No Expiry Driving Licences Safe, Ministry Clarifies

In a bid to quash growing concerns among the public, Sri Lanka’s Ministry of Transport & Highways has clarified that driving licenses issued without expiry dates will not be canceled, contrary to earlier statements made by an official. The Commissioner General of the Department of Motor Traffic (DMT), Nishantha Anuruddha Weerasinghe, had sparked alarm by suggesting the possible cancellation of these licenses, but the Ministry swiftly labeled these comments as a "rumor."

### System Update Instead of Cancellation

The Ministry emphasized that rather than revoking these old licenses, which date back to the 1960s, they plan to implement a system update by the end of the year. This update aims to gather and update information on license holders, particularly those with no-expiry licenses.

These licenses, first introduced more than 60 years ago, have allowed holders to drive indefinitely without the need for renewal. While this arrangement has been convenient for many, it has also resulted in outdated information for approximately 2 million license holders. The Ministry’s forthcoming system update is designed to address this gap in data without disrupting the validity of the licenses.


### A Historical Perspective

Sri Lanka’s first driving license was issued in the 1960s, and since then, around 12.3 million licenses have been distributed across the country. The older licenses, particularly those issued before the introduction of expiry dates, remain in use, creating a unique situation where a significant number of licenses do not require periodic renewal.