Government Clarifies Fuel Pass Rules for New and Changed Vehicles

COLOMBO (News 1st); Sri Lanka has formally reintroduced the Fuel Pass QR system, with authorities outlining clear conditions and procedures for motorists seeking to access fuel under the scheme.

According to the Ministry of Digital Economy, the most fundamental rule of the Fuel Pass system is one mobile phone number, one national identity card, and one vehicle.

Officials say that if none of these details have changed since the QR fuel system was suspended in 2023, vehicle owners can download their QR code again without difficulty.

However, questions have arisen about how the system applies to motorists whose vehicle details have changed.

Adviser to the Ministry of Digital Economy, Sumudu Rathnayake, explained that complications occur during re-registration if an earlier vehicle record remains active in the system.

“At the point of re-registering to obtain the QR code again, an issue arises if the previously registered record has not been deleted,” Rathnayake said.

To address this, the ministry has begun collecting data at the provincial level and removing from the Fuel Pass system all vehicles that were transferred to new owners after August 2023. He said the data-clearing process is currently in its final stage in the Western Province, with the remaining provinces also being updated.

“Only after this removal process is completed can a new vehicle be registered. Until the old record is deleted, registration for a newly acquired vehicle is not possible,” Rathnayake said.

He added that if the previous owner of a vehicle can be contacted, that individual has the option of logging into the system using their mobile phone and deleting the vehicle profile themselves, allowing the new owner to proceed with registration.

Clarifying the process for brand-new vehicle owners, Rathnayake said those who have registered a new vehicle directly in their own name can manage the transition independently if they previously held a QR code for another vehicle.

“If a newly purchased vehicle has been registered directly in your own name, and you had previously obtained a QR code for another vehicle, you can delete the earlier QR code yourself,” he said. “Once the old data has been removed, you are able to register again and obtain a new QR code.”

Authorities have also addressed concerns related to changes in mobile phone numbers, which have prevented some users from downloading a new QR code.

“There are cases where the vehicle used to obtain a QR code in 2023 is still with the same owner, but the QR code is no longer available because the mobile phone number has changed,” Rathnayake said.

To resolve this issue, the Ministry of Digital Economy has shared its database of registered phone numbers with all three mobile service providers. The telecom operators have identified numbers that have either changed ownership or been deactivated, and those records are now being removed from the system.

“All such records are now being deleted from the system. This process is currently ongoing, and we are working to complete it as quickly as possible,” Rathnayake said.

He urged the public to remain patient while the clean-up continues. “We ask the public to remain patient and avoid unnecessary panic until the data-clearing process is fully completed,” he added.

The government says these measures are aimed at ensuring the Fuel Pass system functions smoothly and fairly as it is rolled out nationwide once again.