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Alcohol — Sri Lanka
What travelers need to know about alcohol in Sri Lanka. What is legal at home can be a serious crime here — each rule links to its official source.
Short answer
Get alerted when this changesLawLert pings you if Alcohol law changes in Sri Lanka. Free.Get the free appAlcohol in Sri Lanka: restricted — there are real limits travelers must follow.
RESTRICTED
Cap yourself at two regular-size bottles of wine plus 1.5 litres of spirits - that is the entire tourist alcohol allowance. The larger resident allowance (2.5 L liquor, 2 L wine) does not apply to visitors. Declare anything above it to the Customs officer on arrival.
A knowingly or wilfully false or inaccurate declaration forfeits all exemptions under the regulations, and the passenger is liable to be dealt with under the provisions of the Customs Ordinance.
§ Sri Lanka Customs, "Travellers - Passenger Guide", section "Exemptions: Passenger's Baggage Exemptions - Tourists" (and the parallel Residents list), read together with the linked Annexure A, "Permissible Articles/Goods in Passenger Baggage" (Permissible-Articles-202602.pdf, Feb 2026); breach provision from the same page citing the Customs Ordinance.Recommended for travelers · partner
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LawLert is an independent app and is not affiliated with any government. It summarizes laws from official government and U.S. State Department sources for general information only. This is not legal advice, and laws change. Always confirm with official sources and local authorities before you travel.