Can I take my car to Sri Lanka?

The Sri Lankan vehicle market is not a pretty place nowadays. With increased taxes and tariffs vehicle importers tend to import only the cheapest vehicles into the country in the hopes of selling more units. The downside of this is that most of those vehicles will have very limited features or safety options
Now, if you are a Sri Lankan professional or a businessman working oversees you might already have a good vehicle that you use every day and like very much. You might even have thought “Can I take my car to Sri Lanka?” Would it actually be possible to take the vehicle you are using in your country, back to Sri Lanka, when you eventually move back there? The answer is yes!

How can I take my car to Sri Lanka?

So if the answer to ‘Can I take my car to Sri Lanka?’ is yes, then how can you go about doing it? The answer is simple. You will have to find a reputed car exporter, who has experience in shipping cars to Sri Lanka. Now if there is a large Sri Lankan community in the country you are in, I am sure you will be able to find people who have gone through the same process before you. So the best bet would be ask around to see if anyone has used the services of a certain exporter to send their cars to Sri Lanka.

Usually these exporters will be entities who source and export vehicles from the country you are employed in, to buyers in Sri Lanka. They will be experienced in shipping multiple vehicles to Sri Lanka for a number of years, but since they are doing this as a business their usual profit margins will be much higher as compared to just shipping your car to Sri Lanka. So keep that in mind when you approach them.
When you have selected and met with one, first of all ask them can I take my car to Sri Lanka, this is important because some exporters usually only ship certain types of vehicles. If they say yes then discuss about what their process will be and how much it will cost.

There are several things to consider before you select that particular exporter. Make sure they will use the services of a good shipping and logistics company, with a good international reputation, when shipping your car to Sri Lanka. The reason for this is, not all shipping companies can be guaranteed to ensure safe transport of your vehicle. Once you have alleviated any fears about that and if you believe the price the exporter is asking for is reasonable, you can go ahead and ask them to start the process of getting your car to Sri Lanka.

How to ship your car to Sri Lanka

Once the official paperwork is finished the exporter will ship the car in either a container or a RORO vessel bound for Sri Lanka and they will provide you with the details of the shipment so that you can wait for its arrival in Sri Lanka. After some time, the ship carrying your vehicle will arrive at the port which was decided earlier. Now you will have to clear it in order to bring it into the country. Some exporters will have local agents to help you clear your vehicle and if you had decided to use that service given by your exporter, you can ask for their help. But if you know someone else who you trust, who can get it done, you can use their services.

Once the clearing process is done, you can drive your own car back in your home country of Sri Lanka. Now that you know the process, if anyone else who’s abroad asks you ‘Can I take my car to Sri Lanka?’ please go ahead and answer yes.