Sri Lanka phone numbers: format, mobile prefixes, validation and messaging rules

Sri Lankan numbers use the country code +94. Mobile numbers have 9 digits after the code and start with 7 (07X when dialled at home), so in E.164 they look like +94 7X XXX XXXX. The 07X code names the operator that first held the range. Number portability has not launched as of October 2026, but mergers mean the code can name a brand that no longer exists.

This guide is part of our phone numbers by country series. The tables are generated from libphonenumber's metadata and our public catalog. Example numbers are masked with X. We read the regulator's website (the Telecommunications Regulatory Commission of Sri Lanka, TRCSL, now at trc.gov.lk), the Data Protection Authority's copies of the law and Sri Lankan press reports on 2026-10-16. We couldn't find a current numbering-plan allocation list on the TRCSL site, so where we rely on library data or the press instead, we say so. This is a summary, not legal advice.

#What does a Sri Lankan phone number look like?

A mobile number is 07X XXX XXXX at home: the trunk prefix 0, a two-digit mobile code starting with 7, and seven digits. From abroad it is +94 7X XXX XXXX. Landlines have the same length: a two-digit area code (011 is Colombo) and seven digits, so length alone doesn't tell mobile from fixed.

Store only the E.164 form. Sri Lankan forms often collect numbers as 077XXXXXXX, 9477XXXXXXX without a plus, or +94 (0)77 XXX XXXX with the trunk zero kept in brackets. A numbering-plan library with the default region LK turns all three into +9477…. A common mistake in hand-written code is the opposite: +94077…, where the 0 was kept after the country code.

#Which prefixes are mobile numbers, and which operator holds each?

Every mobile number starts 07. For each 2-digit block, the generator counted every 9-digit number that libphonenumber's mobile pattern for LK accepts:

070 to 078 are open, with two gaps. 073 isn't a mobile range, and only 0740 to 0744 of the 074 block are, so a number starting 0745 to 0749 is invalid even though it has the right shape. 079 isn't open either.

#07X codes and the companies behind them

We found no allocation list on the TRCSL website, so the range holders below come from libphonenumber's carrier prefix data, which records the operator that held each block (libphonenumber carrier data for +94). It still uses some old brand names, so we added what happened to them:

So four mobile brands sell SIMs, but only three mobile companies remain: Dialog (including Airtel), SLT-Mobitel and Hutch. The Sunday Times also counted "three mobile operators" in September 2026 (Sunday Times, 2026). If your product shows a carrier name from the prefix, map 075 to Dialog (Airtel brand) and 072 to Hutch, or customers will see brands that are gone.

#How do I validate a Sri Lankan number in code?

Use a libphonenumber port with full metadata and the default region LK, then keep only mobile numbers.

Python (pip install phonenumbers):

import phonenumbers


def normalize_lk(raw: str) -> str | None:
    """E.164 for a Sri Lankan 07X mobile, or None."""
    try:
        n = phonenumbers.parse(raw, "LK")
    except phonenumbers.NumberParseException:
        return None
    if (not phonenumbers.is_valid_number(n) or phonenumbers.region_code_for_number(n) != "LK"
            or phonenumbers.number_type(n) != phonenumbers.PhoneNumberType.MOBILE):
        return None
    return phonenumbers.format_number(n, phonenumbers.PhoneNumberFormat.E164)

JavaScript (npm install libphonenumber-js):

import { parsePhoneNumberFromString } from "libphonenumber-js/max";

/** "07X XXX XXXX", "+94 7X …", "947X…" or "+94 (0)7X …" → E.164 for a mobile, or null. */
export function normalizeLk(raw) {
  const phone = parsePhoneNumberFromString(String(raw), "LK");
  return phone?.isValid() && phone.country === "LK" && phone.getType() === "MOBILE" ? phone.number : null;
}

