Is December 1, 2026 a new law, or a new deadline?

The DMT Commissioner General has said the rule itself isn't new — only the strict enforcement of it is. The 14-day reporting requirement has existed for years; DMT is now warning it will act on it from that date.

What happens if the buyer never finishes the transfer?

The vehicle stays registered in your name at the DMT. If it's used in an accident, a crime, or gets unpaid fines, you can be contacted as the registered owner until the transfer is officially recorded.

How much does it cost to transfer a car's ownership in Sri Lanka?

Expect a class fee (around Rs 5,000 for a car as of October 2026, per the DMT fee schedule), a flat DMT service charge, and stamp duty of about 1% of the declared sale value. Confirm the exact numbers at your DMT office since they are revised from time to time.

Can I transfer a car that was sold years ago on open papers?

Yes. Visit the DMT with the CR book, revenue licence, NICs of both parties, and the MT6/MT8 forms. If you can't trace the buyer, speak to the DMT counter staff about your options — don't just ignore it.

Guide7 min read10 views

DMT's December 2026 Deadline: Transfer Any Car You've Sold Now

Updated 1 November 2026 · Written by the Wahanaya.lk team

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From 1 December 2026 the DMT says it will strictly enforce the rule that sellers must report a sale within 14 days using the MT6 form. If you sold a vehicle and never finished the paperwork, finish it now so you're not still legally liable for it.

Key facts

The Department of Motor Traffic (DMT) says it will strictly enforce vehicle transfer rules from 1 December 2026.
Sellers must send the completed MT6 form (Statement of Change of Possession) to the DMT within 14 days of the sale.
The buyer still has to complete the full ownership transfer separately, using the MT6/MT8 paperwork, the CR book, and the revenue licence.
Until the transfer is officially recorded, the vehicle is still legally yours — fines, accidents, and police matters can come back to you.
As of October 2026, DMT's published fee schedule shows a class transfer fee of around Rs 5,000 for a car or jeep, plus a flat service charge and stamp duty of about 1% of the declared sale value — confirm current figures at your DMT office.
A mandatory online transfer system is also being rolled out, letting both parties upload documents and pay fees digitally.
The DMT Commissioner General has said this isn't a new law — just stricter enforcement of a rule that has existed for years.

What's changing at the DMT from 1 December 2026?

The DMT has announced it will strictly enforce existing vehicle ownership transfer rules starting 1 December 2026, according to Newswire and the Daily Mirror. The department's Commissioner General has been clear that this isn't a brand-new regulation — the requirement for sellers to report a sale within 14 days has been in the Motor Traffic rules for years. What's changing is that the DMT is now warning it will act against people who don't comply, instead of quietly letting "open papers" sales slide.

If you've sold a vehicle in the last few years and never finished the paperwork at the DMT, this is your signal to sort it out before the deadline, not after.

Why does this matter if you sold on "open papers"?

Handing over "open papers" — signing a transfer form and giving the buyer the CR book without registering the sale at the DMT — leaves the vehicle registered in your name indefinitely. As the DMT Commissioner General put it, handing over open papers "gives someone else the opportunity to misuse the vehicle or carry out transactions involving it," per Lanka Newspapers.

In practice, that means if the new owner gets fines, is involved in an accident, or the vehicle turns up in anything illegal, the DMT's records still point at you. Sorting out the transfer protects you, not just the buyer.

What is the MT6 form, and who has to send it?

MT6 is the "Statement of Change of Possession" — the seller's declaration that the vehicle has changed hands. It comes in four linked copies (A, A1, B, B1). As the seller, you keep copy A1 and send copy A to the Commissioner General of Motor Traffic by registered post (or hand it in) within 14 days of the sale. You give copies B and B1 to the buyer, who needs them — along with the MT8 application — to complete the full registration transfer on their end.

Sending your MT6 copy doesn't finish the transfer by itself, but it's what protects you as the seller: it tells the DMT the vehicle is no longer in your hands, even if the buyer is slow to finish their side.

What documents do you need to finish a pending transfer?

To close out a sale — yours or one you're helping a buyer finish — you'll generally need:

The original Certificate of Registration (CR book)
A valid revenue licence (current year)
Completed MT6 form (seller's side) and MT8 application (buyer's side)
Certified copies of both parties' National Identity Cards
Two passport-size photographs, where asked
A letter from the finance company if the vehicle still has a mortgage or lease interest noted on the CR book
The vehicle itself, for a physical check of the engine and chassis numbers at some offices

If the car is leased, mortgaged, or registered under a company name, that adds extra steps — see our related guides on those situations, or ask in the Wahanaya forum if your case is unusual.

