The Ministry of Finance has issued a new gazette notification easing several more restrictions on vehicle imports, with effect from April 29, 2025.
The directive, issued by President Anura Kumara Dissanayake in his capacity as the Minister of Finance, Planning and Economic Development, paves the way for the clearance of several types of vehicles that had been stranded at ports due to previous restrictions.
Commenting on the development, Chairman of the Sri Lanka Vehicle Importers’ Association Prasad Manage said: “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 using similar technology have also been approved for clearance.”
In a related move, the government has also lifted the ban on the import of unregistered new motorcycles. A separate gazette notification has been issued allowing the import of new motorcycles under a licensed import scheme.
