Can I drive in Sri Lanka with my Indian driving licence?

Not on the Indian licence alone. India is a 1949 Geneva Convention country, so it clears the issuing-country test in paragraph 01.a of DMT Internal Circular 2022/14, dated 2022.11.14, but you still need a Sri Lankan licence issued against it. On a short visa that is the temporary licence under section 132, from Rs 15,000 for one month.

Is an International Driving Permit enough to drive in Sri Lanka?

The circular does not treat an International Driving Permit as a licence. What it recognises is your foreign licence plus a Sri Lankan licence issued against it under section 131 or 132 of the Motor Traffic Act. AA Ceylon validates permits as a separate private service, which this page names but does not price.

How much does a temporary Sri Lankan driving licence cost?

Schedule I item 14(a) prices a visiting non-citizen's temporary licence by the months of validity granted: Rs 15,000 for one month, Rs 21,000 for more than one month, up to two months, Rs 30,000 for more than two months, up to six months, Rs 45,000 for more than six months, up to twelve months. Paragraph 04.i caps the validity at 5 months or your remaining visa, whichever is shorter.

Can a dual citizen convert a foreign driving licence to a Sri Lankan one?

Yes. Paragraph 03 covers Sri Lankan citizens and dual citizens together, with no minimum stay and no visa condition. The levy is Schedule I item 12(a), Rs 30,000, and you need your Sri Lankan passport and NIC, an NTMI fitness certificate, a practical test, and a visa for the country that issued the licence.

Do I have to sit a practical test to convert a foreign driving licence in Sri Lanka?

Yes, for a conversion. Paragraphs 02.iii and 03.iii both require you to pass the practical examination held by an Examiner of Motor Vehicles. There is no written test and no learner's permit stage. Paragraph 04 lists no practical test for the temporary licence, though paragraph 01.g leaves the Commissioner General free to set conditions.

Which countries' driving licences does Sri Lanka accept?

Paragraph 01.a accepts a licence from a 1968 Vienna or 1949 Geneva Convention country listed in schedule 1, or from any of the 8 SAARC member states listed in schedule 2. DMT does not publish either schedule with the circular, so this tool tests convention and SAARC membership and tells you to confirm with DMT where neither is met.

How much does it cost to convert a foreign driving licence in Sri Lanka?

A Sri Lankan citizen or dual citizen pays Rs 30,000 under Schedule I item 12(a). A foreign national on a visa of a year or more pays Rs 60,000 under item 12(b). Normal and same-day service are the same figure for both. Add the NTMI medical certificate, and Rs 225 if you want the card posted.

Can I convert a learner's permit or a provisional licence?

No. Paragraph 01.c accepts full licences only, and names training, learner, novice, probationary and temporary licences as excluded. Paragraph 04 carries the same condition onto the temporary licence, so neither route is open. Paragraph 06 still leaves the ordinary first-licence procedure available: written test, learner's permit, practical test.

What if my foreign licence has less than a year left?

Paragraph 01.b requires at least 12 months of remaining validity from the date of conversion, and paragraph 04 carries that onto the temporary licence too. Renew the licence where it was issued first. A renewal done abroad resets the clock and reopens both routes without any further condition.

Can I convert a heavy vehicle, lorry or bus licence?

Not as an ordinary conversion. Paragraph 01.d limits conversion to motorcycles (class A) and light vehicles (class B). Paragraph 05.c allows a heavy conversion where significant justification is produced, with the Commissioner General's special approval and a practical test. Schedule I attaches no levy to it, so this tool never quotes a figure for it.

Does my foreign licence restriction carry over?

Yes, in full. Paragraph 01.e says every restriction and condition on the foreign licence applies to the Sri Lankan one, and gives corrective lenses, automatic transmission only and hearing aid use as its examples. An automatic-only endorsement abroad becomes an automatic-only Sri Lankan licence.

Do diplomats go through this process?

No. Paragraph 05.a issues a Sri Lankan licence to foreign diplomats and staff of foreign missions on a written request from the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, without any of the conditions above. Paragraph 05.b does the same for citizens of countries holding a reciprocal licence exchange agreement with Sri Lanka, which DMT does not publish a list of.

Sri Lanka · Travel

Driving Licence in Sri Lanka for Foreigners (2026)

Find out whether your licence converts to a full Sri Lankan one, whether a temporary licence is your route, and what each costs. Built on the Department of Motor Traffic circular that decides it, with the gazetted levy and the document list for your route. No signup.

By Induwara Ashinsana· Co-Founder, Ryzera TechnologiesUpdated Oct 4, 2026

Check your foreign licenceDMT circular 2022/14

8 cases cross-checked

Answer six questions and get the route the circular sends you down, the gazetted levy, the maximum validity and the document list for that route.

Try a case

Country that issued your licence

Paragraph 01.a accepts a 1949 Geneva or 1968 Vienna convention country, or a SAARC member state.

Your citizenship

Type of licence you hold

Months your foreign licence still has to run

months

Paragraph 01.b needs at least 12 months left on the day you convert. Up to 240.

