Sri Lanka is facing a major backlog in the issuance of driving license cards and vehicle registration number plates, with more than 1.6 million items pending, a Parliamentary committee has been informed.The issue was raised during a recent meeting of the Ministerial Consultative Committee on Transport, Highways and Urban Development, chaired by Minister Bimal Rathnayake.

Officials revealed that approximately 673,000 driving license cards remain pending due to shortages of printing equipment and blank cards.Commissioner General of Motor Traffic, retired Air Vice Marshal Thushara Indunil Fernando, said the existing stock of one million ordered cards is expected to be exhausted by January 2027.

Although a new contract has been awarded for the supply of two million cards, the first shipment is expected only by the end of March 2027.To address the anticipated shortage, officials are proposing to obtain Cabinet approval to purchase an additional 500,000 cards from the existing supplier.The commissioner general expressed confidence that the driving licence card backlog could be fully cleared by the middle of 2027.Meanwhile, the committee was informed that approximately 958,651 vehicle registration number plates remain pending from applications accumulated between Jan. 1, 2025, and March 9, 2026.

The commissioner general said the number plate backlog could be cleared within seven to eight months if the existing contractor is assigned the necessary production work.Minister Rathnayake instructed officials to take urgent measures to resolve the delays and improve the efficiency of the issuance process.