Sri Lankan passport


The Sri Lankan passports are travel documents issued to citizens of Sri Lanka for the purpose of international travel. The Department of Immigration and Emigration is responsible for issuing Sri Lankan passports.

Types

Ordinary Passport - Issued for ordinary travel, such as vacations and business tripsOfficial Passport - Issued to individuals representing the Sri Lankan government on official/state businessDiplomatic Passport - Issued to Sri Lankan diplomats, top ranking government officials and diplomatic couriers.Emergency Certificate
All newly issued passports for adults will have a maximum validity of ten years from the date of issue under the Immigrants and Emigrants Act, regardless of when the previous passport was issued.

Cost and Validity

Lost Passports:
  • A fine of LKR 20,000 in addition to the passport fee if the passport has been lost within one year of issue.
  • A fine of LKR 15,000 in addition to the passport fee if the passport has been lost after one year of issue.
Alteration of Passports:
The fee for each amendment except for the extension of the period of validity of Emergency certificate is LKR 1,200.

Data included

The Sri Lankan passport includes the following data:
  • Photograph of the holder
  • Type
  • Country code
  • Passport No.
  • Surname
  • Other Names
  • National Status
  • Date of Birth
  • Sex 'M' for Male and 'F' for Female
  • Place of Birth
  • Date of Issue
  • Date of Expiry
  • Profession
  • ID No.
  • Holder's Sign
  • Authority Colombo
The information page ends with the Machine Readable Zone.

Biometric passport

The Controller General of Immigration and Emigration has informed the public that preparations are underway to issue ePassports to Sri Lankan citizens from the end of 2024. He also emphasised that it would improve the Sri Lankan passport's value internationally.
From the 10 August 2015, all newly issued passports are to be enabled with biometric interfaces to allow holders to be applicable for 'Visa Waiver Programmes' available in certain countries. The passport is valid like the machine readable PP for 10 yrs. from issuance. The Sri Lankan passport is ranked very poorly in global visa free access lists.
The Sri Lankan government has not issued the e-passport because of procurement inefficiencies.
Citizens interested to receive this or renew their existing passport are to be photographed by authorized photo studios around the island and be present for "fingerprint scanning' at the office in Colombo and other major cities.
IMPORTANT INFORMATION:
  • All passport applicants irrespective of age should use passport Application Form K 35A
  • All passport applicants including children should provide digital photograph through Authorized photo studio
  • Fingerprints will be collected from all applicants above 16 years at the head office and three regional offices in Sri Lanka
  • Applicants submitting passport applications through Sri Lanka Diplomatic Missions overseas could do so without providing fingerprints and digital photograph. Holders of such passports could provide fingerprints on their first arrival in Sri Lanka at the head office or any of the regional offices of the Department.
  • Inclusion of children in parents passport will NO longer be allowed and children will be issued separate passports
  • Children below 16 years of age whose passports are issued after 10 August 2015 are required to provide fingerprints to the Department upon reaching the age of 16 years. Holders of such passports living abroad should do so upon first arrival in Sri Lanka.
  • No Emergency Certificate shall be issued for applicants below 60 years
In 2024, the Department of Immigration and Emigration issuing biometric passports since January 2025.

Sri Lankan passport for a dual citizen

Sri Lanka allows dual citizenship. However, under the 19th amendment of the Constitution of Sri Lanka. An individual who holds citizenship in both Sri Lanka and another country can obtain a Sri Lankan passport.
An individual who holds citizenship in both Sri Lanka and another country can obtain a Sri Lankan passport by submitting the following documents.
  • Completed Application Form
  • Photo studio acknowledgement
  • Dual Citizenship Certificate with a photocopy.
  • Foreign passport with any Sri Lankan passport if there is
  • National Identity Card with a photocopy.
  • Birth Certificate with a photocopy.

Note of passport

The passport contains the following note :
Sinhalese:
Tamil:
English:

Visa requirements

As of 30 May 2019, Sri Lankan citizens had visa-free or visa on arrival access to 43 countries and territories, ranking the Sri Lankan passport 95th in the world in terms of travel freedom according to the Henley Passport Index. Additionally, Arton Capital's Passport Index currently ranks the Sri Lankan passport 87th in the world in terms of travel freedom, with a visa-free score of 46, as of 7 February 2019.
For an upper middle income country such as Sri Lanka, these rankings are considered to be extremely low. No concerted effort has been made to improve the ranking by the Sri Lankan state. One major implication of the poor ranking has been a brain drain. Successive Sri Lankan governments have disengaged Sri Lanka from its neighbours in South and Southeast Asia by requiring its citizens to obtain visas prior to travel. The sight of long lines outside Commonwealth countries' High Commissions and foreign countries' embassies in Colombo is very common. Likewise, access to major markets such as Hong Kong, Bangladesh, Taiwan, Vietnam and Chinese Mainland is also hampered by tedious and complex visa application processes. This has resulted in relatively poor trade and economic integration with ASEAN and SAARC member countries.
Likewise the Sri Lankan state spends millions on maintaining an extensive diplomatic service, which is said to bring little or no benefits to its citizens. Many expatriate Sri Lankans have given up their citizenship due to this. This has led to a significant skills shortage and brain drain.