The Ministry of Finance has issued a new gazette notification easing several additional restrictions on vehicle imports, effective from 29th of April 2025.
The directive, authorized by President Anura Kumara Dissanayake in his role as Minister of Finance, Planning, and Economic Development, enables the clearance of various vehicle types that had been stranded at ports under previous regulations.
Commenting on the announcement, Prasad Manage, Chairman of the Sri Lanka Vehicle Importers’ Association, stated: “We’ve been unable to clear these vehicles for the past one and a half to two months. With the new gazette, we can now release hybrid models such as the Toyota Raize and the Nissan X-TRAIL. Other hybrid vehicles with similar technology have also received clearance.”
In a related development, the government has also lifted the ban on the importation of unregistered new motorcycles. A separate gazette has been issued to permit their import under a licensed import scheme.
