Best Place to Exchange Money in Colombo

Where to change money in Colombo

Under central bank rules, the authorised dealers are the licensed commercial banks and the National Savings Bank, which makes a bank counter the safe choice for swapping pounds. No private exchange office in Colombo met our two-source rule, so this guide names none. Ask for a receipt each time: the tourist board says you will need it to change unspent rupees back as you leave.

• Bank counters in Fort and Kollupitiya - The tourist board gives bank hours as 09:00 to 13:00, Monday to Friday; some city branches stay open until 15:00 and a few open on Saturday mornings. Hours differ from branch to branch, so check before you set out.
• Bank of Ceylon, Bandaranaike International Airport - Bank of Ceylon says its airport exchange counter is open 24 hours a day, all year. Arriving travellers can sell foreign money at one desk; on the way out, another desk buys back unspent rupees from anyone holding a foreign passport.

Changing money at the airport

Bandaranaike International Airport (CMB) is linked to the city by the Colombo-Katunayake Expressway. Besides its arrivals and departures counters, Bank of Ceylon has a re-exchange desk in the departure transit area. It publishes no rates or charges, so swap just what you need for a day or so.

Before you fly, get an Electronic Travel Authorization online; the FCDO counts it as a visa. It says ETAs cost nothing and last 30 days, and the official ETA site has put UK nationals in its free group from 25 May 2026. Your passport must be valid for at least six months from the day you land. For the ride into town, Daily Mirror reported in June 2025 that route 187, an air-conditioned bus, runs between the airport and Colombo Fort on the expressway; it gave no fare or timetable.

ATMs and cards in Colombo

Sri Lanka Tourism says drawing rupees on a foreign debit or credit card is simple anywhere on the island, but the FCDO warns that not every machine takes cards issued abroad, so pack a second card. Hotels, restaurants and malls mostly let you pay by card, and the tourist board says a card surcharge is illegal, so you can refuse one.

None of the big four banks, Commercial Bank, Sampath, HNB and Bank of Ceylon, publishes what it charges a UK card. Read the screen before you confirm, expect your own bank to charge too, and decline any offer to bill you in pounds: Which? warns that paying in sterling leaves the retailer to decide the rate.

Paying for transport in Colombo

Three-wheelers, or tuk-tuks, are Colombo's everyday taxi. Daily Mirror reported that the Western Province's transport commission fixed their fares in July 2024 and that they rose again in March 2026 after a fuel price change, so ask for the meter or settle a price first. PickMe, a local ride app, has a Tuk option and says payment goes through the app without cash; check that it accepts your UK card.

We found no current official bus or train fares. Keep small notes: the tourist board recommends Rs 50, 100 and 500 because change is scarce outside hotels and large shops, and a driver may not be able to break Rs 5,000.

Good to know

• Rupee limit: no more than Rs 20,000 may be taken into or out of Sri Lanka, under the central bank's foreign exchange rules, so spend or change the rest before you fly home.
• Declaring money: there is no cap on foreign currency, but the Department of Foreign Exchange says Customs must hear about more than US$15,000 in all, or more than US$10,000 in notes you are carrying out or mean to carry back. The tourist board just says to declare over US$10,000 on arrival, so treat the lower figure as your guide.
• Heritage sites: entry charges at the main ancient sites are set in US dollars, the tourist board says, so the rupee price moves with the exchange rate.