Indian tourists are being refused temporary driving licences at Bandaranaike International Airport because Sri Lanka’s Department of Motor Traffic does not accept the digital licences that are now standard in India and Pakistan, Hiru News reported.
The DMT counter at BIA requires visitors to produce a physical driving licence issued by their own country. India and Pakistan have both moved to digital licences, so many of their motorists no longer routinely carry a paper or plastic card at all.
The affected market is the largest one Sri Lanka has. Indian visitors are currently Sri Lanka’s biggest source market, and many hire rental cars to travel independently.
Redirection does not solve it
Tourists refused at the airport are sent to the Department of Motor Traffic office at Werahera — where, a travel industry representative said, they have also been unable to obtain the licence. The requirement is the same at both counters.
“Many of them use car rental services for their travel in Sri Lanka. When they arrive, they go to the counter to obtain the temporary licence, but they are turned away because Sri Lanka does not accept their digital driving licence.”
“Today we face a major issue at the airport due to the non-issuance of the temporary driving licence for Indian nationals as they cannot produce a physical driving licence. This is depriving the Government of revenue while also causing considerable inconvenience to Indian and Pakistani tourists.”
What the state is not collecting
The revenue point is concrete, because the DMT recently introduced this permit as a fee-earning service for non-citizen visitors. The published charges are:
| Validity | Fee |
|---|---|
| Up to 1 month | Rs. 15,000 |
| Over 1 and up to 2 months | Rs. 21,000 |
| Over 2 and up to 6 months | Rs. 30,000 |
| Over 6 and up to 12 months | Rs. 45,000 |
Every Indian visitor turned away is at least Rs. 15,000 the department does not collect.
The safety consequence
The more serious effect is what refused tourists do next. Rental operators say some prefer to rent vehicles and drive independently using Google Maps and other navigation apps — that is, driving on Sri Lankan roads without the temporary licence the law requires, in rented vehicles, on an unfamiliar network.
A permit system that rejects the documents its largest market carries does not stop those visitors driving. It moves them outside the permit.
European tourists and visitors from several other countries are unaffected, because they still carry physical licences — which is why the problem has surfaced as an India-specific complaint rather than a general one.
Not reported
Hiru does not name the travel industry representative or the rental operators. The report quotes a Department of Motor Traffic official but does not give the department’s position on whether digital licences will be accepted, whether a verification arrangement with Indian authorities is under consideration, or whether any fix is planned or dated.
Also unstated: how many applicants have been refused, over what period, whether the SLTDA or the Tourism Ministry has raised it with the DMT, and whether an International Driving Permit would be accepted in place of a national licence.
