October 2026, reported by Dawn, fixes the trade timeline for Lahore:

• Manufacturing: kites and string can be made from 5 September 2026 to 14 March 2027.
• Buying, transporting and storing: allowed from 1 February to 14 March 2027.
• Sales to the public: from 10 February to 14 March 2027, through registered sellers only.
• Registration: digital registration is mandatory for kite and string makers, and no one may make, buy, store or sell kites or string without it.

That sequencing is deliberate. Kite makers need a five to six month head start to produce stock for the festival, and the administration wants every kite that reaches a shop in Lahore to have come from a registered, inspected workshop. Retailers cannot legally sell unregistered stock, so the paperwork starts at the source.

How the Basant 2027 portal registration works

The official site is basant.punjab.gov.pk, and every registration form on it redirects to the Punjab government's eBiz Punjab portal. The portal has lagged the news on festival dates, so go by the cabinet approved 12 to 14 March 2027.

Four business categories can register:

1. Manufacturers of kites and approved strings. This is the only group that can register so far.
2. Sellers, meaning retail kite and string shops.
3. Traders, meaning wholesale and distribution.
4. Kite Flying Associations, meaning clubs and event organisers.

Each category registers separately. What the portal asks for, what it costs and how long it takes are set out in the next section.

Kite manufacturing license in Lahore: how to get one

What the trade calls a kite manufacturing license is registration as a manufacturer on the Basant portal, together with the NOC the district administration requires before production starts. It is the only category open now, and it covers kites and approved string alike.

• Apply online at basant.punjab.gov.pk, which hands off to eBiz Punjab. The application goes to the deputy commissioner of your district.
• Submit a CNIC copy, proof of ownership or possession of your premises, a passport size photograph and the fee receipt.
• Pay Rs 1,000, which is non-refundable.
• Expect a decision within 10 days. Assistant commissioners verify applicants and inspect their premises, and a license goes only to applicants who meet the legal requirements, the Express Tribune reported.
• Display the certificate at your workshop and renew it every year.
• Make only approved kite sizes and cotton string. Under the deputy commissioner's notification, manufacturing is allowed from 5 September 2026 to 14 March 2027.

The full requirements and the manufacturing rules are set out in the next two sections.

What registration requires, and what it costs

The requirements below come from the official Basant portal FAQ. We have not run the authenticated application ourselves, because it needs a Pakistani CNIC and a real business premises, so treat the portal as the authority on anything that has changed since.

• Who must register. Anyone who manufactures, trades, stores, transports or sells permissible kite flying material, or who wants to form a kite flying association.
• Where the application goes. It is an online application to the Deputy Commissioner of the relevant district, started from basant.punjab.gov.pk. Every form on that site hands off to the Punjab government's eBiz Punjab system, so an eBiz account is what you end up creating.
• What a manufacturer submits. A CNIC copy, proof of ownership or possession of the business premises, a passport size photograph, the registration fee receipt, and any other document the district asks for.
• What it costs. Rs 1,000 each for a manufacturer, trader or seller, and Rs 5,000 for a kite flying association. Fees are non-refundable. If you want more than one category you file a separate application and pay a separate fee for each.
• How long it takes. The application is verified and decided within 10 days.
• How long it lasts. Registration is valid for one year and has to be renewed annually. The certificate must be clearly displayed at the premises.

Apply early rather than close to the deadline. Every approved workshop gets a site inspection, and the DC has said monitoring teams are already assigned. If the form or the eBiz sign-in gives you trouble, the portal publishes a helpline on 0800-02345.

The rules manufacturers have to build to

Two rules define legal Basant equipment in 2027: approved kite sizes, and cotton string only. Everything else is banned.

• Approved sizes only. The exact dimensions for a patang and a guda are set by the district administration and will be specified as part of the NOC process. Anything oversized does not get approved.
• Cotton string only. Dawn notes the cotton thread, commonly called pinna, has to meet prescribed specifications. Nylon, metallic wire and chemical or glass coated manjha are all illegal.
• Zero tolerance. Per the Express Tribune's coverage of CM Maryam Nawaz's August announcement, violations of the string ban carry three to five years imprisonment, fines up to Rs 2 million, or both, and are non-bailable, cognizable offences.

The string rule is the whole reason Basant was banned in 2007 and the whole reason it is back under regulation. The 2026 revival went ahead with heavy enforcement and still recorded deaths and injuries, which is why the 2027 process starts with manufacturers rather than with fliers.

