Sri Lanka’s currency is the **Sri Lankan rupee** (LKR, written Rs), and the Central Bank’s rate for 30 October 2026 was about Rs 445 to the pound. You can bring in only Rs 20,000 of rupee cash, so get rupees on arrival from an airport bank or ATM. Carry a Visa or Mastercard as well as some cash. Rates, fees and listings here are as they stood when we checked on 31 October 2026. This is general information, not financial advice.
Key takeaways
- Rupee cash is limited to Rs 20,000 in or out, about £45.
- Declare foreign money above USD 15,000 in total, in or out, and foreign notes above USD 10,000 on leaving.
- The airport lists five exchange desks and six ATMs in arrivals, all shown as open 24 hours.
- We found no bank page giving the ATM fee for foreign cards, so treat every figure as a report.
- The Central Bank said in July 2025 that shops may not add a fee for paying by card, though a later report says many still do.
The Sri Lankan rupee: notes and coins
One rupee is 100 cents, and only the Central Bank of Sri Lanka can issue currency. Its eleventh note series, issued in 2010, has Rs 20, 50, 100, 500, 1,000 and 5,000 notes. The Bank’s currency FAQ also lists Rs 200 and Rs 2,000 notes as in circulation, and coins of Rs 1, 2, 5, 10 and 20, plus cents.
The Rs 5,000 note is worth about £11. Sri Lanka Tourism tells visitors to carry plenty of Rs 50, Rs 100 and Rs 500 notes for small purchases.
Pounds to rupees: the rate on 30 October 2026
The latest rates the Central Bank had published when we checked on Saturday 31 October were for Friday 30 October. See the live indicative rates before you travel.
| Currency | Rs per unit | Rs 1,000 is about | Rs 5,000 is about |
|---|---|---|---|
| British pound | 445.50 | £2.24 | £11.22 |
| Euro | 372.42 | €2.69 | €13.43 |
| US dollar | 332.61 | $3.01 | $15.03 |
Those are reference rates, and a counter will not offer you them. Sampath Bank listed its telegraphic transfer rates for the pound that morning: it would buy at Rs 438.57 and sell at Rs 452.10. Its rate for notes may differ, so ask before you hand money over.
The pound moved from Rs 438.47 on 15 October to Rs 445.50 on 30 October. We do not forecast rates.
How much cash to take to Sri Lanka
No official figure exists, and the answer depends on how you travel. Since you cannot arrive with more than Rs 20,000, bring foreign currency or a card and change it on landing. Finder’s UK guide, updated in March 2026, says UK exchange offices charge more commission than changing money in Sri Lanka (Finder).
A guide to the airport from August 2026 suggests a backup of 100 to 300 US dollars or the equivalent in clean, recent notes (The Traveler). That is about £75 to £225 at the rates above.
For your first day, the airport taxi counter fare to central Colombo was Rs 8,100 on 29 October, about £18, and our airport taxi guide lists the others. After that, use our budget guide for daily costs, and the driver cost guide if you are hiring one. Smaller withdrawals mean less cash to lose, though each one may carry a fee.
Bringing money into Sri Lanka and taking it out
The rules come from a gazette order in force since March 2021. You can carry any amount of foreign money if you got it legally, but you may have to declare it. Keep proof of where it came from, because the order lets officials ask for it.
| What | Threshold | What you must do |
|---|---|---|
| Rupee cash, in or out | Rs 20,000 | Stay within it unless the Central Bank’s foreign exchange department allows more |
| All foreign money, in or out | Over USD 15,000 in total or equivalent | Declare to Customs |
| Foreign notes going out | Over USD 10,000 or equivalent | Declare to Customs |
| Foreign notes you bring and plan to take back | Over USD 10,000 or equivalent | Declare to Customs on arrival |
The USD 15,000 total covers more than notes: the order also names bank drafts, cheques and travel cards. Sri Lanka Customs goes further on one point. It says you get a receipt when you declare, and that declared money going back out must be declared again even below USD 15,000. Keep that receipt.
Have the limits changed? The Central Bank’s foreign exchange FAQ gave these same figures when we checked on 31 October 2026. The order’s June 2022 amendment cut only the foreign cash people in Sri Lanka may hold, and added an amnesty. We read the Section 8 orders on the department’s list of orders and rules, which ran to June 2026, and none changes these limits. That list may lag the official gazette, so check the FAQ before you fly.
Other pages differ. Agoda’s January 2026 guide gives USD 15,000 for money going out, missing the lower figure for notes. Sri Lanka Tourism’s page still says US$10,000 on arrival. Go by the Central Bank and Customs.
Where to exchange money, including at the airport
Colombo airport lists eight places in the arrival public concourse, all shown as open 24 hours when we checked on 31 October 2026. Bank of Ceylon, Commercial Bank and Sampath Bank offer exchange and an ATM. People’s Bank and Thomas Cook offer exchange only. DFCC, Hatton National Bank and Seylan Bank are listed for ATMs.
The Daily Mirror reported in January 2026 that exchange counters had also been set up inside the customs area of arrivals, run by five of those names (Daily Mirror). The airport’s page and that report place the desks differently, so look for them before you walk out.
In towns, use a bank or an authorised money changer. The Central Bank’s 2019 notice tells the public to deal only with authorised institutions, which display the “Authorised Money Changer” logo. It points to the Department of Foreign Exchange for the list. Ask for a receipt every time, because you may need it later. Bank hours differ by source: Finder gives 9am to 1pm, Monday to Saturday, and World Travel Guide 9am to 4pm, Monday to Friday.
