SMS compliance in Sri Lanka

The rules that apply to business SMS sent to numbers in Sri Lanka, with the source for each.

Quiet hours

Promotional SMS 08:00-20:00.

Source: TRCSL promotional-message guidelines

Consent

Prior consent required for promotional SMS (TRCSL).

Source: Personal Data Protection Act No. 9 of 2022 (phased)

Opt-out

Promotional SMS must offer a free, simple opt-out (e.g., reply STOP); honour requests promptly and suppress opted-out numbers.

Source: Operator/aggregator policy (best practice)

Prohibited content

Blocked: phishing/fraud, illegal or unlicensed gambling, adult content, hate/political content (most operators), counterfeit/illegal goods, unlicensed financial offers; URL shorteners often blocked.

Source: Operator content policies / national advertising law

Data protection law

Personal Data Protection Act No. 9 of 2022 (phased). Supervisory authority: Data Protection Authority of Sri Lanka.

Source: Personal Data Protection Act No. 9 of 2022 (phased)

Sender ID rule

Alphanumeric SID (max 11 chars) supported; pre-registration required on some or all networks; generic SIDs (INFO, SMS, ALERT) blocked. See SenderID sheet.

Source: Operator rules (see SenderID sheet)

Other

Mobitel accepts only OTP/transactional on registered SIDs.

Source: Regulator/operator rules

This summary is guidance, not legal advice. Last verified 23 October 2026.