Sri Lanka 
(ශ්රී ලංකා) is one of the best tourist destinations in the world. Whether you want an expensive hotel type holiday or a cheap getaway, whether you want to Surf 
, Enjoy the beach 
, have a sunbath 
, ecotourism, elephant watching 
, or a cool climate at upcountry, balloon rides 
, wild Safari 
or Historical sightseeing, you name it Sri Lanka has it.
There are many sites with travel tips. They let you know what to do’s and don’ts once you are inside Sri Lanka. This is about do’s & Don’ts while you are entering the country, from a Customs 
point of view. These will hopefully make you spend less time in the Airport 
with bad surprises and enjoy more time at your destination(s)
When you are ARRIVING in Sri Lanka
1. Dogs 
/ Cats 
… - You need quarantine certificates & you will be taxed. Be prepared to spend some money on taxes and time.
2. Fresh Fruits 
/Plants:broccoli:/Leaves:leafy_green: - NO, (Not even for your very sick aunty) unless you have a quarantine certificate.
3. Liquor
- 1.5 litres of hard liquor/spirits, 2 bottles of wine, 6 bottles of beer
4. Cigarettes 
- NO. Cigarettes, Snuff or any other tobacco products. Not even a single packet. and don’t smoke in Airport premises or any other public place.
5. Marijuana, Meth, Heroine - No (obviously)
6. Knives 
/ Daggers/ Swords 
/ Guns 
- No
7. Drones 
- No (Very strict regulatory laws)
8. Tattoos/ Clothing/ Bags with RELIGIOUS Symbols 
- Sri Lanka has zero tolerance over disrespecting Buddhism or any other religion. So if you have a tattoo of Lord Buddha, its best to cover it up. And don’t wear any clothes where Lord Buddha figure is printed.
9. Covering your face/ Niqāb 
- from 2019.04.29 You can’t cover your face (including ears) when you are in public place in Sri Lanka
10. Money 
- You CAN bring any amount of foreign currency. But you MUST declare it if it’s over 15,000 USD or equivalent. and if you plan to take back over 10,000 USD, declare it even if it’s between 10,000 - 15,000. You can’t bring in Sri Lankan, Indian or any other SAARC county’s money.
11. Gold / Jewellery - Declare if you have a considerable amount of Jewellery. New Items may be taxed.
12. Valuable items - as a rule of thumb, declare any valuable goods (at least verbally). Officers are very lenient towards people who are willingly/genuinely declaring.
13. Items in Large/ Commercial quantities - There is a certain amount from each item you can bring in, (Check it here). If you exceed these quantities, be prepared to pay taxes with penalties.
When You are DEPARTING 
from Sri Lanka
1. Money - Must declare over 10,000 USD. Only Sri Lankans can carry Sri Lankan Rupees out of the country (to a maximum of 20,000 LKR only)
2. Antiques - You can’t take antiques out. Even you have an invoice for it 
3. Wildlife or parts - You can not take out wildlife or parts of them such as Peacock feathers, Some Exotic Sea Shells, Kothalahimbutu, Wallapatt… etc. Some of these are sold openly inland and are only prohibited to takeout from the country.
4. Fresh Fruits /Plants:broccoli:… : You can’t carry anything with soil. Normal domestic plants are allowed. but better not carry them without proper quarantine because you may be endangering the destination country and/or have troubles at that airport.
BEWARE: Non-Declarations can be punishable by forfeiture of goods and up to triple the amount of value+duty of the said goods.
DISCLAIMER: This post is my not in any way related to Sri Lanka Customs. Please do not hold me liable for any changes in laws/ errors in this post.