Five-working-day business registration pilot begins in selected Sri Lanka divisions

Sri Lanka has started a pilot intended to let sole proprietorships and partnerships register a business name within five working days. Launched in Anuradhapura on November 10, the programme is a limited trial rather than a completed nationwide rollout.

The three-month pilot covers 20 selected Divisional Secretariat divisions in the Central, Northern, North Central and North Western provinces. The industry ministry is working with Chrysalis and provincial councils on the programme.

The simplified procedure uses basic identity and residency information. It separates business-name registration from other regulatory licensing requirements, so registering a name does not replace licences that an activity may still require.

An islandwide expansion and a digital registration platform are planned after evaluation of the pilot. They should not yet be treated as services already available everywhere.