A total of 25,508 duty-free vehicle permits have been issued to government employees up to the date of Sri Lanka’s vehicle import suspension, Labour Minister and Deputy Minister of Economic Development Dr. Anil Jayantha Fernando told Parliament yesterday (25).
Speaking during a parliamentary session, the Minister clarified that no decision has been taken so far regarding allowing vehicle imports under these existing duty-free permits, which remain suspended under a temporary directive by the Ministry of Finance.
“Government employees have the right to request vehicle imports under the permits already issued. However, imports are currently halted as part of ongoing restrictions,” he said.
According to the data presented by the Minister, only 2,043 duty-free vehicle permits have been issued in 2025. In contrast, higher numbers were recorded in previous years—5,373 permits in 2020, 2,972 in 2021, 3,340 in 2022, 5,718 in 2023, and 6,062 in 2024.
He noted that the largest number of permits was issued under previous governments, not under the current administration.
