Send a parcel to Sri Lanka

Shipping to Sri Lanka does not have to be difficult if you understand how importation works in this nation.

While many British colonies had fairly peaceful occupation periods, Sri Lanka has always experienced tensions, both before and after British occupation. Independence only made the conflicts grow, with Sri Lanka experiencing a full-blown civil war beginning in the 1980s. Despite the beauty of this Asian island, industry, tourism and investment were discouraged during this volatile period. This created negative consequences for the country's 20 million citizens. The 2010 election made great strides towards resolving these issues, but some underlying tensions remain. Despite the volatile nature of Sri Lanka's politics, the country is actually organised as a democratic socialist system, with a president and parliament. In addition, the citizen base remains surprisingly affluent, well-educated and experiences a strong standard of living, making the nation a vital trade partner for British companies. Sri Lanka considers itself a non-aligned country, with strong connections to the United States. Its military forces are focused mainly on internal security to discourage civil unrest.

Sri Lanka's strategic location has made it a strong trading partner for centuries. Sri Lanka's government has gone back and forth in economic strategy and policy, creating correspondingly uncertain results in the economy. Currently, Sri Lanka's economy is still strongly focused in agriculture, producing traditional plantation crops such as tea, rubber, cinnamon and sugar. The nation is also attempting to shift its focus to more modern commodities, such as financial markets, manufacturing, clothing and food production. Depending on the philosophy of the current government power, Sri Lanka shifts between a more open market and a controlled economic policy, making growth cumbersome and inconsistent.

Import Restrictions

Like many trade partners, Sri Lanka is not always clear as to what items fall under the prohibited and restricted categories. While a website is available, navigating it to find useful information is challenging. Sri Lanka provides more information about their various customs departments than they do on differentiating what items are actually approved for importation. Shippers will need to do some digging to get an idea of how to proceed.

Major shipping companies like FedEx, DHL and ParcelForce do indicate that they are unable to move certain products into Sri Lanka. These prohibited items include chemicals, batteries, gas, ice, infectious substances, paint, poison, radioactive material and flammable items. However, it is unclear whether these are general prohibitions or whether Sri Lanka makes distinct rules regarding these items.

Sri Lanka does publish a list of regulations that pertain to the importation of goods. This list includes about 70 different laws that have been published since 1977. These are probably the clearest rules pertaining to import restrictions and cover products such as:

• live fish,


• fish products,


• ceramic products,


• foreign money,


• passenger baggage,


• ozone-depleting substances,


• animals,


• animal products,


• food,


• bottled water,


• coconut products,


• plants and cosmetics.

The full listing of Sri Lanka's regulations can be found here.

Useful Information

The historic connections between the United Kingdom and Sri Lanka, paired with a relatively-advanced citizen base, make Sri Lanka a promising target for British trade. In addition, modern attempts to stimulate and regenerate the country's economy make for an open trade policy and the encouragement of importation. Still, expect to do your homework before shipping in order to ensure that all packages are in compliance with the law.