“Driving in Sri Lanka” is very important topic in Sri Lanka. It is very important to visiting foreigners in Sri Lanka. Before the driving you must have your driving license.Foreign driving license holders who wish to convert their license to a Sri Lankan driving license are advised to first contact the Deputy Commissioner of Motor Traffic Department in Sri Lanka.



INTERNATIONAL DRIVING PERMIT - YOUR PASSPORT TO OVERSEAS DRIVING

The International Driving Permit (IDP) is recognized worldwide as a valuable document identifying motorists as legally-licensed drivers. The IDP may prevent any inconvenience when renting a car or when driving in a foreign country where English is not commonly spoken. In such situations, drivers may find themselves handicapped by language barriers. The IDP contains translations of terms used in various international languages that would enable drivers to communicate with car rental companies.
The IDP is also a useful form of identification as it contains a photograph of the driver.It is highly recommended that the following people apply for IDP. This includes people who are going to a country for reasons other than touring purposes and staying for a period longer than 3 months and hold social visit passes for more than 3 months. However, they should first contact the respective embassies or consulate offices of their country of destination to obtain more information on driving license requirements.

Issuing Authority
• The Automobile Association of Ceylon (AAC) is the only authorized body in Sri Lanka to issue the 1949 Convention International Driving Permit.
• Internet surfers are advised against applying for IDP’s that are being sold illegally on the web. The sellers of these forged documents are not only breaking the law but are also endangering the lives of road users.
• Those who wish to obtain an IDP for travel abroad are advised to apply for one through the AAC.

Eligibility of IDP Applicant
• The applicant must hold a valid Sri Lankan driving license.
• Permits cannot be issued to holders of foreign driving license. They must submit their application in the country of issue of their national driving license.
• Foreign driving license holders who wish to convert their license to a Sri Lankan driving license are advised to first contact the Deputy Commissioner of Motor Traffic, Dept. of Motor Traffic, Werahera Branch, Boralesgamuwa, Sri Lanka.
• The applicant will be required to fill a form and produce the following documents:
(a)National driving license
(b)Passport
(c)Photocopy of passport and national DL
(d)2 Passport size photos.

If the applicant's driving license is in any language other than English it will be necessary to obtain a translation of same preferably from the relevant embassy of that country. Once all the above requirements are complied with, the Registrar of Motor Vehicles will issue a temporary license for a maximum period of 1 year. A fee will be levied for the above.

•Foreign IDP holders who wish to drive in Sri Lanka must produce their IDP at the AAC head office and on completion of an application form they will be issued a "Recognition Permit", at a very nominal fee, and which must be carried with the IDP at all times.

Hello Chirani,

Thank you for your comments, and I appreciate them very much.

However, you are really, really vague on the driving license requirement of a foreigner coming to Sri Lanka for a few weeks. You are not helpful in asking potential drivers to contact the Commisssioner of Motor Traffic to seek eligibility.

The idea of a IDL is that the authorities are able to interpret any valid overseas driving license to ascertain the class of vehicles the person is qualified to drive. Perhaps 90% of the foreigners will go for a moter bike or car which are all at the bottom of the scale. So, there is no real risk where their own driving test regime is at least equal to Sri Lanka. Else, Sri Lanka a could specify the acceptable countries which do drive on the left hand, and have an equivalent or better driving test standard. All short term foreigners carry their passports with them, so identification is also not a problem in case the DL is fake. Most driving licenses now seem to have the class of vehicles clearly specified on them in English - perhaps due to international agreement.

Further, English is widely used in Sri Lanka. In fact Sri Lanka's own DL is in English !. Perhaps the authorities need to formally allow short term visitors who have their native driving licences in English to use them on (say) for a one month period at least. Now, this is the way tourists are encouraged to visit Sri Lanka and also hire a car for travel. With so many hire car companies in Sri Lanka, I am surprised that the the authorities are blind to what happens in other English competent nations such as Fiji. A tourist with an DL in English can drive upto six months. In fact, someone with a Sri Lankan DL too will be in this category.

So, over to you Chirani and to the hire car companies - are you now convinced enough to press the case for selected British Commonwealth and other countries where the DL is in English, to be allowed to drive for say a period of one month at least ?

Hi
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