Paper number plates are valid if vehicle registration is before March 07, 2025.

The Police Department has been instructed not to take legal action against vehicle owners who display and drive vehicles with temporary paper number plates printed for vehicles registered in the country after March 07, 2025. Authorities have made this decision considering the problematic situation that arose due to the breakdown of the official vehicle number plate printing contract process. However, the police emphasize that the law will be strictly enforced against vehicles operating with substandard or altered number plates.

Deputy Inspector General of Police for Traffic Control and Road Safety, W.P.J. Seneviratne, points out that even during this interim period until official number plates are issued, the use of unofficial or altered number plates is completely prohibited. However, drivers are legally permitted to display only the vehicle registration number printed on an A4 size paper, prepared in accordance with the specified guidelines of the Department of Motor Traffic.

Although drivers have paid the relevant fees for number plates to the Department of Motor Traffic when registering new vehicles, the number of outstanding vehicle number plates yet to be issued has reached nearly 400,000. This shortage has led to an increase in police inspections on roads, and the traffic police detaining and questioning drivers regarding the use of substandard number plates has created a degree of unrest and confusion in the field.

According to the Acting Commissioner General of the Department of Motor Traffic, K.P.N.T.N. Dewapriya, arrangements have been made to restart vehicle number plate printing operations on or before June 10, 2026, under a newly awarded five-year contract. South Asian Technologies (Pvt) Ltd, the selected company for this purpose, has completed the installation of all necessary machinery within the Department's premises in Werahera. Although procurement activities have been finalized with the approval of the Bid Evaluation Committee and the Standing Cabinet Appointed Procurement Committee, production cannot commence until the official operational period begins, and printing operations must start within three months of signing the agreement.

Given the current situation, the official technical specifications required for the public to print their own number plates have not yet been issued, and authorities fear that releasing such standard designs prematurely could lead to various abuses. Due to the lack of a proper supplier, these supplies were suspended for over 10 months. Current applicants have paid Rs. 3,300 for number plates, Rs. 1,000 as inspection fees, and Rs. 150 for postal and documentation fees. Once the new production process begins, it is planned to operate on two tracks: one for clearing the current backlog and another for new registrations. It is expected that this entire crisis will conclude with production operating at maximum capacity by June 2026.