Passengers & Baggage

Passengers are categorized into several groups for the ease of facilitation and control. There are mainly two types of passengers, such as local passport holders and foreign passport holders. These types can be further subdivided as inward, outward or transit passengers, etc. Depending on the category, different rules and regulations may be applicable.
However for definitive rules and regulations applicable for the passengers and passengers’ baggage.
Residents - Sri Lanka Passport Holders Adults & Juniors
Residents - Foreign Passport Holders with Resident Visa
Non Residents - Foreign Passport Holders
Dual Citizens - Sri Lanka Passport Holders Adults & Juniors
Diplomatic Passport Holders (Foreign)
Officials of the Sri Lankan Missions Overseas
Transit Passengers
Airline and Ship’s Crew

Passenger’s Baggage Exemptions-Tourists

• Personal clothing and other essentials;
• Two regular-size bottles of wine and one and a half litres of spirits;
• Toilet water not exceeding a quarter litre , and a small quantity of perfume and souvenirs, value not exceeding US $ 250 not meant for commercial purpose.
Unaccompanied Passenger’s Baggage-Inward
Air Freight
All unaccompanied passenger’s baggage which arrive as airfreight are brought to the respective Bonded warehouses. On receipt of a notice from the Airline informing the arrival of the baggage at either of these Bonded warehouses, the passenger should call over there with his/her Passport and other relevant documents. On presentation of an Inward Passenger Declaration Form duly perfected, the packages are examined by the Customs Officers for contents, description, quantities, values and any other requirements. After granting the “duty free allowance” upto the value for which the passengers are entitled or after taxing duty and other charges due, the packages are released for delivery. Passport is endorsed with allowances granted or the amount taxed.

Sea Freight

Packages of Unaccompanied baggage which arrive as sea freight are landed in the warehouses in the Port of Colombo along with packages containing other merchandise. Such baggage may come in L.C.L. Containers (Loose Container Load) containing goods belonging to several parties or as F.C.L. Containers (Full – Container Load), i.e. one container – load for one single party. After obtaining Delivery Order from the Ship’s Agent, the passenger should make an application to the Customs Charges Officer (C.O) to bring the U.P.B. packages of full containers from the Warehouse to the Baggage Office for examination. C.O. will allow such removal to Baggage Office after scrutinizing the Passport and other documents. U.P.B. packages are not examined after normal legal hours. Therefore, packages should be brought to the Baggage Office normally before 3.00 p.m. on working days allowing sufficient time for examination. Under special circumstance on application made for such purpose and on furnishing a security deposit. In addition, outside examination fees and overtime charges are also payable. Release of all F.C.L. Containers is subject to approval by Central cargo surveillance unit. F.C.L. Containers carrying consolidated unaccompanied baggage of several passengers and consigned to the respective bonded warehouse. Agents are allowed to be taken to their Bonded Warehouses, where the packages are examined in the presence of the passengers.
Parcel post
Clearance of packages containing U.P.B. received through Parcel Post is done at the Parcel Office of the Postal Department at D.R.Wijewardhana Mawatha, Colombo 10. On receipt of Postal Notice the passenger has to make a declaration in the Customs/Postal Declaration Form and call over at the Parcel Post Office for examination and clearance of such packages.
Favour Parcel
For the clearance of packages containing U.P.B. coming as ‘Favour Parcels’ in the care of Captain or other crew member of a ship or aircraft, a document from the Captain certifying the ownership of the goods is required. On application made for unshipping and transfer to Baggage Office under Customs supervision of such packages and also on a Declaration made by the passenger the packages will be released after normal Customs examination.
• Unaccompanied Passenger’s Baggage-Outward
• When a person leaving Sri Lanka has baggage or household effects to be sent as freight, he/she should call over at the baggage office or UPB Warehouse with his/her passport, Air Ticket and with any requisite licences/permits. He/she has to perfect an outward passengers’ baggage declaration and submit it to the Customs charges officer. If the documents are in order, an officer/s will be appointed to examination of the baggage. The officer/s examines the package/s and seals it/them with Customs Seal and hands over them to the passenger or his authorized forwarding agents for shipment after endorsing the outward passenger declaration and the documents.

Gift Parcels

Sea Freight
The Baggage Division handles only a limited number of gift packages. When any bone-fide gifts in light-weight packages from unsuspected origins are received as sea-freight, such packages are allowed for examination and release from the Baggage Office. For this purpose the recipient or his agent should present an application to the Charges Officer (C.O) at Baggage Office with Bill of Lading or Delivery Order and with any other relevant documents, and obtain permission to transfer the packages to Baggage Office. C.O. will peruse the documents and if he is satisfied that the packages contain only unsolicited bona-fide gifts, the transfer will be permitted. On receipt of the packages at Baggage Office, they will be examined and released on recovery of duty and other levies, subject to action being taken on any restricted or prohibited items. Transfer of heavy packages to Baggage Office, which are suspected to contain goods for commercial purposes is not allowed although entered as ‘Gifts’. Such packages should be cleared following the procedure of passing Bill of Sight in the Long Room.
Air Freight
All Gift Package received as Airfreight are transferred from Air Cargo Terminal at Katunayake to the Bonded warehouses, along with unaccompanied packages. At these Bond Warehouses such gift parcel are examined on a Customs Import Entry presented to the Customs Appraiser. Duty and other charges are recovered on the Entry which is ‘Satisfied’ by the Assistant Director of Customs, prior to release of the goods.

Note: No duty free allowance is available for gift parcels.
Duty Free Baggage Allowance
• A passenger who has not utilized his/her baggage allowance on his/her arrival, is entitled for his/her baggage allowance for UPB.
• A passenger who has utilized a part of his/her baggage allowance on his/her arrival, is entitled for his/her balance baggage allowance for UPB.
• A passenger who has purchased goods at Sri Lanka Duty Free Shops, and has utilized his/her baggage allowance in full on his/her arrival, is not entitled for his/her baggage allowance for UPB.
• A passenger who has purchased goods at Sri Lanka Duty Free Shops, and has utilized his/her baggage allowance in part on his/her arrival, is entitled the proportionately calculated balance of the baggage allowance for UPB.
• A passenger who acquired some goods abroad and also purchased goods at Sri Lanka Duty Free Shops, is entitled for a balance baggage allowance, if any, for UPB, equivalent to the balance of proportionately calculated baggage allowance for the goods purchased at duty free shops, plus the baggage allowance for the goods acquired abroad.
For exchange rates and other information about custom regulations browse the web site : www.customs.gov.lk