Guide8 min read8 views
Updated 29 October 2026 · Written by the Wahanaya.lk team
No, not straight away. You must report the loss to the police, apply for a duplicate Certificate of Registration (CR) at the Department of Motor Traffic, and only transfer ownership once the duplicate is in hand.
Not immediately. The CR (Certificate of Registration) book is the document the Department of Motor Traffic (DMT, still widely called the RMV) uses to record who owns a vehicle, and the ownership transfer form cannot be processed without it. If the original is lost, stolen or destroyed, you need to get an official duplicate from the DMT first. Only once that duplicate is in your hands can you go ahead with the normal transfer of ownership process with your buyer.
Trying to sell without sorting this out first usually backfires. Most serious buyers, and almost all dealers, will ask to see the CR book before they commit to anything, and the DMT simply will not register a new owner against a vehicle that has no valid registration certificate on file.
The first step is a police complaint, not a visit to the DMT. Go to the nearest police station, report that your vehicle's CR book is lost (or destroyed, or stolen), and get a certified copy of the complaint entry along with the receipt for it. According to discussions on the AutoLanka forum, this police entry is the document the DMT asks for before it will even begin processing a duplicate application, so doing this early saves a wasted trip.
If the book was stolen rather than simply misplaced, mention that clearly in your complaint, since it can matter if the vehicle is later involved in any dispute.
Once you have the police report, take it to the DMT with your other documents. For cars, vans, jeeps, double cabs, lorries and buses, this means the Narahenpita head office in Colombo. District offices in Gampaha, Hambantota, Kurunegala, Anuradhapura and Jaffna only handle duplicate applications for motorcycles, so if you are outside Colombo with a car or van, you will still need to go to Narahenpita or send someone on your behalf.
At the counter, you will be given the duplicate registration application (commonly referenced as Form CMT65) to complete. Heavy vehicle owners also need a weight certificate, Form CMT130. After you submit the paperwork, the vehicle is usually brought in for a physical inspection, and Form CMT75 is issued once that inspection is cleared. Because form numbers and exact counter procedures can be updated by the DMT, it is worth asking staff at the counter to confirm you have the current version of each form before you queue.
Based on the requirements set out by motorguide.lk and corroborated on the AutoLanka forum, you should bring:
If someone else is applying on your behalf, carry a letter of authorisation along with their NIC, since DMT staff generally expect the registered owner or a clearly authorised representative to be the one submitting the application.
Plan for roughly a month. Motorguide.lk notes that this service does not have an expedited option, so there is no way to pay extra and get it the same week. That timeline matters when you are trying to sell: if a buyer wants to move fast, be upfront that the paperwork alone will take weeks, not days.
On cost, fee-tracking sites such as induwara.lk put the duplicate CR fee at around Rs 2,000 per copy as of October 2026, in addition to whatever the police station charges for the certified complaint copy. These figures do change from time to time, so treat them as a guide and confirm the exact amount at the DMT counter or on dmt.gov.lk before you budget for it. Once you have the duplicate, the normal ownership transfer fees (class transfer fee, DMT service charge and stamp duty on the sale price) still apply separately when you actually hand the vehicle over to a buyer.
If a leasing or finance company's interest is still recorded against the vehicle, their cooperation matters here too. Because their name or mortgage interest appears on the CR book, the DMT will typically want a supporting letter from the leasing company confirming the loss before it processes your duplicate application. If you are still paying off a lease, sort this out with your finance company at the same time as the police report, rather than after, so you are not waiting on two separate processes back to back. If you are unsure where your lease currently stands, our leasing payment calculator can help you work out your outstanding balance while you deal with the paperwork.
You can list the vehicle and talk to buyers, but be honest about the situation from the start. Mention in your ad, or at least early in the conversation, that the CR book is being replaced and give a realistic date. Most buyers will still want to see the duplicate in hand before they pay a deposit of any size, and accepting money against a sale you cannot yet legally complete is a common source of disputes. If you do take a reservation, put the condition that the duplicate CR must be issued before the sale finalises in writing. For general advice on protecting yourself during the sale, see our safety tips, and if a question comes up that's specific to your situation, you can ask it on the Wahanaya forum.
Once the duplicate is issued, the sale goes ahead the normal way. You and your buyer complete the standard ownership transfer paperwork at the DMT, the class transfer fee and stamp duty on the agreed sale price are paid, and the new owner's details are recorded against the vehicle. From that point, there is no practical difference between selling with an original CR book and selling with a duplicate; the "duplicate" note in the book's remarks is simply a record of what happened and does not reduce the vehicle's resale value or legal standing.
When you're ready to list the car, you can prepare your ad and compare it against similar vehicles already listed on Wahanaya's vehicle listings, check whether your asking price lines up with the market using price check, and post your ad once your paperwork, including the duplicate CR if you needed one, is sorted via post an ad.
When a buyer pays through a lease or bank loan, their finance company sends an approved valuer to inspect your car and registers itself as absolute owner on the CR book before you get paid, so expect extra paperwork and a short delay versus a cash sale.
Wahanaya.lk team8 min read
The safest payment is a bank transfer or bank draft you verify yourself by checking your own banking app or calling your bank — never a screenshot the buyer sends you. Don't hand over the CR book, keys or signed MTA 6 form until the money has actually settled in your account.
Wahanaya.lk team7 min read
Yes — the DMT's ownership-transfer system checks that your vehicle's VET (emission test) certificate and revenue licence are both in date before it lets the transfer go through, so renew an expired VET before you sell, unless your vehicle is exempt.
Wahanaya.lk team7 min read
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