fuelpass.gov.lk - National fuelpass QR Code

Sri Lanka's National Fuel Pass is back. From 6:00 AM on March 15, 2026, no fuel station in the country may dispense fuel without a valid QR code — every vehicle needs a registered code from fuelpass.gov.lk. The system assigns a weekly fuel quota based on your vehicle category: motorcycles get 5 litres, cars and three-wheelers 15, vans 40, buses 60, and lorries 200. This is an independent guide to registering, retrieving your QR, and fixing the common errors. We are not the government and this site collects nothing — always type fuelpass.gov.lk yourself.

Quick facts

• Mandatory from: 6:00 AM, 15 March 2026 (announced by the Ministry of Energy on March 14).
• Official portal: fuelpass.gov.lk — registration and QR download only happen here.
• Why it's back: The system originally launched in 2022 and was discontinued in 2023; it was reactivated to manage fuel reserves amid Middle East supply disruptions and to curb hoarding and black-market sales.
• Weekly quotas: Motorcycles 5L · Quadricycles 5L · Cars & three-wheelers 15L · Land vehicles 25L · Vans & special-purpose vehicles 40L · Buses 60L · Lorries 200L. Quota resets every Sunday at midnight.
• Support: Government hotline 1919 · WhatsApp 076 000 1919.

What the Fuel Pass is

The National Fuel Pass is a digital quota system. Each vehicle gets a unique QR code tied to its registration number; the fuel station scans it before dispensing, and the system deducts from your weekly allocation. It doesn't ration by price or change what fuel costs — it caps how much each vehicle can buy per week so reserves stretch and hoarders can't drain stations dry. If you were registered during the 2022–2023 run and your vehicle and phone number haven't changed, your old record is still in the system.

How to register (new vehicles)

1. Go to fuelpass.gov.lk and choose Vehicle Registration.
2. Enter your mobile number and verify with the OTP sent by SMS.
3. Enter your NIC, passport, or Business Registration Number.
4. Enter vehicle details: registration number (e.g. CAB-1234), chassis number exactly as printed on your Certificate of Registration, vehicle category, and fuel type (petrol/diesel).
5. Once the Department of Motor Traffic verifies the details, your QR code is generated — save a screenshot and print a copy. Both digital and printed QRs are accepted at stations.

Already registered? Retrieve your QR

Click Vehicle Login, enter the mobile number you registered with, verify the OTP, and download your existing QR. Since March 19, 2026, if you've changed your phone number or sold/bought the vehicle, you can reset your registration by entering the vehicle number and chassis number directly — bypassing the old phone number. The government is also doing province-by-province data cleansing for ownership transfers made after August 2023.

Common errors and fixes

• "Vehicle Already Registered": The previous owner's record is still attached. Use the override flow with your vehicle + chassis numbers (available since March 19, 2026).
• OTP not arriving: Check you're using the registered number; the Ministry of Digital Economy has been clearing deactivated numbers with mobile operators.
• Chassis number rejected: Copy it character-for-character from the CR — a single wrong digit fails verification.
• Tourists/rentals: Tourists can register with the Foreigner/Tourist option using a passport number; rental vehicles from reputable agencies usually come pre-registered.
• Lost QR, no internet: You can often retrieve it by SMS — send "Fuel QR" plus your vehicle number to 0766220000.

At the fuel station

Show your QR (phone screen or printout), the attendant scans it, and your quota for the week is checked before fuel is dispensed. No QR, no fuel — that's the rule since March 15, and stations face penalties for skipping the scan. Plan around the Sunday-midnight reset: if you're running low on Saturday night, filling up before midnight uses this week's quota, not next week's.

What happens if you run out of quota

Nothing dramatic — the pump just won't dispense for your vehicle until the Sunday-midnight reset. There's no "top-up" purchase, no rollover of unused litres, and no borrowing from next week. This is why the quota table matters more than it looks: a motorcycle's 5 litres a week is genuinely tight for a delivery rider, while a lorry's 200 litres reflects commercial reality. If your usage legitimately exceeds your category — say your van does double duty as a family vehicle and a work vehicle — you're still bound by the registered category. The system doesn't negotiate; plan refuels around the reset and keep a small buffer rather than running the tank to fumes on Saturday night.

A brief history: 2022, 2023, and why it's back

The Fuel Pass isn't new — it's a comeback. The original system launched in 2022 during Sri Lanka's economic crisis, when fuel queues stretched for kilometers and the country needed a fair way to distribute scarce supply. It worked, the crisis eased, and the system was discontinued in 2023. Its 2026 return has a different trigger: the Ministry of Energy cited regional instability, disruptions to global fuel supply routes from the Middle East conflict, rising domestic demand, and investigations uncovering illegal hoarding and black-market sales. The logic is the same as 2022 — when supply is tight, a quota beats a queue — but this time the infrastructure was already built, which is why registration could reopen within days of the announcement instead of taking months.

FAQ

Can I register more than one vehicle under one NIC?
Yes — each vehicle gets its own QR; the quota is per vehicle, not per person.

Is the QR code the same as the 2022 one?
If your details are unchanged, yes — your original QR from the previous cycle still works.

Does the quota apply to all fuel types?
The quota is per vehicle per week regardless of petrol or diesel; you declare the fuel type at registration.

What if the station's scanner is broken?
Stations are required to scan. If equipment fails, report it to the 1919 hotline rather than accepting fuel without a scan — unrecorded dispensing can eat into your quota invisibly.

Is there a fee?
Registration and the QR code are free. Anyone charging you for a "fuel pass" is scamming you.

Bottom line: register once at fuelpass.gov.lk, keep your QR on your phone and a printout in the glovebox, and know your weekly quota. The system is strict but simple — the people who get stranded are the ones who never registered.