Duty Free Allowances for expats increased

by Staff Writer 04-04-2023 | 9:09 AM

Minister of Labour and Foreign Employment Manusha Nanayakkara sai that a decision to increase the duty free allowances for goods purchased at the airport by migrant workers has been taken depending on the amount of money they have remitted.

He said this measure will be implemented from May 1st, and accordingly, migrant workers will be entitled to additional duty concessions based on the amount of money they have sent.

These concessions will be implemented under five categories and workers who have sent an amount between USD 2,400 – 4,799 can get an additional duty free allowance of USD 600. Workers who have remitted between USD 4,800 and 7,199 will be entitled to an additional duty relief of USD 960.

Workers who remitted between USD 7,200 and USD 11,999 will receive an additional duty free allowance of USD 1,440.

Migrant workers who have remitted between USD 12,000 and USD 23,999 are eligible for an additional USD 2,400 duty free allowance and workers who have remitted USD 24,000 or more are eligible for an additional USD 4,800 duty free allowance when purchasing goods at the airport.

Anyone who has sent the above mentioned amount of monies through official channels to the country within a period of one year is eligible for this relief.

From May 1, 2022 onwards, migrant workers who have legally sent money through the banking system will be able to get this relief and the amount of money sent within a period of one year will be considered for this purpose.

The minister also mentioned that the increase of these duty concessions will continue.