The Government Information Center

Registration of Tea Exporters, Tea Warehouse, Tea Packers and Tea Importers

Eligibility and required Documents

Registration of Tea exporters

• Applicant should hold valid business registration certificates issued by the registrar of companies or provincial registrar of business names.
• All new comers who wish to register as exporters of tea, should have a minimum capital (invested/paid up/working) of atleast Rs.1 million. That should be proved by forwarding a letter obtained from the relevant Bank or recognized financial institute.
• The warehouse should be constructed according to standards given by Sri Lanka Tea Board.
• The office should be established with all infrastructure facilities and the sufficient number of staff having some experience regarding the field of tea export should be recruited.

Note – An applicant who wish to register as a tea exporter, should recruit atleast one Tea Taster to his staff with 3 years experience in a recognize institute.

Registration of a warehouse

• Applicant should hold valid business registration certificates issued by the registrar of companies or provincial registrar of business names.
• The minimum requirements for registration of a warehouse are as follows.
  - Well cemented floor.
  - Asbestos sheets, tile or metal roofing
  - Plasted walls or walls made of metal sheets
  - Appropriate drainage system in order to maintain hygienic standard and to maintain the moisture level for storing of tea.
  - Storing capacity at 720 Kgs per square feet.
  - A clean environment with required road access.
  - Toilets away from the warehouse.
  - A scale with weighing capacity of 50 Kgs or more.
  - A minimum floor area of 1 square meters for 16 tea chests (Tea boxes) together with adequate room for handling tea 
  chests for export or local sales.

Registration of Tea Packers - Applicant should hold valid business registration certificates issued by the registrar of companies or provincial registrar of business names.
If the packing of tea for local market is done using a transparent material like polythene, then it is not required to register as a tea packer at the Sri Lanka Tea Board. Else the registration is necessary.

Registration of Tea Importers - Applicant should be a registered tea exporter at the Sri Lanka Tea Board before taking the registration the tea importer.
Applicant should have pre records to prove that he has worked as a tea exporter.

Application Procedure

Application forms can be obtained from the Tea Export Section placed at the head office of Sri Lanka Tea Board.

Fees payable to obtain application forms - No payment is required.

Time of accepting applications - Applications may forward during office time in any working day of the week. (from 8.30a.m. to 4.15 a.m.)
Note – The closing date of application would be published by the Sri Lanka Tea Board.

Fees payable to obtain the service - Those who are registered as new exporters and new packers should get their registration renewed annually. This condition is also applicable for warehouse registration.

For new registration (including 12% VAT)
Tea Exporters – Rs. 12,230/-
Warehouse – Rs. 1.120/-
Tea Packers – Rs. 1,120/-

For renewal of the registration (including 12% VAT)
Tea Exporters – Rs. 1,120/-
Warehouse – Rs. 1.120/-
Tea Packers – Rs. 560/-

Note – No fees required for registration of Tea Importers.

Time lapse to offer service -If the application forms are filled accurately, (no need to make correction regularly) the registration can be made a period of within two weeks.
Note – The registration is offered for the applicant as a tea exporter after examining whether the office and the warehouse have been constructed according to regulations given by Sri Lanka Tea Board.