We ran both on 2026-10-16 (Python 3.12 with phonenumbers 9.0.40, Node.js 24 with libphonenumber-js 1.13.13). Both returned an E.164 number for rows 1 to 5 below, and also for 9477XXXXXXX without a plus and for +94 (0)77 XXX XXXX. Both returned nothing for rows 6 to 9 and for a 0745 number. The shape regex column tests the pattern most tutorials give, after spaces, dashes and brackets are removed:

Row 8 is the one to remember. 073 is shaped like a mobile number and passes the regex, but it isn't an open range, so an OTP sent to it is wasted. The same goes for 0745–0749. Our post on why an E.164 regex is not enough shows the same problem in other countries, and our Python and JavaScript guides cover more languages.

#Does number portability change the carrier?

Not yet. Sri Lanka has no mobile number portability (MNP) as of 16 October 2026, so a number still sits on the network of its range holder. TRCSL's news page, last updated that day, had no launch notice. Here is the recent record:

Our MNP atlas row for Sri Lanka:

Our MNP atlas has no verified row for Sri Lanka yet.

What this means today: the 07X code is a good guide to the network, apart from the merged brands above. That will change on launch day, and launch dates have slipped before: the August 2026 target announced in 2025 has already passed. Build your routing on a per-number lookup now, so nothing breaks when porting starts. Our MNP atlas compares other countries, and our SMS routing with MNP and HLR use case shows where a lookup pays off.

#How are SIM cards registered?

Every SIM is tied to an identity document. The Subscriber SIM Cards Regulations No. 01 of 2019 require operators to take a signed application with the subscriber's National Identity Card (NIC) number and permanent address, plus a copy of the NIC, driving licence or passport. The NIC number must be entered before the SIM is activated, and the operator must disconnect the line if the scanned documents aren't uploaded within one month. Corporate SIMs need the business registration and a list of the employees using them (Gazette No. 2134/56, 2019).

For you, this means a Sri Lankan mobile number is registered to a real person or company. It doesn't mean the person in front of you is that subscriber: SIMs are often registered to a family member. Treat a number as a contact channel, not as identity proof.

#Which messaging apps and channels reach people?

SMS reaches every active mobile. For WhatsApp, Meta moved Sri Lanka to its own rate card on 1 October 2026, with lower utility and authentication rates and a new authentication-international rate that is higher than the regional rate it replaced (Meta pricing, read on 2026-10-16). If you send OTPs to Sri Lanka from a business based abroad, compare both rates. Our WhatsApp Business API pricing post lists the figures.

Viber has a long local presence. In 2020 it marked ten years in Sri Lanka, with partners that included a state bank and government information services (Daily Mirror, 2020). We found no recent independent measure of WhatsApp or Viber use in Sri Lanka, so we don't quote shares. Measure your own opted-in customers instead: check which apps they are registered on, send each person on the channel they use, and keep SMS as the fallback. Our channel-by-country guide and Viber number check guide show the method.

#How do I check WhatsApp and Viber registration for a Sri Lankan customer list?

Normalise every row first, then run one check per number and app. A check tells you whether a number is registered at the time of the check. It can't tell you whether the person wants your messages:

For lists, use a bulk job. WhatsApp checks get the bulk price only for groups of at least 132 numbers from the same country in one job, so collect a day's Sri Lankan numbers into one job rather than sending many small ones. Upload a CSV whose numbers are written nationally (07X XXX XXXX) with default_country=LK:

curl https://api.mobilevalidate.com/v1/jobs \
  -H "Authorization: Bearer $MOBILEVALIDATE_API_KEY" \
  -F file=@customers.csv -F checks=whatsapp,viber,carrier -F default_country=LK

Send the same body to POST /v1/jobs/estimate first: it is free and shows the maximum cost before anything runs. Unknown or inconclusive results are never charged; see current prices. Both checks also run in real time through POST /v1/lookup for up to 100 numbers, for example at sign-up. The rules for doing this lawfully are in our consent guide.

#What are the rules for SMS, sender IDs and OTP?

