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Driving in Sri Lanka
The rules of the road as our desk recorded them, native unit first.
Driving side
Left
Speed limits
50 / 70 / 100 km/h · 31 / 43 / 62 mph
urban / rural / motorway
International permit (IDP)
Required · Both accepted
Foreign licences must be endorsed by the Automobile Association of Ceylon or converted to a temporary local permit - an IDP alone is not sufficient, which surprises most renters.
Blood alcohol limit
0.08%
Tolls
Tolled expressways link Colombo with the airport, Galle and Kandy - cash at booths.
Headlights
Not required by day.
Child seats
No effective requirement; rental stock is limited.
The permit paperwork plus the driving culture is why most visitors hire a driver instead. If you do drive, avoid night journeys - unlit vehicles, pedestrians and animals on the road are all common.