Sri Lanka approves Rs. 1 Million fee for special vehicle numbers

Sri Lanka’s Department of Motor Traffic has been permitted to charge Rs. 1 million for each paid special vehicle number reserved up to 100,000 numbers ahead.

The approval was granted by the Committee on Public Finance for regulations issued under the Motor Traffic Act, published in Extraordinary Gazette No. 2470/14 on January 5, 2026.

Under the new system, motorists will be allowed to reserve special vehicle numbers for a fee, based on numbers up to 100,000 ahead of the numbers currently being issued.

However, this facility will not apply to motorcycles, motor tricycles, and motor tricycle vans.

The Department of Motor Traffic has earned around Rs. 319 million in revenue in 2023, 2024, and 2025 through the issuing of special number plates.

The approval was granted when the Committee on Public Finance met in Parliament on April 21, 2026, under the chairmanship of MP Dr. Harsha de Silva.

Deputy Ministers Chathuranga Abeysinghe and Dr. Kaushalya Ariyarathna also attended the meeting, while MPs Ravi Karunanayake, Attorney-at-Law Chithral Fernando, Nimal Palihena, and Wijesiri Basnayake joined online.

During the meeting, the committee chairman questioned officials about the delay in issuing vehicle number plates.

Officials said an agreement has now been signed with a company to issue number plates, and the company has planned to issue them within three months.

They also said around 413,000 number plates have been pending issuance since 2024.

The committee also questioned officials about the removal of the previous company that issued number plates and the decision to award the work to a new company.

Officials said the previous company had proposed a 62.5% price increase per number plate compared to the existing price.

They said the contract was therefore awarded to a new company that agreed to issue number plates at a lower cost.

Accordingly, the Committee on Public Finance recommended that a clear report be submitted on the matter.

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