Guide7 min read14 views
Updated 31 October 2026 · Written by the Wahanaya.lk team
You must lodge the transfer paperwork with the DMT within 14 days of selling your vehicle, and DMT says it will strictly enforce this from 1 December 2026. Miss it, and you stay legally responsible for the car.
You have 14 days from the date of sale to lodge the transfer paperwork with the Department of Motor Traffic (DMT). This isn't a new rule — DMT's own Commissioner General has said the 14-day requirement already exists in law — but DMT says it is strictly enforcing it from 1 December 2026, after years of sellers treating it as optional (Newswire, 9 October 2026). If you've just sold a car, van, or three-wheeler, don't leave the paperwork "for later."
The MTA 6 is the form the seller fills in to notify DMT that the vehicle has changed hands. According to motorguide.lk, the seller completes all copies of the MTA 6, keeps copies A and A1 for their own records, and hands copies B and B1 — along with the MTA 8 forms — to the buyer. The buyer then takes MTA 6 copy B and MTA 8 copy C, together with the vehicle's Certificate of Registration (CR book), a valid revenue licence, NICs, and photographs, to the Registration Title Transfer Division to formally register the new ownership.
In plain terms: as the seller, your job is to sign the MTA 6 correctly, get the buyer's signature on it, and keep your own copy as proof you handed over the vehicle on a specific date. The buyer's job is to actually submit the paperwork and complete the registration.
If the transfer isn't registered, you — the seller — remain the legal owner on DMT's records. That means any revenue licence issues, unpaid fines, insurance claims, or even accidents and crimes connected to the vehicle can still come back to you, because officially it's still "your" car. Newswire and lankanewspapers.lk both reported that DMT's push for strict enforcement from December 2026 is specifically meant to close this gap, since non-compliance "could expose both parties in a transaction to legal and administrative consequences," including fines and liability in accident situations.
This is why rushing the sale and skipping the paperwork is one of the costliest mistakes a seller can make. It's worth reading our safety tips before you hand over the keys, especially if you're selling to someone you don't know well.
DMT's Commissioner General told Newswire that "the law remains unchanged and that the requirement is already in place" — the change is enforcement, not the rule itself. The stated reason is to stop sellers and buyers from leaving vehicles in limbo, which has previously led to original owners "facing jail time or severe legal trouble when those vehicles were involved in hit-and-run accidents or crimes" committed by someone else while the car was still registered in their name (motorguide.lk). In short, DMT wants the paper trail to match who actually owns and drives the vehicle at any given time.
An "open papers" sale is when a seller signs the transfer form and hands it to the buyer without the buyer actually lodging it with DMT — sometimes because the buyer intends to resell quickly, or simply hasn't gotten around to it. The seller assumes the paperwork will eventually be submitted, but until it is, they're still the registered owner. If the car is used in a crime, crashes, or racks up fines in the meantime, "that gives someone else the opportunity to misuse the vehicle or carry out transactions involving it... the legal liability rests with them" — meaning you, as long as you're still the registered owner (Newswire). Never hand over a vehicle on the understanding that the buyer will "transfer it eventually." Either complete the transfer together before you hand over the keys, or get proof it has been lodged within the 14-day window.
Yes, for most vehicle types. Since 5 January 2026, DMT requires the new owner's Taxpayer Identification Number (TIN) — entered along with their NIC number, or business registration number for companies — to complete a transfer. The only exemptions are motorcycles, hand tractors, tractors, tractor trailers, and three-wheelers (Newswire). If you're selling a car, van, SUV, or pickup, ask your buyer early whether they have a TIN, so the transfer isn't held up at the last minute.
Based on DMT's documented requirements, both seller and buyer typically need:
Check our guide on the documents that come with a vehicle sale if you're not sure which of these you still have.
If you're still deciding on a fair price before you get to this stage, run the numbers through price check first, and once you're ready to list, you can post your ad on Wahanaya. If anything about the transfer process feels unclear once you're at the DMT counter, ask in the Wahanaya forum — other sellers who've been through it recently can usually tell you what to expect.
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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