පුළුවන්.
Payments from Sri Lanka to a foreign bank account are outward remittances under the Foreign Exchange Act No. 12 of 2017. They must go through an Authorized Dealer (a licensed commercial bank) and are allowed only for permitted purposes, with documents that prove the purpose.
1. Confirm the payment is permitted
The Central Bank’s Department of Foreign Exchange treats most commercial payments as current transactions.
- Import of goods: no foreign-exchange amount limit if you produce the required documents. Imports still follow trade policy under the Import and Export (Control) Act.
- Services obtained from a non-resident (software, consulting, freight, royalties, etc.): allowed with supporting documents (Directions No. 02 of 2021 and related rules).
- Education and medical expenses: allowed with invoices or institution letters.
- Capital items (overseas investment, gifts of capital, migration allowances) are restricted, often require a special account (Outward Investment Account, Emigrants’ accounts, etc.), and may need prior Central Bank clearance. Recent orders have kept limits such as roughly USD 20,000 on certain Personal Foreign Currency Account capital debits and USD 200,000 on Business Foreign Currency Account overseas business expansion, with higher ceilings for listed companies on equity investments.
Your bank decides whether the transaction fits the rules. If it does not, they will refuse it or refer it to the Department of Foreign Exchange.
2. Use a bank SWIFT / telegraphic transfer (the normal route)
This is how almost all payments to a foreign entity’s account are made.
What the beneficiary must give you:
- Exact account name (must match the entity’s legal name)
- Account number or IBAN
- Bank name and full address
- SWIFT/BIC code
- Correspondent/intermediary bank details if their bank requires them
- Currency of the account
What you typically submit to your Sri Lankan bank:
- Outward remittance application (often called Form A or the bank’s own TT form), declaring purpose and source of funds
- Invoice, contract, proforma invoice, or purchase order
- For goods: commercial invoice, and sometimes bill of lading, airway bill, or customs documents depending on whether it is advance, open-account, or documentary
- For services: agreement and invoice describing the service
- Your NIC (individual) or business registration / board resolution (company)
- Bank statements or other proof of source of funds if requested
- Tax Clearance Certificate from the Inland Revenue Department when required (see below)
Banks such as Commercial Bank, HNB, Sampath, Seylan, BOC, People’s Bank, and DFCC process these. Corporate customers can often initiate via online trade or cash-management platforms; individuals usually submit at a branch. Settlement is normally 1–5 business days after the bank releases the SWIFT message, longer if compliance queries arise. You receive a debit advice and MT103-style reference for tracking.
