Driving permits and licence requirements
Every rider needs a Sri Lankan-recognised permit to ride a motorcycle here. For most visitors that is one counter in the arrivals hall, on the way in. This page is the long version: what counts, what does not, where to go, what it costs and what to carry.
If any of it does not match your situation, message us before you fly. We do this with riders every week and it is quicker to ask than to guess.
To ride a motorcycle in Sri Lanka as a visitor you must carry either a 1968 International Driving Permit (Vienna Convention) with a motorcycle endorsement, or a Temporary Sri Lankan Driving Permit obtained on arrival. Riding without one may void your insurance and lead to fines.
If your permit is the 1949 version, or you do not have one, nothing is lost — the temporary permit is what most of our riders use, and it is quick.
International Driving Permits
An IDP is a translation of your home licence into several languages. It is recognised in over 150 countries, and getting one before you travel saves you time on arrival.
Only the 1968 (Vienna Convention) version is valid in Sri Lanka. The older 1949 (Geneva) version is not accepted on its own — check your booklet cover, it should say 1968. If yours says 1949, or you are not sure, get the temporary Sri Lankan permit at the airport instead.
It must also carry a Category A (motorcycle) endorsement. A car-only IDP is not enough to ride a motorcycle here.
Getting one before you fly
Apply at your national motoring organisation before you travel — the AA or the Post Office in the UK, AAA in the United States, ADAC in Germany, and their equivalents elsewhere. It usually takes a day or two.
It typically costs the equivalent of €15–€25 and is valid for one year from the date of issue. Check before you pay that you are being sold the 1968 version and that it covers motorcycles.
Since March 2025 the Automobile Association of Ceylon issues its Recognition Permit to IDP holders only, and no longer accepts a home licence on its own. The airport counter still converts a full foreign licence, so if you have no IDP the airport route below is the simpler one.
Get your temporary permit at the airport
Since August 2025 the Department of Motor Traffic has run a counter inside Bandaranaike International Airport, in the arrivals area, open around the clock. You get the permit on the spot — no appointment, no pre-registration.
After you clear immigration and collect your bags, head for the Arrival Walkway. The counter is next to the SPAR supermarket.
Arrival Walkway, next to SPAROpen 24/7On the spot
- Clear immigration and collect your baggage.
- Go to the DMT counter in the arrivals walkway, next to SPAR.
- Hand over your documents and pay the fee in Sri Lankan rupees, in cash.
- You leave with the permit and can ride straight away.
What to bring to the counter
- Your original passport, with a valid tourist visa or entry permit
- Your original foreign driving licence — a full licence, not provisional, learner, temporary or probationary
- Two passport-size photographs, in case they are asked for (the DMT's own list does not mention them)
- The fee, in Sri Lankan rupees, in cash
- If your licence is not in English: a certified English translation, or an IDP
- Your licence should have at least a year of validity left on it
What it costs
- LKR 15,000 — one month
- LKR 21,000 — two months
- LKR 30,000 — up to six months
- LKR 45,000 — up to twelve months
Pick the length that covers your whole trip. The permit's validity is aligned with your tourist visa stay.
This is a government fee, paid to the government at the counter, in cash. It is the same at the airport as it is at Werahera, and we add nothing to it and take nothing from it. Please confirm the amount on the day — fees are set by the DMT and can change.
If the counter asks for something different from the figures above, pay what they ask and tell us: it means this page needs updating.
Department of Motor Traffic, "Charges For Services", item 14(a), as amended 17 November 2025. Checked 12 September 2026.
District offices do NOT issue tourist permits
The temporary permit for foreign visitors is issued in two places only: the DMT counter at Bandaranaike International Airport, and the DMT head office at Werahera in Colombo.
Regional district offices — Kurunegala, Gampaha, Hambantota, Anuradhapura, Jaffna and the rest — cannot help you. They handle Sri Lankan local licences, vehicle revenue licences and registrations. Turn up at one with a foreign licence and you will be sent back to Colombo, having lost a day.
Already travelling and nowhere near Colombo? Do not make the drive — message us. We can usually arrange the permit through Colombo using scans of your passport and licence, so you can stay where you are. The government fee is still yours to pay.
Good to know
- Carry both your original foreign licence and your temporary Sri Lankan permit whenever you ride. Photographs of them are not enough at a checkpoint.
- The temporary permit is for visitors on a tourist visa, and covers motorcycles and light vehicles only.
- One permit per rider. Anyone riding on the back does not need one.
- Your permit must stay valid for the whole trip, not just the day you collect the bikes.
- We check licences and permits when we hand the bikes over. It is not a formality — it is what our insurance rests on.
- At pickup, bring your passport, your home licence and either your temporary permit or your 1968 IDP. A copy of your travel insurance and an emergency contact are worth having too.