Newly registered vehicles will now be issued their number plates within one week of registration, Commissioner General of Motor Traffic, Retired Air Vice Marshal Thushara Fernando announced.

Addressing the media, he explained that the production of number plates for vehicles registered between June 10 and August 31 this year has already been completed, and going forward, the process will be streamlined to ensure plates are delivered promptly.

In addition, all electric vehicles registered this year,  including cars, SUVs, three‑wheelers and motorcycles, will be issued with green number plates for both front and rear. 

This change will allow police officers to easily identify electric vehicles when checking revenue licences. While the background colour will be green for EVs, other features such as the Department of Motor Traffic reference will remain unchanged, he said. 

Fernando noted that for other vehicles, yellow plates are issued for the rear and white plates for the front. 

He added that the issuance of pending number plates for 2024, 2025 and 2026 is expected to be completed within the next six months. (Newswire)

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Vehicle number plate printing in Sri Lanka officially resumed today after being suspended for more than a year.

The process was formally relaunched on Monday at the Department of Motor Traffic’s Vehicle Inspection and Training Centre in Werahera under the patronage of Deputy Minister of Transport and Highways Dr. Prasanna Gunasena.

Printing activities had been halted after the contract of the private company that had been responsible for producing vehicle number plates for the past 22 years expired in April last year.

The Ministry of Transport, Highways and Urban Development subsequently initiated a procurement process to select a new service provider. Following the completion of that process, the Department of Motor Traffic entered into an agreement with South Asian Technology Company to resume the printing of number plates.

Officials said printing has now recommenced for all categories of vehicles, including motorcycles, three-wheelers, cars, vans and buses. (Newswire)

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The Motor Traffic Department is working on a new system to introduce personalized vehicle number plates bearing personalized names, the Parliamentary Committee on Public Funds (COPF) was informed. 

During a recent meeting of the COPF, Motor Traffic Department officials noted obstacles due to the existing, outdated system.

They further said that once the system is updated, the department intends to introduce a special project with regard to the personalized number plates. 

When inquired about the timeline for the introduction of the project, the officials said once the system is updated, the project could be launched within six months.

Motor Traffic Department officials also said that reservations for specific number plates, priced between Rs. 100,000 and Rs. 1 million, are underway, with some people having obtained such number plates for Rs. 01 million.

Providing a breakdown of special number plates, officials said 11 vehicles obtained them in 2023, 46 in 2024, and 692 in 2025, while a further 436 individuals had reserved Rs. 1 million plates as of April 17, 2026. In total, 1,185 vehicles have obtained or reserved such plates since 2023. (Newswire)

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Fuel distribution under the QR system based on the last digit of vehicle number plates commenced today (19).

According to the Ceylon Petroleum Corporation (CPC), vehicles with number plates ending in odd digits (1, 3, 5, 7, and 9) will be eligible to obtain fuel today, as it falls on an odd date. 

Plates ending in even digits or zero will be permitted to access fuel on even dates.

CPC Chairman D.J. Rajakaruna further noted that individuals who have not yet received their fuel quota under the QR system will also be allowed to obtain fuel today, irrespective of the odd‑even arrangement.

Meanwhile, the Department of Motor Traffic has instructed vehicle owners to present one of the following documents when required to confirm identity: the revenue license, registration certificate, insurance certificate, or emission test certificate.

The department explained that due to production issues, number plates were not issued in recent months, prompting some owners to use alternative plates. The new measure aims to streamline distribution and prevent misuse. (Newswire)

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The Chairman of the Ceylon Petroleum Corporation states that, starting tomorrow (19), fuel will be issued according to the last digit of vehicle number plates, on an odd-even number basis.

Accordingly, if the last digit of the number plate is even or zero, fuel can be obtained on even days.

Similarly, for other vehicles, fuel will be issued on odd days, the CPC Chairman further stated.

Meanwhile, the Association of Fuel Station Owners has announced that, starting today (18), fuel will only be issued upon presentation of the QR code.

Chairman Kumar Rajapaksha said that concessions previously granted to issue fuel without the QR code will no longer apply.

 He emphasized that even in emergencies, fuel will not be released without the code.

“If there are problems with the QR code, call 1919 and get them resolved before coming to the fuel station. We gave some concessions earlier by issuing fuel without the QR code, but from now on, fuel will only be issued through the QR system,” he said. (Newswire)

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More than 300,000 driver’s licenses are pending issuance currently, and arrangements have been made to print and distribute them within the next three months, officials of the Ministry of Transport have informed the Ministerial Consultative Committee.

Briefing the committee, they further stated that a new driver’s license with enhanced security features will also be printed and issued within this year. 

They said that, additionally, all necessary arrangements have been completed to procure the one million cards required for the printing of driver’s licenses.

These remarks were made during the meeting of the Ministerial Consultative Committee on Transport, held in Parliament recently (09) under the chairmanship of Minister of Transport Bimal Rathnayake.

Addressing the committee, the Chair instructed officials to install printing machines in every province to expedite the issuance of pending driver’s licenses.

