Sri Lanka to issue 500,000 delayed driving licenses in March 2026

Around 500,000 driving licenses that were delayed due to a shortage of cards will be issued within March 2026, Sri Lanka’s Department of Motor Traffic announced.

Commissioner General of Motor Traffic Kamal Amarasinghe said the licenses will be delivered directly to applicants’ homes through the Department of Post.

He explained that the issuance of permanent driving licenses had been suspended earlier due to a lack of printing cards, forcing the department to issue temporary licenses during this period.

The Commissioner General confirmed that the required license cards have now been imported and printing is currently underway.

The printing process is being carried out at three locations, namely the Department of Motor Traffic main office in Werahera and the regional centers in Hambantota and Anuradhapura.

He added that the department expects to complete the printing and distribution process within the month, clearing the long standing backlog of pending driving licenses.