Guide7 min read7 views
Updated 4 November 2026 · Written by the Wahanaya.lk team
If your vehicle won't be used for a while, apply for a Notice of Non-User at your Divisional Secretariat instead of renewing the revenue licence. It costs far less, stops the late-renewal surcharge, and can be held for up to two years.
Not necessarily. If your car, van or three-wheeler is going to sit parked for a while — you're abroad, it's waiting for repairs, or you've simply stopped driving it — you can apply for a Notice of Non-User at your Divisional Secretariat instead of buying a full revenue licence. It costs a fraction of the normal fee, but it only works if the vehicle genuinely stays off public roads for the whole period.
A Notice of Non-User is an official declaration, approved by your Divisional Secretariat's Licensing Authority, that your vehicle will not be used on the road for a set period. It replaces the revenue licence for that period. Your vehicle stays registered under your name with the same CR book and number plate — nothing about ownership changes. The only thing that changes is that you're legally allowed to leave the revenue licence unrenewed, as long as the vehicle doesn't go on a public road.
This matters because an expired revenue licence that you simply ignore keeps accumulating a surcharge. Under the Motor Traffic Act, arrears build up at roughly 10% of the base fee per completed quarter, capped at 40% after four quarters. After 12 months overdue, the normal renewal route closes and you'd have to reapply at the Department of Motor Traffic (DMT) instead. A non-user notice avoids all of that, as long as you apply before the current licence lapses.
This is worth doing if you know your vehicle will be off the road for months, not days. Common situations include:
If you're not sure whether to keep the vehicle idle or sell it, it's usually cheaper over time to sell a vehicle you won't use soon rather than carry a non-user notice for two years and then deal with a car that's been sitting still that long — batteries die, tyres flat-spot, and rubber seals perish.
Based on the Northern Provincial Council's published requirements, you'll need:
Go to the Divisional Secretariat office that matches the address on your vehicle's registration — this is usually the same office where you'd normally renew your revenue licence. Submit your written request and documents before your current licence or non-user notice expires; late applications may not be accepted in lieu of the normal renewal and surcharge. The Licensing Authority at that office has to be satisfied that the vehicle genuinely won't be used during the period you're asking for.
Some provinces also offer online revenue licence services through the e-Revenue Licence (eRL) system used across all 333 Divisional Secretariat offices, but non-user applications typically still need an in-person visit since they require the Licensing Authority's approval.
Fees are set per vehicle class and per period (6 or 12 months). As one published provincial schedule shows, motorcycles, three-wheelers and tricycle vans sit around Rs. 100–200, while cars, dual-purpose vehicles and lorries sit around Rs. 250–500. These figures come from one province's published rates and can differ elsewhere, so treat them as a guide and confirm the exact fee at your own Divisional Secretariat as of November 2026.
A Notice of Non-User can be issued for 6 or 12 months at a time, and renewed — but only for a maximum of two continuous years. If your vehicle is still not going to be used after that, you'll need to check with your Divisional Secretariat about what happens next; the published rules don't spell out an automatic extension beyond two years, so don't assume you can simply keep renewing indefinitely.
Before the vehicle goes back on the road, you need a current, paid revenue licence — you can't drive on a non-user notice. Apply for the regular revenue licence in the normal way before the day you plan to use the vehicle again. If it's been off the road a long time, it's also worth having it checked over mechanically, and confirming your insurance is active again, before you drive it anywhere.
You can, but it's usually more expensive. An expired, unrenewed revenue licence accrues the quarterly arrears surcharge described above, and if you're ever stopped with the vehicle on a public road — even just moving it — you risk a spot fine under the Motor Traffic Act. A Notice of Non-User exists specifically so you don't have to choose between paying for a licence you don't need or running up avoidable penalties.
If you're weighing whether to mothball the vehicle or sell it instead, compare what it would cost to keep versus what you could get for it — check /price-check for a valuation, browse similar vehicles on /vehicles, and read /safety-tips if you do decide to sell and meet a buyer. If you're planning your next vehicle and want to see what a lease would cost instead of buying outright, try the calculator on /leasing. And if your situation doesn't quite match the usual cases — a vehicle under a bank mortgage, a leasing company holding the CR book, or a family member overseas — ask in the Wahanaya forum, where other owners and sellers share what actually happened when they dealt with their own Divisional Secretariat.
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.
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