How much does it cost to transfer ownership in Sri Lanka?

As of October 2026, based on the DMT's published charges and the induwara.lk fee calculator cross-checked against them, the rough costs are:

Class transfer fee: around Rs 5,000 for a car, jeep, or dual-purpose vehicle; lower for motorcycles and three-wheelers; higher for lorries and buses
DMT service charge: a flat fee added on top of the class fee
Stamp duty: roughly 1% of the declared sale value, paid to the relevant Provincial Council
One-day service: a higher fee if you want the new CR book issued the same day instead of by post

These numbers get revised from time to time, and other small charges (postage, number plates if you're moving provinces) can apply. Treat the figures above as a guide, and confirm the exact amount at your district DMT office or Divisional Secretariat before you go. If you're budgeting for a sale or purchase, our price check tool can help you work out what a fair sale price looks like once you factor transfer costs in.

What happens if you miss the 14-day window or the deadline?

Missing the 14-day reporting window has traditionally meant a late-transfer penalty on top of the normal fee. With enforcement tightening from December, the bigger risk isn't just the extra charge — it's that the DMT, and potentially the police, treat you as the registered owner for anything that happens with the vehicle in the meantime. If you're not sure whether an old sale was ever finalised, it's worth checking your own vehicle record at the DMT rather than assuming it went through.

Step-by-step: closing out a sale you haven't transferred yet

Find the buyer (or the current owner, if it's changed hands since) and agree to finish the paperwork together.
Fill in your MT6 form if you haven't already, and send copy A to the DMT by registered post.
Get the buyer to bring the CR book, their NIC copy, a valid revenue licence, and the MT8 form to the DMT or a Divisional Secretariat.
Pay the applicable transfer fee and stamp duty at the counter or bank, as directed.
Keep the receipt and your MT6 copy A1 as proof you reported the sale, in case anything is disputed later.
If you can't trace the buyer at all, ask the DMT counter staff what your options are — don't just leave it unresolved.

What's this new online transfer system about?

Alongside the enforcement push, the DMT has been rolling out a mandatory online system for ownership transfers, according to MotorGuide. It lets both buyer and seller register with their NIC details, upload the CR book, revenue licence, and transfer documents, and pay fees online instead of queuing at a counter. The system also checks against the police database and blocks transfers on vehicles with unpaid lease instalments. It's still being phased in, so ask at your local DMT office whether it's available there yet.

Selling the right way from now on

If you're about to sell a vehicle, the cleanest approach is to finish the DMT transfer at the same time as the handover — not weeks or months later. Browse /vehicles to see how similar vehicles are listed, check your numbers on /price-check, and when you're ready, list it on /post-ad. If the buyer needs financing, our /leasing calculator helps them work out a monthly payment before they commit. And whatever stage you're at, read our safety tips before you hand over the keys, or ask specific questions in the Wahanaya forum — plenty of sellers there have already been through this exact process.

Sources

Questions

What is the MT6 form and who has to send it?: MT6 is the Statement of Change of Possession. As the seller, you fill it in, send Copy A to the DMT by registered post within 14 days of the sale, and give the buyer the B and B1 copies so they can complete the transfer.
Is December 1, 2026 a new law, or a new deadline?: The DMT Commissioner General has said the rule itself isn't new — only the strict enforcement of it is. The 14-day reporting requirement has existed for years; DMT is now warning it will act on it from that date.
What happens if the buyer never finishes the transfer?: The vehicle stays registered in your name at the DMT. If it's used in an accident, a crime, or gets unpaid fines, you can be contacted as the registered owner until the transfer is officially recorded.
How much does it cost to transfer a car's ownership in Sri Lanka?: Expect a class fee (around Rs 5,000 for a car as of October 2026, per the DMT fee schedule), a flat DMT service charge, and stamp duty of about 1% of the declared sale value. Confirm the exact numbers at your DMT office since they are revised from time to time.
Can I transfer a car that was sold years ago on open papers?: Yes. Visit the DMT with the CR book, revenue licence, NICs of both parties, and the MT6/MT8 forms. If you can't trace the buyer, speak to the DMT counter staff about your options — don't just ignore it.

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