673,000 Licences, Thousands of Plates Stuck in DMT's Backlog — Driving on Borrowed Time?

Over 1.6 million driving licence cards and vehicle number plates are stuck waiting to be printed at the DMT, with roughly 673,000 of those being licences alone. The department blames a shortage of blank cards and printing machines, says new printers landed in October, and is promising the backlog clears by mid-2027. If you passed your test or registered a new vehicle this year, you're likely holding a paper temporary slip instead of the real card or plate for months. One side says this genuinely isn't on the DMT: global card suppliers, procurement timelines, nobody predicted demand spiking this hard after the import reopening. The other side says a basic government service shouldn't collapse for over a year while people drive daily on a photocopy that some officers barely recognise, and new owners can't get a proper plate fitted. Have you been stopped with only the temporary slip? Did missing the real number plate cause trouble selling, insuring or transferring a vehicle? How long have you personally been waiting? ඔබේ රියදුරු බලපත්‍රය හෝ නංබර් ප්ලේටය තාම ලැබුණේ නැද්ද? කොච්චර කල් ඉන්නවද කියන්න.