Kite flying license: do you need one to fly a kite?

No. There is no kite flying licence for individuals in Punjab, and nothing to apply for online if you only want to fly a kite. The Punjab Regulation of Kite Flying Act 2025 requires registration from manufacturers, traders and sellers of kite flying material (section 5), and lets kite flying associations register too (section 7). Neither the Act nor the deputy commissioner's notification asks an individual flyer to hold a licence.

What makes flying legal is the date and the place, not a permit. Section 6 lets the deputy commissioner allow kite flying by notification, and in Lahore that covers 12 to 14 March 2027 only, outside the no-fly zones near the airport. Fly on any other day, or in a district without a notification, and the offence carries three to five years' imprisonment, a Rs 2 million fine, or both. For a child under 18 the Act sets a fine of Rs 50,000 for a first offence and Rs 100,000 for a repeat, recoverable from the parents.

So if a website offers you an online kite flying licence as an individual, it is not something the law requires. The government's site, basant.punjab.gov.pk, registers businesses and associations.

Rooftop registration

The Basant portal also lists a "Register your Rooftop" option, linking to eBiz Punjab, next to a transport permit. Neither the portal's FAQ nor the 23 October notification says who has to register a rooftop, what it costs or when it opens, and we will update this page when that is published. The rooftop safety rules already apply: Dawn reported in May the conditions for 2027, which allow kite flying only from secure rooftops with boundary walls at least 3.5 feet high, with no running or hanging over edges, continuous supervision of children, no high decibel sound systems and a first aid kit on every premises. Building owners and organisers are jointly liable.

Where to buy legal kites

Buy only from registered sellers once sales open on 10 February 2027. A registered shop can only stock kites from a registered, inspected manufacturer, so the registration chain that started with manufacturers in September is what protects you from an illegal string at the festival. The dates, holidays and rules are in our Basant 2027 dates guide.

If you want to see what is being offered ahead of the season, bugo.pk has listed Basant 2027 kite packages in Lahore from The Kite Fighters. Pre-orders open on 16 November 2026, and packs are handed over once public sales start on 10 February 2027.

Basant 2027 timeline at a glance

1. 4 September 2026: DC Lahore announces the portal opening date and the mandatory permit for equipment preparation.
2. 5 September 2026: Basant Portal 2027 registration opens for manufacturers.

• 17 October 2026: DC Lahore's notification proposes Basant for 12 to 14 March 2027.
• 20 October 2026: the Punjab cabinet approves 12 to 14 March 2027.
• 23 October 2026: DC Lahore's notification formally allows Basant from 12 to 14 March 2027 and sets the trade dates.

1. January or February 2027: Sellers, traders and associations register. Exact date to be announced.

• 1 February 2027: buying, transporting and storing kites and string allowed.
• 10 February 2027: sales to the public open, through registered sellers only.
• 12 to 14 March 2027: Basant in Lahore, approved by the Punjab cabinet.

Sources

• Basant 2027: Portal registration date announced, The Nation, 4 September 2026
• Registration for kite manufacturers to open from tomorrow, Dawn, 4 September 2026
• Basant Lahore 2027 registration portal opening date revealed, Pakistan Observer, 3 September 2026
• CM Maryam marks March 12 to 14 for Basant 2027, The Express Tribune, 18 August 2026
• Punjab govt announces new kite-flying rules for next year's Basant celebrations, Dawn, 1 May 2026
• Basant Festival 2027 official portal, Government of the Punjab, and the eBiz Punjab registration system
• Also covered by Aaj English TV, Express Urdu and Daily Ausaf
• Photos: Flying kites.jpg) and Child flying kite at Shahi Qila, both taken in Lahore on Basant 2005 by Guilhem Vellut, CC BY 2.0, via Wikimedia Commons
• bugo.pk: Basant 2027 date changed again, Lahore notification says 12 to 14 March
• Dawn: Lahore DC gives formal go-ahead for 3-day Basant festivities in March 2027, 23 October 2026
• Punjab Laws: The Punjab Regulation of Kite Flying Act 2025
• 24 News: DC Lahore proposes Basant celebration during March 12-14
• Express Tribune: Punjab govt reschedules Basant 2027 in Lahore for second time, sets March dates
• Dunya News: Basant 2027 dates revised in Lahore, cabinet approval awaited