Letter of Authority to Drive Someone Else's Car in Sri Lanka

Do you need a letter of authority to drive someone else's car in Sri Lanka?

There's no single rule that makes every borrowed-car trip illegal without a letter. Sri Lanka Police have confirmed there's no special permission needed to drive a vehicle from one province to another, and no general "permission letter" law for driving. What you must always carry is your valid driving licence, the vehicle's current revenue licence, and its insurance certificate. A letter of authority becomes necessary, or at least a smart precaution, in specific situations: when the registered owner is abroad, when the vehicle is still on lease or hire purchase, when it's a company vehicle, or simply when your name doesn't match any of the three documents above.

Key facts

• The three documents you must carry when driving any vehicle: driving licence, revenue licence, insurance certificate (as of November 2026, per Sri Lanka Police).
• There's no law requiring a special permit or letter to drive a vehicle across provinces.
• Under the Motor Traffic Act, if the registered owner leaves Sri Lanka, the vehicle can't legally be used after two months unless a temporary owner has been registered with the Commissioner of Motor Traffic.
• Finance and leasing companies commonly require an authorisation letter, plus a certified copy of the CR, before a Divisional Secretariat will renew the revenue licence on a financed vehicle.
• Letters of no objection used for ownership transfer are typically certified by a Grama Niladhari, Justice of Peace, lawyer, Commissioner for Oaths, or staff-grade government officer.
• Police suspicion usually starts when the driver's name doesn't match the insurance, revenue licence, or CR book — not from crossing a provincial border.
• Check /safety-tips before any long trip in a borrowed or company vehicle, and read /leasing if the car is still financed.

What documents must you actually carry?

Only three: your driving licence, the vehicle's revenue licence, and its insurance certificate. A Sri Lanka Police spokesman confirmed this directly after a viral video wrongly claimed that vehicles need special authorisation to travel between provinces. The actual offence in that video wasn't about crossing a border — it was that the insurance, revenue licence, and the driver's identity were registered under three different names, which made the vehicle look unaccounted for. That's the real trigger for trouble: a mismatch between who's driving and what the paperwork says, not the trip itself.

When is a letter of authority actually needed?

When the registered owner is out of the country. The Motor Traffic Act says a vehicle cannot be used once two months have passed since the registered owner's departure from Sri Lanka, unless the Commissioner of Motor Traffic has registered someone as the temporary owner. That registration has to be applied for in the prescribed form, either by the owner before or after leaving, or by their duly appointed attorney. If a relative is going to use your car for an extended period while you're abroad, sort this out at the RMV/DMT before you leave, not after.

When the vehicle is still on lease or hire purchase. If a bank or leasing company's name is on the CR book, you typically need a written authorisation letter from that finance company, along with a certified copy of the CR, to renew the revenue licence at a Divisional Secretariat. Check with your finance company before your current revenue licence expires, since a missed deadline leaves the car undriveable. If you're not sure how your lease balance or monthly instalment is tracking, Wahanaya's /leasing calculator can help you work out where you stand.

When you're a company employee driving a company vehicle. Many employers issue a simple letter confirming that an employee is authorised to use a specific vehicle, especially for vehicles that travel long distances, go through checkpoints late at night, or are driven outside normal business hours. It isn't a legal must-have for every trip, but it removes any doubt quickly if you're stopped.

When you're buying or selling, and the deal isn't complete yet. If you've agreed to sell a vehicle but the ownership transfer hasn't gone through the RMV/DMT yet, the buyer driving the car on your registration is a common source of confusion. A letter of no objection, which some sellers use alongside their NIC copy, is typically certified by a Grama Niladhari, Justice of Peace, lawyer, Commissioner for Oaths, or staff-grade government officer. This is separate from the standard MTA 6 and MTA 8 transfer paperwork, but it can smooth things over in the gap between sale and transfer.

What should a letter of authority actually say?

There's no single compulsory format, but a useful letter of authority for a vehicle should include:

• Full name, NIC number, and address of the registered owner
• Full name, NIC number, and address of the person being authorised
• The vehicle's registration number, make, and model
• The purpose and, where relevant, the time period of the authorisation (for example, "until my return to Sri Lanka" or "for the duration of my overseas assignment")
• The date and the owner's signature
• Ideally, certification or attestation by a Grama Niladhari, Justice of Peace, lawyer, or Commissioner for Oaths, especially if the authorisation is for an extended period rather than a single trip

Keep a copy of the owner's NIC with the letter, and keep both in the vehicle, not just at home. A photo of the signed letter on your phone is better than nothing, but a physical copy is safer if you're asked to hand something over at a checkpoint.

What happens if you're stopped without one?

If your documents are all in order and your name is on the insurance or you're clearly a family member or authorised driver, a routine stop is unlikely to go further. The trouble starts when the names on the insurance, revenue licence, and the driver's own ID don't line up at all, because that's exactly the pattern police look for when checking for stolen or improperly used vehicles. In that situation, a letter of authority with the owner's NIC copy is the fastest way to resolve things on the spot, rather than being asked to produce the owner in person or visit a police station later.

Buying a car you plan to let others drive

If you're shopping for a vehicle that your spouse, children, or staff will also be driving regularly, it's worth thinking about this upfront. Browse listings on /vehicles, check whether the asking price is realistic with /price-check, and once you've bought, keep a simple authorisation letter ready for anyone who'll regularly drive the car but isn't the registered owner. If you're selling instead, list your vehicle on /post-ad and make sure you understand the transfer timeline before handing over the keys.

Where to get a straight answer for your situation

Rules around temporary ownership, finance company letters, and attestation requirements can be specific to your situation, your Divisional Secretariat, or your finance company's internal policy. If you're not sure what applies to you, ask in the Wahanaya /forum, where other owners and sellers who've been through the same process can tell you what actually worked for them.

Sources

• Misleading Claims About Inter-Province Travel Restrictions for Vehicles in Sri Lanka - Fact Crescendo
• Motor Traffic Act (Consolidated) - lankalaw.net
• Department of Motor Traffic - Registration of Ownership Transfer
• Divisional Secretariat Mulatiyana - Vehicle Registrations & Licence Renewals
• How to Get a Vehicle Revenue License in Sri Lanka - motorguide.lk