These summarise official documents and press reports as we read them on 2026-10-16. We couldn't find TRCSL's current rules on promotional SMS published on its website. Not legal advice; ask counsel how they apply to you.

#Promotional SMS and opt-out

In January 2020, TRCSL directed all mobile operators to include a free opt-out option in unsolicited promotional messages. In its words, the directive "shall enable consumers the right to discontinue receiving such unsolicited messages" (Daily News via SAMENA, 2020). In November 2024, after complaints about election campaign texts, a TRCSL official said the 2018 rules on promotional messages weren't strong enough and that the regulator was "in the process of gazetting more strong regulations" (The Morning, 2024). We found no later gazette. Send marketing only to people who opted in, put a free opt-out in every message, and ask your SMS provider which sender ID and content rules each network applies.

#Personal data: the PDPA starts in stages

The Personal Data Protection Act, No. 9 of 2022 (PDPA) is coming into force part by part:

The original Act set fixed windows for these dates. The Personal Data Protection (Amendment) Act, No. 22 of 2025 replaced them: all remaining provisions start on dates the Minister appoints by gazette order (Amendment Act, section 2). We couldn't open the July 2026 gazette itself, so the 1 January 2027 row rests on the two press reports.

Part IV matters most for messaging. Section 27 lets a controller use telecommunication or electronic means to send messages only if the person has consented to receive them, and requires a free opt-out both when contact details are collected and in every message, plus the sender's identity (PDPA, section 27). It isn't in operation yet, but it tells you where the law is going. A registration check on a customer's number is processing of personal data, so from 1 January 2027 it falls under Parts I and III. Until counsel tells you otherwise, follow the baseline in our consent guide: your own customers, a stated purpose, minimal data and honoured objections.

#What that means for OTP

A one-time passcode the user asked for isn't marketing, but it travels the same routes. Keep it free of offers, and don't reuse numbers collected for verification for marketing unless the person opted in.

#What changed recently?

The rows for LK and +94 in our numbering-plan changes dataset, built from libphonenumber's release notes:

Latest numbering-plan updates for LK: 2021-11-25 (v8.12.38), 2020-10-07 (v8.12.11), 2020-03-02 (v8.11.5), 2019-02-06 (v8.10.5).

Sri Lanka's numbering metadata has been stable since 2021, so the changes that matter are elsewhere: the Dialog–Airtel amalgamation in August 2024, Meta's standalone WhatsApp rates from 1 October 2026, the PDPA's 1 January 2027 start date, and portability, which is still waiting for a launch date.

#What can MobileValidate check for Sri Lankan numbers?

Generated from our public catalog:

* bulk jobs only. Catalog as fetched on 2026-10-16; the live list is at GET /v1/services.

A lookup returns network and registration facts. It never returns a subscriber's name, NIC number or address, and we don't offer "number details" searches.

Requests with 20 or more consecutive numbers are refused (403 suspected_enumeration), and our acceptable use policy forbids finding recipients for unsolicited messages. People can object through our opt-out form. See WhatsApp number check, Viber number check, MNP lookup and carrier lookup for the fields.

#What are the key takeaways?

• Sri Lankan mobiles are +94 7 plus eight digits, 07X XXX XXXX at home; store the E.164 form and never keep the 0 after +94.
• Mobile codes are 070–072 and 074–078; 073, 079 and 0745–0749 aren't mobile.
• Three mobile companies remain: Dialog (with Airtel, 075, since 2024), SLT-Mobitel and Hutch (with ex-Etisalat 072).
• Number portability had not launched on 16 October 2026; plan for it with per-number lookups anyway.
• The PDPA's core duties start on 1 January 2027; its consent and opt-out rules for marketing messages have no date yet.
• Check WhatsApp or Viber registration only for customers you hold lawfully, keep unknown apart from false, and never treat registration as consent.

Platform, regulator and company names are used descriptively. MobileValidate is not affiliated with any of them.