DMT Cracks Down on 'Open Papers' From Dec 1 — Can Sellers Finally Protect Themselves?

From December 1, the Department of Motor Traffic says it will strictly enforce the rule that sellers must file the MT6 form, a revenue licence copy and the CR with DMT within 14 days of handing over a vehicle. For years, many private sales here ran on "open papers" — the buyer takes the car and pays, but the registered owner's name stays on file for months or years because nobody wants to pay transfer fees or chase the paperwork. Sellers who liked open papers did it for a faster sale; the danger is that if the buyer later uses the vehicle for a hit-and-run, fraud, or runs up fines, it can still legally trace back to the name on the CR. Buyers who prefer open papers say it saves time and money, especially on older vehicles headed for scrap or export parts anyway. Will this crackdown actually end the practice, or will people just find new workarounds once DMT queues get long again? If you've bought or sold on open papers, what happened when you finally tried to close it out? විවෘත කඩදාසි තියාගෙන වාහනය දීම දැන් නතර කරන්න සිද්ධ වෙනවා කියනවා — ඔබ ඒකට කැප වෙනවද?