Months of stay, or Sri Lankan visa left

months

Paragraph 02.i needs 12 months or more of visa for a foreign national to convert. Up to 60.

Classes you want carried over

Pick one or both of the classes paragraph 01.d covers. Heavy classes are shown but never priced.

Did your own country issue the licence?

Card posted to you?

A temporary Sri Lankan licence is your routeParagraph 04Act section 132

Paragraph 04 issues a temporary licence under section 132 of the Motor Traffic Act to a foreign national who does not meet paragraph 02.i. It applies conditions b to g of paragraph 01, so the country test of 01.a does not gate it, and the levy is charged on the months of validity granted.

Paragraph 04.i: the lesser of 5 months and the 1 months of Sri Lankan visa you have left.

Total to pay

Rs 15,000

1 line, each with its source

Licence levy

Rs 15,000

Schedule I item 14(a)

Maximum validity

1 mo

One month

Classes carried over

The four tests in paragraph 01

Issuing country01.a
India is a SAARC member state, which is the second limb of paragraph 01.a, so the issuing-country test is met whatever either road-traffic convention says.
Remaining validity01.b
Your licence has 48 months to run, at or above the 12 months paragraph 01.b requires from the date of conversion.
Licence type01.c
A full licence is the only type paragraph 01.c accepts, and that is what you hold.
Licence classes01.d
The class you picked is inside paragraph 01.d, which covers motorcycles (A) and light vehicles (B).

What it costs

Temporary licence: visitor who is not a citizen, one monthSchedule I item 14(a)	Rs 15,000
Total	Rs 15,000

What to take to the counter

Passport and Sri Lankan visa, for the validity the licence is set against04.i
Validity is the lesser of 5 months and your remaining visa.
The foreign driving licence itself, full and in date01.b, 01.c via 04
Whatever verification the Commissioner General asks for01.f, 01.g via 04
Written confirmation from your embassy in Sri Lanka is the example the circular gives.

What the sources do not settle

Paragraph 04.i caps the temporary licence at 5 months, while Schedule I item 14(a) prices bands up to twelve months. Both are quoted as published: the five-month cap is the circular's, the twelve-month band is the gazette's, and DMT has not reconciled them.
Paragraph 04 lists no medical certificate and no practical test for a temporary licence, so neither is added above. Paragraphs 01.f and 01.g still let the Commissioner General ask for verification or set conditions.
Paragraph 01.e carries every restriction and condition on your foreign licence onto the Sri Lankan one: corrective lenses, automatic transmission only, a hearing aid, and anything else endorsed on it.
Paragraph 01.f lets the Commissioner General ask your embassy in Sri Lanka to confirm in writing that your licence is valid, and 01.g gives the Commissioner General the final say on whether a licence is issued at all and on what conditions.

Every rule above is read from DMT Internal Circular 2022/14, dated 2022.11.14, and every rupee figure from Schedule I of the consolidated driving licence levy regulations or the NTMI published charges. Each line names the item it came from, and the sources are linked under the tool. Last checked 2026-10-04.

How it works

Everything on this page comes from one document: DMT Internal Circular 2022/14, dated 2022.11.14, Conversion of Foreign Driving License into Sri Lankan Driving License, issued by the Commissioner General of Motor Traffic to the Commissioner (Driving Licence), the district offices and the Chief Examiners of Motor Vehicles. DMT names it on its own site as the instrument foreign conversions are carried out under. It sets a procedure under section 131 of the Motor Traffic Act for issuing a Sri Lankan licence against a licence issued abroad, and under section 132 for a temporary licence. Every rupee figure comes from Schedule I of the motor traffic (driving licence levy) regulations no. 03 of 2022.

Issuing country, paragraph 01.a. The licence has to come from a country signatory to the 1968 Vienna or 1949 Geneva road traffic convention listed in schedule 1, or from a SAARC country listed in schedule 2. The test is a disjunction, so SAARC membership decides on its own. That matters: the Maldives is party to neither convention, and clears paragraph 01.a anyway.
Remaining validity, paragraph 01.b. The foreign licence must be valid for at least 12 months from the date of conversion. Paragraph 04 applies conditions b to g to the temporary licence as well, so this rule closes both routes rather than one.
Licence type, paragraph 01.c. Full licences only. Training, learner, novice, probationary and temporary licences are named as excluded.
Classes, paragraph 01.d. Conversion applies to motorcycles (class A) and light vehicles (class B). Heavier classes fall to paragraph 05.c, a discretionary decision of the Commissioner General on significant justification and subject to a practical test, with no levy attached.
Route, paragraphs 02 to 04. A foreign national holding a Sri Lankan visa of 12 months or more converts under paragraph 02, levy Schedule I item 12(b). A Sri Lankan citizen or dual citizen converts under paragraph 03, item 12(a), with no visa or stay condition at all. A foreign national who does not meet paragraph 02.i gets a temporary licence under paragraph 04, priced in bands on item 14(a).
Validity.Paragraph 02.v sets a converted foreign national's licence validity from the remaining Sri Lankan visa. Paragraph 04.i caps a temporary licence at the lesser of 5months and the remaining visa. Paragraph 03 attaches no visa to a citizen's licence.
Restrictions, paragraph 01.e. Every restriction on the foreign licence carries onto the Sri Lankan one, corrective lenses, automatic transmission only and hearing aid use included.