ATMs in Sri Lanka: access, fees and PINs
According to GOV.UK, Visa and Mastercard cash withdrawals work at most major banks, and the main towns and cities have ATMs, though some refuse international cards. It also says bank card fraud is common, and advises using ATMs inside banks or hotels if possible and checking street machines for tampering. GOV.UK dated that advice 21 September 2026.
We looked for a Sri Lankan bank that publishes its ATM charge for foreign cards and found none. The Rs 1,000 on the Seylan and People’s Bank debit card tariffs is a different charge: what those banks’ own cardholders pay at ATMs abroad. The figures below are reports, and they disagree.
| Source | Date | Reported charge per withdrawal |
|---|---|---|
| ATM Fee Saver | 2026 index | Rs 150 to 1,000, or nothing for some cards |
| Agoda | January 2026 | Typically Rs 300 to 500 |
| Forum posts | June 2025 | Hatton about 800, Sampath 500, Seylan 1,000, Union Bank 750 |
| Same forum | January and June 2025 | None at Bank of Ceylon or Commercial Bank |
The forum posts are anonymous and sit on a site that sells a fee app, so treat them with care. Your own bank may add a charge too, so ask before you fly, and tell it you are travelling.
ATM Fee Saver also reports four-digit PINs as the norm, with only some machines taking six, and limits of Rs 25,000 to Rs 200,000 per withdrawal, roughly £56 to £449. It says some machines take only Visa and others only Mastercard, so one card of each helps. Remitly’s guide of September 2026 says ATMs can be hard to find in rural areas, so take out cash before you go somewhere remote.
If the screen offers to charge you in your home currency, that is dynamic currency conversion. Commercial Bank added it for foreign Visa holders in 2019, Daily FT reported. ATM Fee Saver advises choosing to be charged in LKR, because otherwise the machine sets the rate.
Can you use cards in Sri Lanka?
Yes, in larger places. Sri Lanka Tourism says most hotels, restaurants and shopping centres accept credit cards. Agoda’s guide adds that American Express, Diners Club, Apple Pay and Google Pay have limited acceptance. Remitly reports a contactless limit of Rs 5,000 per payment. ATM Fee Saver’s money guide lists street markets, local tour operators and entry fees as places to carry cash.
A shop should not add 2.5% or 3% for paying by card. A Central Bank director told a briefing in July 2025 that merchants’ agreements with banks forbid it (Ada Derana). The advice given was to get a receipt and report it to the bank that issued your card (Daily FT). We found no later statement. In September 2025 the Sunday Times said many merchants still add it.
If you read that hotels need proof of exchange before taking rupees from visitors, that is out of date. The rule came in during January 2022 and was repealed on 16 June 2022. No replacement appears on the department’s list of orders and rules. Ask your hotel how it takes payment when you book.
Damaged and counterfeit notes
On counterfeits, the Central Bank says to compare a suspect note with a genuine one, look at more than one security feature, and keep the note. Record the denomination, the serial number and details of who gave it to you. Then contact the nearest police station or the CID’s counterfeit bureau on 0112422176 or 0112326670.
Its security features page says each note has a bird as its watermark, the same bird shown on the note, and a thread carrying “CBSL” and the value. The lion watermark mentioned on the Sri Lanka Tourism page does not match that. The Bank says the risk is greater with higher value notes.
Damaged notes from normal use or accidents can be exchanged at any licensed commercial bank branch.
Tipping in Sri Lanka
We found no official tipping guide. A Sunday Times report of June 2024 quoted labour officials saying no law covers tips or service charges, and that each business has its own system. In that report a hotel workers’ union leader said most hotels deduct from the service charge for breakages. The Hotels Association’s chief executive said it is shared equally among staff.
Lonely Planet, updated in July 2026, says no one is expected to tip, though drivers and service staff appreciate it, and suggests 10% of the bill for good service. Check the bill for a service charge first.
Leftover rupees
Change them before you leave, since you can take out only Rs 20,000. Sri Lanka Tourism says unspent rupees converted from foreign currency can be re-converted on departure if you show encashment receipts. Bank of Ceylon lists re-exchange at its airport departure and transit counters, for foreign passport holders only.
Neither page gives a maximum or says whether an ATM slip counts as a receipt. Keep both kinds of paper, and do not leave a large sum to the last hour.
Sri Lanka currency questions
**Can I use pounds or euros in Sri Lanka?**
Not for everyday spending. Agoda’s guide says foreign currencies are generally not accepted for retail purchases, so change them at a bank or an authorised money changer. The Central Bank’s FAQ does let businesses accept foreign currency from non-residents, but do not count on it.
**Should I get rupees before I fly?**
There is little reason to. You may bring only Rs 20,000, and Finder says UK offices charge more. Change money or use an ATM after landing. The airport shows its desks as open 24 hours, which helps with the arrival times in our flight guide.
**Do I need cash for the visa?**
No. You apply for the ETA online, and it is free for many nationalities, including the UK. See our visa guide. A SIM card is another early cost at the airport.
**Is it safe to use ATMs in Sri Lanka?**
GOV.UK, in advice dated 21 September 2026, says bank card fraud is common. It says to use ATMs inside banks or hotels if possible, check street machines for tampering and keep cards in sight when paying. Our safety guide has the wider picture.
**Which bank has the lowest ATM fee?**
We cannot say, because no bank page we found gives the figure and the reports conflict. Forum posts name Bank of Ceylon and Commercial Bank as free, but ATM Fee Saver says it can depend on the card.
Planning a route through Sri Lanka? Send us your dates.
Hero photo: roadside fruit stall in Sri Lanka by Dileep Kaluaratchie, CC BY-SA 4.0, via Wikimedia Commons.
