The Sri Lankan government has amended key import regulations to facilitate the release of vehicles held at Sri Lanka Customs. A special Gazette notification, issued by President Anura Kumara Dissanayake as Finance Minister yesterday, simplifies procedures.
The amendments address concerns raised by vehicle importers over nearly 400 Japanese-imported vehicles stuck at Customs due to regulatory hurdles. The Gazette now allows Bureau Veritas certificates for vehicle imports from all countries and requires Customs to verify document authenticity online.
Vehicle importers had blamed unclear regulations for delays, including a rule requiring the exact manufacturing date. The changes come as Sri Lanka resumes vehicle imports this year in February after a four-year ban.
