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Shipping to Sri Lanka: what is not allowed

Sri Lanka allows most personal parcels from India, but taxes stack: customs duty, 18% VAT, the Port and Airport Development Levy and, on some goods, a surcharge and cess. Genuine gifts get a small allowance.

Not accepted for Sri Lanka

  • Narcotics and psychotropic substances
  • Pornographic material
  • Publications that insult any religion or religious leader
  • E-cigarettes containing tobacco
  • Animal parts and live plants without permits

Allowed, with conditions

  • Medicines — unregistered medicines need NMRA personal-use authorisation (prescription, request letter, ID; max 100 doses)
  • Mobile phones, radios and communication devices — Telecommunications Regulatory Commission licence
  • Drones — licence required
  • Animal products and plants — permits from the respective authorities

Bona fide gifts and personal items are free of customs duty up to LKR 15,000 and of VAT up to LKR 10,000; other levies still apply.

The recipient pays charges before release. If Customs holds a parcel, the recipient is notified and must attend the examination in person.

Sri Lanka Customs never asks for payment by SMS, email or phone call.

Quick answers: shipping from India to Sri Lanka

What can I not send from India to Sri Lanka?

Sri Lanka does not accept: narcotics and psychotropic substances; pornographic material; publications that insult any religion or religious leader; e-cigarettes containing tobacco; animal parts and live plants without permits. On every route, we also cannot carry anything with a battery, mobile phones and laptops, real gold, silver or diamond jewellery, or anything flammable or pressurised such as perfume, aerosols and nail polish.

Can I send medicines from India to Sri Lanka?

Yes, within limits: medicines — unregistered medicines need NMRA personal-use authorisation (prescription, request letter, ID; max 100 doses). Controlled and psychotropic medicines need clearance first, so ask us before you order them.

How long does a parcel from India to Sri Lanka take?

Normal transit on this route is 4 to 6 business days from our warehouse in Kerala.

Will I pay customs duty or tax in Sri Lanka?

Bona fide gifts and personal items are free of customs duty up to LKR 15,000 and of VAT up to LKR 10,000; other levies still apply. The recipient pays charges before release. If Customs holds a parcel, the recipient is notified and must attend the examination in person. Sri Lanka Customs never asks for payment by SMS, email or phone call.

Never accepted, wherever you are

These are refused by the airlines, by Indian export rules or by us, so they cannot leave our warehouse for any destination.

Prohibited, restricted and dangerous goods, in one line each. Prohibited means it cannot be sent at all. Restricted means it can travel, but only under conditions your country sets, such as a personal quantity, a prescription or a declaration; those are listed under each destination. Dangerous goods are what airlines treat as a hazard on board: anything flammable, corrosive or pressurised. We also cannot ship anything with a battery, or anything that burns, such as agarbatti and camphor.

  • Cash, currency, cheques, bullion, and loose precious stones
  • Narcotics, illegal drugs, and psychotropic substances
  • Firearms, ammunition, explosives, fireworks, and weapons (including replicas)
  • Anything with a battery, including power banks, battery-operated toys and watches
  • Mobile phones and laptops
  • Real gold, silver and diamond jewellery
  • Flammable, corrosive, or pressurised goods — perfumes/deodorant sprays, aerosols, nail polish and remover, paints, thinners, fuel, gas cylinders, lighters, and matches
  • Anything that burns: agarbatti (incense sticks), dhoop, camphor, sambrani and candles
  • Live animals, plants, seeds, soil, and products of endangered species (CITES)
  • Pornographic, obscene, or seditious material
  • Counterfeit goods and pirated media
  • Human remains, biological samples, and infectious substances
  • Radioactive and toxic substances

Medicines and supplements are the one thing to check before you order. They are not banned — almost every destination lets a personal quantity through in its original packaging with a copy of the prescription. What changes from country to country is how much counts as personal, whose name the prescription has to be in, and which ingredients need clearance from that country's health authority first.

The rule for Sri Lanka is under Allowed, with conditions above. Controlled and psychotropic medicines are a separate case: several countries want their own health authority to clear the parcel first, so check with us before you order rather than after it arrives with us.

If you are not sure about something, ask on WhatsApp before you order it.

The same list, talked through

Three and a half minutes on what cannot leave India, what your own country will not let in, and the things that travel perfectly well once the paperwork is right.

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What You Can and Can't Ship From India (Full List)

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