Getting +94 verification codes from Sri Lanka into your QA pipeline

Why are Sri Lankan numbers worth adding to a test matrix?

Colombo hosts a sizable software engineering and QA outsourcing industry, so plenty of test teams sit in Sri Lanka even when the product they verify ships elsewhere. Running onboarding against a local +94 route lets those engineers reproduce what their own neighbors will see.

The market itself is trilingual in practice: Sinhala and Tamil are the official languages and English is widely used in business. Apps that localize into Sinhala or Tamil script should check that the SMS text, the in-app prompt and the support macros all line up. A large diaspora in the Gulf, Europe and Australia also registers with home numbers, which is one more reason to test the format properly.

How is a Sri Lankan mobile written in E.164?

Locally, mobiles are dialed as ten digits that begin with 07. The 0 is a trunk prefix, so the international version is +94 followed by nine digits starting with 7. Store that canonical form, strip spaces and dashes on input, and never keep both the plus-country code and the trunk 0 together.

A validator that expects exactly nine national digits after +94 catches most typing slips. Test it with users who paste numbers copied from contact cards, since those often include a stray 0 or the old 0094 international prefix, and convert both to the canonical form before saving.

Which services are live on the +94 route?

Sri Lanka currently supports more than 1,000 services. Examples from the live list: WhatsApp, Viber, imo, Google (Gmail & YouTube), Uber, Facebook, Instagram, TikTok, Telegram, Microsoft & Outlook, Amazon and LinkedIn. The catalog shifts during the day, so query GET /api/v1/services before you build fixtures around a particular id.

What is the API sequence for country id lk?

Authenticate with a Bearer key prefixed or_live_ against https://otproute.com/api/v1.

1. Read the live rate: GET /api/v1/prices?country=lk&service=viber.
2. Open an activation: POST /api/v1/activations with {"service": "viber", "country": "lk"}.
3. Submit the number in the app under test.
4. Listen for activation.sms_received, or poll GET /api/v1/activations/{id}.
5. Stop early with POST /api/v1/activations/{id}/cancel when needed.

For webhooks, validate X-OTPRoute-Signature (t=<unix>,v1=<hex>) by computing HMAC-SHA256 over <t>.<raw body> with your endpoint secret, then refuse old timestamps. Limits: 10 keys, 5 endpoints, 300 requests per minute. The OTP API integration guide shows the pattern in more detail.

Ordering from the dashboard

Prefer clicking to coding? Open the OTP Gateway, pick Sri Lanka and a service, confirm the shown price and order. Paste the +94 number into the target app, then read the code on the activation card when it lands. This path suits a product manager reviewing a Sinhala or Tamil onboarding screen, or a support lead setting up a business profile, and it shares the same wallet, window and refund rule as the API.

Troubleshooting a missing +94 code

• Wait out the whole 20-minute window before deciding it failed.
• Make sure the service accepts virtual numbers; some decline them, and the refund covers that outcome.
• Try again later or through another service route.
• Skip rapid-fire re-orders; they rarely help and eat into your rate limit.

Good OTP routing is about picking the path most likely to deliver, not hammering one path harder. If misses cluster on one service, log the activation ids and compare against another route over a day; our note on country routing for OTP covers that approach.

Long-term numbers, wallet and sandbox

There is no self-serve long-term Sri Lankan line. Dedicated Numbers are sold only for the United States and Canada, from $1.95/month; for a lasting +94 number, write to [email protected] and the team will check what local rules permit, without any promise. The prepaid USD wallet has no monthly fee, takes cards or USDT/USDC, and emails a PDF invoice per top-up; see pricing. A development account can request sandbox mode for simulated numbers and codes, which pairs well with OTP testing in CI pipelines.

Frequently asked questions

Can I verify my app's Sri Lankan sign-up without owning a local SIM?

Yes. Order a +94 number for that service on OTP Route, and the code is shown in the dashboard or sent to your webhook. If nothing arrives within 20 minutes, the charge is returned.

What is the Sri Lanka OTP API country id?

Use lk in every call that takes a country, for example GET /api/v1/prices?country=lk&service=<id>.

Will the code text be in Sinhala, Tamil or English?

It depends on the sender and the language set on the account. Global apps usually send English, so extract the digits rather than matching words in one script.

How do I receive Sri Lanka SMS OTP messages without polling?

Register a webhook endpoint in the Developer console and handle activation.sms_received. Verify the signature, then make the handler idempotent by keying on the activation id.

Is a Sri Lanka verification number good for an account we log into every week?

Not really. An activation captures one code and then ends. For recurring logins, Dedicated Numbers in the US or Canada keep the same line while it renews.

How much does a +94 number for testing cost?

A +94 activation begins at $0.20 per code, though the figure shifts with the service you choose. The exact figure comes from GET /api/v1/prices and is displayed in the dashboard before you confirm.

Can our CI suite run without spending wallet funds?

Yes, ask for sandbox mode on a development account. It returns simulated numbers and codes so your SMS verification API tests run end to end.

What usage is allowed?

Testing your own verification flows, QA automation, market launches and genuine business accounts. Follow each service's terms and the OTP Route Acceptable Use Policy; mass account creation is not permitted.

Service names are trademarks of their respective owners. OTP Route is not affiliated with them. Use numbers lawfully, follow each service's terms and our Acceptable Use Policy.