BOI Advisory & Investment Facilitation

Your single point of contact for Board of Investment (BOI) approvals in Sri Lanka. CIMA partners with local and foreign investors as a dedicated BOI liaison — guiding both Greenfield and Non-Greenfield projects from initial concept, through BOI approval, all the way to full operational readiness.

Who This Is For

Foreign Investors

Entering Sri Lanka under a BOI Greenfield project

Local Companies

Expanding operations under a new BOI-approved project

Non-Greenfield Projects

Expansion projects requiring BOI approval or clearances

Existing BOI Holders

Need construction, staffing, or compliance support

Setting up a new venture or expanding an existing one under Sri Lanka's Board of Investment (BOI) framework involves a long chain of approvals — from the initial project proposal to line ministry clearances, construction, staffing, and ongoing compliance. Missing a step, or misjudging what BOI evaluators expect, can delay a project by months.

CIMA works alongside investors as their dedicated BOI project partner, covering the full lifecycle of a BOI Greenfield or Non-Greenfield project. We prepare and submit the BOI proposal, negotiate and finalize the BOI Agreement, secure line authority and regulatory approvals, and support you through construction, staffing, and post-approval compliance — so your project moves from concept to operation with one accountable partner managing the process.

Whether you're a foreign investor entering Sri Lanka for the first time or a local company expanding under a new BOI project, our team acts as your BOI liaison at every stage — reducing back-and-forth, avoiding costly delays, and keeping your project on schedule for approval.

Our BOI Advisory Process

01

BOI Project Proposal Preparation

Every successful BOI application starts with a proposal that clearly demonstrates project viability, investment structure, and compliance with BOI's evaluation criteria. CIMA manages this entire preparation phase — gathering the right data from your team, structuring the investment case, and building the financial projections BOI officers expect to see — so your proposal is accurate, complete, and ready for submission the first time.

  • Initial project consultation and data gathering
  • Review of project concept and investment structure
  • Preparation of the BOI Project Proposal
  • Financial projections and investment analysis
  • Preparation of supporting documentation required by BOI
  • Coordination with project stakeholders for information collection
02

BOI Application Submission

Once your proposal is ready, we manage the formal submission and everything that follows during BOI's evaluation. As your named liaison, CIMA handles day-to-day communication with BOI officers, so queries are answered quickly and your application keeps moving instead of sitting in a queue.

  • Submission of the BOI application
  • Liaising with BOI officers during the evaluation process
  • Responding to BOI queries and requests for clarification
  • Follow-up meetings and coordination until approval
03

BOI Agreement Facilitation

Approval is only half the process — the terms of your BOI Agreement determine your project's obligations for years to come. CIMA supports you through negotiations with BOI, reviews the conditions attached to your approval, and coordinates the process through to signing, so you enter the agreement with full clarity on what's required of your project.

  • Assistance during negotiations and discussions with BOI
  • Review of BOI conditions and obligations
  • Coordination up to the signing of the BOI Agreement
04

Line Authority Approvals

A signed BOI Agreement is not the finish line — most projects still need clearances from multiple government and regulatory bodies before operations can begin. CIMA coordinates these line authority and statutory approvals on your behalf, acting as a single point of contact across ministries and agencies so approvals move in parallel rather than becoming a bottleneck.

  • Registration with the Ministry of Industry & Commerce
  • VAT registration
  • Social Security Contribution Levy (SSCL) registration
  • Environmental approvals
  • Local authority approvals
  • Utility and infrastructure approvals
  • Any other line ministry or regulatory authority approvals
05

Operation & Construction Support

Turning an approved project into a physical, operating facility takes on-the-ground coordination — sourcing land and machinery, managing contractors, and keeping construction-phase approvals on track. CIMA supports this build-out phase directly, supervising progress and handing over a facility that's ready for operations.

  • Sourcing facilities and machinery
  • Land acquisition / leasing
  • Contractor negotiations
  • Facility fabrication
  • Line authority approvals related to construction
  • Supervision and handover
06

Labour & Compliance

A newly approved facility needs the right people and the right systems in place from day one. CIMA recruits your executive and operator-level teams, sets up core operational systems, and coordinates with the third-party providers your operation depends on — transport & logistics, finance, and others — so you launch with a functioning organization, not just a finished building.

  • Recruitment of executives and operators
  • Setting up systems and infrastructure
  • Coordination with third-party service providers (e.g. transport & logistics, finance)
07

Process & Reporting

Post-launch, BOI-approved projects carry ongoing compliance and reporting obligations. CIMA can run your HR and Administration function directly, support you through compliance audits, and act as your liaison for labour-related matters — giving you a consistent point of contact long after the BOI Agreement is signed.

  • Running the Human Resources and Administration department
  • Supporting compliance audits
  • Acting as the liaison party for labour matters
“Approvals are only the beginning.”

CIMA stays with your project through construction, staffing, and beyond — not just until the BOI Agreement is signed.

Talk to Our BOI Advisory Team

From Proposal to Operations — One Partner, Start to Finish

CIMA manages the full BOI journey so you don't have to coordinate seven different specialists. Tell us about your project and we'll outline exactly what your BOI approval path looks like.

Frequently Asked Questions

A Greenfield project is a new investment built from the ground up — as opposed to a Non-Greenfield project, which typically involves expanding, upgrading, or restructuring an existing operation. CIMA supports both project types through the full BOI approval process.
Timelines vary by project size, sector, and completeness of the proposal. A well-prepared proposal with all supporting documentation in place is the single biggest factor in avoiding delays — which is why CIMA manages proposal preparation and BOI liaison as a combined service.
CIMA covers the complete journey: proposal preparation, application submission, BOI Agreement negotiation, line authority and regulatory approvals, construction and operational support, and post-approval labour and compliance management.
Yes. Projects that already hold BOI approval can engage CIMA for line authority approvals, construction and operations support, staffing, or ongoing HR and compliance management independently of the proposal stage.
CIMA's BOI advisory team works across manufacturing, apparel, healthcare, IT/BPO, and other sectors eligible for BOI investment status. (Please confirm this list against CIMA's actual sector focus before publishing.)
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