The Chair also inquired from officials regarding the issuance of vehicle number plates. In response, officials informed the committee that the process of selecting a supplier is currently underway, and following Cabinet approval, the process will be completed, allowing for the commencement of number plate issuance.

Furthermore, the committee discussed the integrated passenger transport timetable currently in operation. The Chair stated that, as the integrated timetable is a policy initiative, steps will be taken to identify shortcomings and expand it to more regions in the future to provide a more efficient service to passengers.

The Chair also presented details regarding a pilot project aimed at reducing train accidents involving elephants. It was revealed that Rs. 2.8 million will be spent to install long-range surveillance cameras on trains operating on the Madakalapuwa (Batticaloa) line to monitor and minimize elephant-train collisions.

The committee also held extensive discussions regarding issues faced in the constituencies of Members of Parliament and possible solutions to those problems. (Newswire)

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Minister of Transport Bimal Rathnayake says plans are underway to issue new number plates with more advanced security features.

Minister Rathnayake further said that the new number plates will be issued by 15 November 2025. 

“We accept there are vehicles operating without number plates now. We are looking at issuing new number plates with advanced security features. We hope to introduce a temporary solution by next week. But the issue of number plates will be resolved by 15th November,” he said. 

Minister Bimal Rathnayake made the remarks while responding to a question raised by opposition MP Mujibur Rahman in Parliament today.  

Responding to a question on the delay in issuing driving licences due to a lack of licence cards, Minister Rathnayake said the backlog has been resolved.

Minister Bimal Rathnayake said a backlog of 900,000 driving licences was resolved by April this year.

He further said that plans are underway to issue driving licences with new features and that they will be distributed in the future. (Newswire)

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The Cabinet-appointed Procurement Committee formally opened bids last week to enable the clearance of the long-running backlog of vehicle number plates, Commissioner General of the Department of Motor Traffic (DMT), Kamal Amarasinghe, said. 

According to the Sunday Observer, Kamal Amarasinghe said the Cabinet-appointed Procurement Committee is expected to review supplier bids, with the Ministry of Transport expected to approve the successful supplier shortly.

Following the finalisation of bids, the DMT will issue official and tamper-proof number plates to all vehicles within two to three months, he said. 

“We’re carefully assessing each bid against technical and security standards, cost efficiency, delivery capability, and supplier reliability. This thorough process is what will finally allow the Department to meet the needs of vehicle owners across the country,” Kamal Amarasinghe stated. 

He further said that at present, over 15,000 motor cars and vans, and over 80,000 motorcycles, that were imported and registered after the import ban on personal vehicles was lifted in February this year, await official plates.  

Revealing that temporary printed letters or handwritten numbers have been issued due to the shortage, the DMT Commissioner General said the police have been instructed to treat them as valid to prevent any legal challenges. 

“The DMT had kept the Inspector General of Police, District Secretaries, and Provincial authorities fully informed in this regard. However, the Police will check vehicles with red garage plates, which can only be used for seven days and only within the province where the owner resides,” Kamal Amarasinghe added. (Newswire)

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The Department of Motor Traffic (DMT) anticipates a two-month delay in issuing number plates to new vehicle owners, it was reported. 

According to the Sunday Times, the delay has been caused due to the DMT having submitted a procurement request for number plates from a new supplier.

DMT Commissioner General Kamal Amarasinghe expressed hope that the process will be completed within two months, after which the issuance of number plates will recommence. 

He further said that until such time, the DMT is issuing printed paper number plates and a letter from the DMT confirming registration details of new vehicle owners, adding that the Police has been informed of this measure. 

It is reported that a shortage in number plates has arisen due to the DMT’s official supplier having terminated its agreement after sending a Letter of Demand.

Kamal Amarasinghe said that efforts to resolve the issue have been slow, pointing out that a recent meeting with the Cabinet-appointed negotiation committee had failed due to the relevant parties not showing up. (Newswire)

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Sri Lanka’s new vehicle registration process is facing delays due to a shortage of number plates, the Department of Motor Traffic (DMT) has confirmed.

In a letter issued to new vehicle owners, the DMT states that due to the shortage, number plates will be delayed. As an interim solution, the department has granted temporary permission for vehicles to be used with a letter that includes the vehicle number and confirms the registration is valid.

This temporary measure is effective from April 28, according to the letter issued by the department.

Meanwhile, journalist Ranga Srilal took to social media to question the planning behind the situation. “The Motor Traffic Department has run out of vehicle number plates. Owners of newly registered vehicles are being charged for the plates but won’t receive them. What planning?” he questioned on ‘X’.

The DMT has not specified when the number plate shortage will be resolved. (Newswire/ AI Image)

ANOTHER CRISIS: While the Immigration Department is still grappling with a shortage of blank passports, the Motor Traffic Department has run out of vehicle number plates. Owners of newly registered vehicles are being charged for the plates but won’t receive them. What planning? pic.twitter.com/cQXDk8JR17

— Ranga Sirilal (@rangaba) May 16, 2025

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