Renewal of the Sri Lankan Passport in lieu of current/expired passport

 

Eligibility: A Sri Lankan citizen by descent or by registration can apply for a Sri Lankan Passport. Sri Lankan citizens who have applied for, and gained, refugee or asylum status in another country are not entitled to a Sri Lankan passport, in accordance with Sri Lankan Immigration Laws. However, they are eligible to apply for temporary travel documents for the sole purpose of returning to Sri Lanka.

 

Note:

  • Ordinary passports are valid for 10 years from the date of issuance unless otherwise endorsed. A new passport should be obtained on the expiry of 10 years from the date of issue, or if there are no pages for visa endorsements.
  • Applicants are advised to apply for the new passports in advance with all required documents below. These applications are processed by the Overseas Missions Branch at the Department of Immigration & Emigration, Colombo.
  • Please note that all supporting documents should be submitted in originals with 01 set of photocopies of each, on one side of A4 size paper along with the duly completed passport application.

 

 

Required documents :

 

  • Duly completed passport application Form- “K35A”. Filled-in block capital English letters.
  • Four clear coloured photographs as per the specifications for Sri Lankan passport photos (Downloads). The Photographs must meet the specifications indicated by the guidelines mentioned.
  • Current Passport OR attested copies of the passport (Pages 2,3,4 & 5) by the Honorary Consul of Sri Lanka in the country of residence    (Estonia, Finland, Iceland, Latvia,  & Sweden (Gothernburg), Norway (Bergen & Kristiansand)) or by a Notary public.
  • Original birth certificate OR attested copy of the birth certificate by the Honorary Consul of Sri Lanka in the country of residence (Estonia, Finland, Iceland, Latvia,  & Sweden (Gothernburg), Norway (Bergen & Kristiansand)) or by a Notary public. Please note that an original birth certificate or a certified copy of the original birth certificate should be issued by the Registrar General Department/ District Secretariat/ Divisional Secretariat or from a Sri Lankan Embassy. English translation of the birth certificate nor e-DAS attested copy shall be considered as the original. Photocopies certified by the other parties and translators will not be accepted.
  • Valid residence permit OR attested copy of the residence permit by the Honorary Consul of Sri Lanka in the country of residence (Estonia, Finland, Iceland, Latvia,  & Sweden (Gothernburg), Norway (Bergen & Kristiansand)) or by a Notary public. If the applicant is currently in the process of visa extension/renewal, a letter/status of the visa application from the resident country’s Migration Agency should be submitted. The letter must be in English. A copy of the expired visa should be also submitted in this case.
  • If available, copy of the Sri Lankan National Identity Card (N.I.C).
  • If applicable, dual citizenship certificate and foreign passport OR attested copies of the dual citizenship certificate and the foreign passport by the Honorary Consul of Sri Lanka in the country of residence (Estonia, Finland, Iceland, Latvia,  & Sweden (Gothernburg), Norway (Bergen & Kristiansand) or by a Notary public.
  • If the applicant was born outside Sri Lanka and over 21 years of age those applicants need to submit an affidavit affirming that they will retain Sri Lanka citizenship (Downloads)

Checklist for Renewal of Passport and Sample Application Form

 

The following additional documents are required for specific requirements

 

  • Professional/ Academic Certificate / Letter from Employer, if the applicant desires to include his/her profession in the passport. The document provided must be in English.
  • Marriage certificate, if a married female applicant wishes to have her husband’s surname included/changed from maiden name in the Passport. Original marriage certificate OR  Attested copy of the marriage certificate by the Honorary Consul of Sri Lanka in the country of residence (Estonia, Finland, Iceland, Latvia,  & Sweden (Gothernburg), Norway (Bergen & Kristiansand)) or by a Notary public should be submitted. Translations of Sri Lankan marriage certificate is not accepted. If the registration of marriage has taken place outside Sri Lanka, the English translation should be authenticated by the relevant country’s Foreign Ministry. Photocopies certified by the other parties and translators will not be accepted.

Applicable Fee and Processing Time

  • Ordinary adult passport – SEK 1500
  • Minor passport (under 16-years with validity 03-years) – SEK 1225
  • Minor passport (under 16-years with validity 10-years ) – SEK 1500 (a letter requesting the issuance of a 10-year valid passport should be submitted by parents).
  • Postage within Sweden – SEK 140 (single service fee)
  • Postage outside of Sweden – SEK 180 (single service fee)
  • Photocopies taken by the Embassy in case of non-submission of copies of original documents) – SEK 50
  • Bank fee (cross border transfer) – SEK 50
  • The Embassy does not accept PAYMENTS MADE BY CHEQUES. If paid by the Debit/Credit Cards (Only VISA and Master cards), Bank commission of 1.5% will be added to the payment.

 

Processing time: 

 

  • The issuing authority of new passports is the Department of Immigration and Emigration of Sri Lanka Colombo. Therefore, the total processing time for a new passport is normally 3-6 months, from the date of submission of the completed application. Usually the Embassy forwards the applications received, to the Department of Immigration through the Foreign Ministry once a week. The Embassy cannot guarantee the issuance of passport within a specific time period.
  • When the Embassy has received the processed new passport, the applicant will be informed by a sms/email to the given contact details. The passport will be issued only to the applicant. If the applicant is a child below 16 the parent who applied could receive the passport.

Submission of Biometric Data in Sri Lanka

As per Section 35(a) of the Immigrants and Emigrants Act No 20 of 1948 as amended in 2015, the Department of Immigration and Emigration is required to collect Biometrics from passport applicants. The Department has introduced a new procedure to collect the fingerprints of passport holders whose passport has been issued through Sri Lanka Diplomatic Missions after 01st November 2017. The procedure requires every passport holder aged 16- 60 years to provide biometrics (fingerprints and digital face image) to the Department upon their first entry to Sri Lanka. You are advised to arrange your travel in a way that allows sufficient time to provide your biometrics to the department. Biometrics can only be submitted at the locations below on any working day between 8am-2pm except public holidays).

Biometrics cannot be provided at the airport. You are advised to provide your biometrics prior to departure from Sri Lanka, as failure to do so will prevent you from leaving the country.
Biometric Data Acquisition is conducted free of charge. No payments are required.