Guide7 min read242 views
Updated 7 November 2026 · Written by the Wahanaya.lk team
Go to eservices.motortraffic.gov.lk, choose the free Limited or paid Full Vehicle Information Request, and enter the registration number and chassis number to see the owner, mortgage status and vehicle specs instantly.
You check a vehicle's details online through the Department of Motor Traffic's (DMT) eServices portal at eservices.motortraffic.gov.lk. Enter the vehicle's registration number and chassis number, choose a free "Limited" report or a paid "Full" report, and the system shows you the owner, mortgage status, and vehicle specifications on screen. This is the official way to confirm who owns a vehicle and whether it's clear of a bank or leasing claim before you buy, sell, or just want to check your own car's record.
It's the government's online system for looking up any registered vehicle's official record without visiting an RMV office. The Department of Motor Traffic built it so buyers, sellers, insurers, and owners can confirm a vehicle's registration status, ownership, and mortgage position from home. It sits separately from other DMT eServices like revenue licence renewal and driving licence appointments, but you log in using the same type of online authentication.
You need the vehicle's registration number (the plate number, e.g. a format like WP CAB-1234) and its chassis number. The chassis number is stamped on the vehicle chassis and also printed on the CR book (certificate of registration) and the revenue licence. If you're checking a car you're thinking of buying, ask the seller for a photo of the CR book, or check the chassis plate yourself under the bonnet or driver's door frame, before you run the search.
Go to the DMT eServices homepage, select the "Limited Vehicle Information Request" option, click Proceed, and enter the registration number and chassis number. The system displays the result on screen immediately, with no login or payment needed. This free check typically returns the owner's name, mortgage or leasing status, engine number, vehicle class, make, model, manufacture year, engine capacity, fuel type, registration status, chassis type, and body type.
For a quick pre-purchase sanity check — confirming the make, model, year, and whether a lease or mortgage is still attached — the free Limited request is usually enough.
Select "Full Vehicle Information Request" on the same homepage, click Proceed, then choose an authentication provider and log in. After you enter the registration number and chassis number and complete the online payment, the system shows the full report, which adds the owner's registered address and other registration-specific conditions not shown in the free version. This is the option to use when you need the owner's address, for example to verify it matches other documents during a sale, or when you want a fuller record for your own vehicle.
The free Limited request has no charge. The Full request has a small online convenience fee, cited by third-party guides as around Rs. 150 as of November 2026 — treat this as indicative and check the exact figure shown on the DMT eServices payment page before you proceed, since government fees change without much notice.
Yes, and it's one of the simplest free checks you can do before paying a deposit on a used vehicle listed on /vehicles. Run the registration number and chassis number through the Limited request and check three things: does the make, model, and year match what the seller told you; does the owner name match the person you're dealing with; and does the mortgage or ownership status show any outstanding claim. If there's a mismatch on any of these, ask for an explanation — and ideally the CR book itself — before you go further. Pair this online check with the physical checks covered in our general safety tips for buying used vehicles, such as matching the chassis and engine numbers stamped on the vehicle against the CR book.
This doesn't automatically mean a problem, but it means you need to ask questions. A vehicle can be registered to a company, a family member, or a previous owner who sold it informally without transferring the CR book. Ask the seller to explain the chain of ownership and show how they're authorised to sell — a power of attorney, an authorisation letter, or proof that a transfer is in progress. If the mortgage status shows an active leasing or bank interest, the vehicle normally can't be legally transferred until that is settled, so clarify this with the seller before you negotiate a price.
Yes. Many owners use the same portal to confirm their own vehicle's record is accurate — for instance, after a transfer, an address change, or paying off a lease — or simply to get a quick copy of the specifications for insurance or sale purposes. If you're preparing to sell, it's worth running your own free Limited request first so you know exactly what a buyer will see when they check it themselves.
Yes. The Department of Motor Traffic provides an official app that includes vehicle detail lookups and an Ongoing Number check, in addition to the eservices.motortraffic.gov.lk website, according to ICTA's press release on the service's launch. This is useful if you want to check a vehicle quickly from your phone while viewing it in person, without typing the long portal web address into a mobile browser.
The online report confirms registration data, but it won't tell you about mechanical condition, accident history, or whether the mileage has been tampered with. Before you commit to a used vehicle, also physically compare the chassis and engine numbers against the CR book, ask for service records, and consider a workshop inspection. If you want an independent view on what a fair price looks like for the make, model, and year, run it through our price check tool, and if you're financing the purchase, the leasing calculator can show you what the monthly payment would look like at different down payments and tenures.
If you're unsure about anything you see in the DMT report — an unfamiliar mortgage entry, a registration status you don't recognise, or a name mismatch you can't resolve with the seller — ask in the Wahanaya forum, where other buyers and sellers in Sri Lanka regularly share what they found when checking a vehicle before a deal. And once you're ready to sell your own vehicle, you can list it directly on /post-ad.
Yes, you can sell a car in Sri Lanka from overseas by giving a registered Power of Attorney to someone in Sri Lanka, signed before a Sri Lankan embassy or consular officer, then used by your attorney to sign the RMV transfer forms on your behalf.
Wahanaya.lk team8 min read
If you lose or damage your vehicle's revenue licence, first report it to the police, then apply for a duplicate at the Divisional Secretariat office linked to your vehicle's registered address, with the police complaint, CR book copy, insurance and NIC.
Wahanaya.lk team7 min read
You transfer your No Claim Bonus (NCB) by getting an NCB confirmation letter from your current insurer and handing it to your new insurer when you insure the new vehicle. NCB belongs to you as the policyholder, not to the vehicle, so it moves with you even if you change cars or insurers.
Wahanaya.lk team7 min read
Questions or your own experience? Share it here.
No comments yet. Be the first.