The total is licence levy + (conversion ? NTMI certificate : 0) + (posted ? item 16 : 0). Columns II and III of Schedule I carry the same figure for every item this tool reaches, so there is no service-speed choice to make. The medical certificate is an NTMI charge rather than a DMT levy, and its rate turns on whether you attend as a citizen, a dual citizen or a foreign-visa holder.

Two things the sources leave open, which the tool states rather than hides. Paragraph 04.i caps a temporary licence at 5 months while item 14(a) prices bands up to twelve. And item 14(b) prices a temporary licence for a visiting citizen that the circular never describes, so its levy is shown and its conditions are marked unpublished.

Every levy this page can quote

Schedule I of the consolidated driving licence levy regulations, No. 2306/02 of 14 November 2022. Column II and Column III carry the same figure for all of these.

Item	What it is	Levy
12(a)	Conversion for a Sri Lankan citizen or dual citizen (paragraph 03)	Rs 30,000
12(b)	Conversion for a foreign national on a visa of a year or more (paragraph 02)	Rs 60,000
14(a)	Temporary licence, visiting non-citizen: one month	Rs 15,000
14(a)	Temporary licence, visiting non-citizen: more than one month, up to two months	Rs 21,000
14(a)	Temporary licence, visiting non-citizen: more than two months, up to six months	Rs 30,000
14(a)	Temporary licence, visiting non-citizen: more than six months, up to twelve months	Rs 45,000
14(b)	Temporary licence, visiting Sri Lankan citizen: three months	Rs 15,000
14(b)	Temporary licence, visiting Sri Lankan citizen: more than three months, up to six months	Rs 18,000
14(b)	Temporary licence, visiting Sri Lankan citizen: more than six months, up to twelve months	Rs 24,000
16	Postal charges, packaging, delivery and courier	Rs 225

Schedule I verified 2026-09-23. Convention membership verified 2026-07-06. NTMI charges verified 2026-10-02.

Worked examples

Indian tourist, 30-day visa, car

Rs 15,000

01.a: India is a 1949 Geneva party, so the issuing-country test passes
01.b: 48 months of validity left, at or above 12, passes
01.c: a full licence, passes. 01.d: class B, passes
02.i: the visa is 1 month, below 12, so paragraph 04 applies
04.i: validity = min(5, 1) = 1 month
Item 14(a), one-month band: Rs 15,000
No medical certificate is listed in paragraph 04, no postage: total Rs 15,000

Dual citizen home from the UK for eight months, car, card posted

Rs 31,725

01.a: the United Kingdom is party to both conventions, passes twice over
01.b and 01.c: full licence, 36 months left, passes
Citizenship routes to paragraph 03, which sets no visa condition
Item 12(a): Rs 30,000, and Columns II and III are the same figure
03.ii: NTMI certificate at the dual-citizen rate, Rs 1,500
Item 16: postage Rs 225
Total Rs 30,000 + Rs 1,500 + Rs 225 = Rs 31,725
Against item 14(b), six to twelve months: Rs 24,000 + Rs 225 = Rs 24,225, so the permanent licence costs Rs 7,500 more and does not expire

Maldivian national, two-year residence visa, motorcycle and car

Rs 67,500

01.a: the Maldives is party to neither convention, but is a SAARC member, so the Schedule 2 limb passes
01.b and 01.c: full licence, 60 months left, passes
01.d: classes A and B are both inside the conversion
02.i: a 24-month visa is at or above 12, so paragraph 02 applies
Item 12(b): Rs 60,000
02.ii: NTMI certificate at the foreign-visa rate, Rs 7,500
Total Rs 67,500, and 02.v caps the licence at the 24 months of visa left

The same German national one month below the boundary, eleven months

Rs 30,000

02.i: 11 months of visa is below 12, so paragraph 04 applies
04.i: validity = min(5, 11) = 5 months
Item 14(a), more than two and up to six months: Rs 30,000
No medical certificate listed in paragraph 04: total Rs 30,000
One month of visa either side of the boundary is the difference between Rs 30,000 for five months and Rs 67,500 for a full licence

All eight cases in the data module, these four included, are asserted against the calculation on every render, down two independent paths through the modules that own the levies and the medical charges. The badge on the tool says so, and turns into a warning if they ever disagree.

Frequently asked questions

Sources & references

The circular was fetched and read in full on 2026-10-04. The levy schedule, the convention membership flags and the NTMI charges are each owned by another tool on this site and read from there, so there is one copy of every figure and a correction anywhere fixes it everywhere. Re-checked on gazette, with the next review due by 2027-04-04.

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Comments & feedback

Spotted a bug or want an improvement? Tell us, our team reviews every comment, and good ideas get built. Comments are public and anonymous.

Turned away at the counter, or quoted a different figure?

Email me at [email protected] with the office and the date, and I will re-check the circular against it.