How to apply for a new Sri Lankan Passport


(This information is based on Sri Lankan High Commission Document dated 26 Aug 95. This has been published only as a guidance and for forward planning only. Correct information/requirement at the time will be issued by the Sri Lankan High Commission in Canberra when you request for an application form)


Application for a new Sri Lankan passport:


All new passports are currently issued at Colombo only as our high commission in Canberra hasn’t got sophisticated elctronic equipment which are necessary to issue machine readable passports. These new passports are now in comliance with International Civil organization according to the information issued by our High Commission in Canberra.

Following is an summary of information provided in the guide issued by our high commission. (This is based on information recieved on Jan 96 and has a date of update as 28th August 95. Thus all readers of this WWW page are advised to seek further information and latest requirement/payement etc from our High Commission . Please contact
Sri Lankan High Commission 35 Empire Circuit, Forrest ACT 2603 for information and application forms.

Tel: 06 239 7041 or 06 239 7042
Fax : 06 239 6166)
(preferably between 2 -4pm , Mon - Fri)

Statement from High Commission :

At present, the passport issuing office in Colombo is the only establishment that has the sophisticated electronic equipment installed for the issue of new passports. Therefore, as a temporary measure ALL applications received by this Mission for the issue of new passports will have to be sent to Colombo by our weekly Diplomatic Mail pouch for the issue of passports. All applicants are kindly advised that the time taken for issue and receipt of their passports could be four to six weeks. This Mission regrets that the delay that would be caused in issuing passports but unti the new machinery and stocks of the new passports arrive, the applications have to be forwarded to Colombo.

In order to minimize inconvenience, applicants must kindly note

a) To make their applications for passports well in advance, at least one month before the actual need arises. **

b) To read and adhere to the instructions issued with the application form especially those relating to the correct size of specimen signature and the necessity to shorten unusually long names.
Photographs should measure exactl 4.5cm x 3.5cm.

Specimen signatures MUST confine within the rectangular boxes at the bottom of page 3 of the passport application form ‘K’.

Fill names in BLOCK CAPITAL LETTERS up to 49 characters only including dots and spaces.

Required documents for a new passport application.

A Sri Lankan passport is initially issued for a period of five(5) years after which it can be extended for a further five(5) years. Upon the expiry of ten(10) years a new passport must be applied for . Following documents are required.

1) The present passport

2) Three identical photographs measuring exactly 4.5cm x 3.5cm black & white or colour. The applicant should sign on the reverse side of one photographs and one photograph should be certified by the person attesting the application form.

3) Application form ‘K’ (pink form) - duly completed and should be certified by a Justice of the Peace/Medical Practitioner or solicitor(with name, address and official seal affixed)

4)a) For Permanent Residents in Australia and in New Zealand:
A “Certificate of Evidence of Residence Status” as issued by the Department of Immigration & Ethnic Affairs(in Australia or the Department of Internal Affairs in New Zealand). This certificate is required by all applicants who have been resident in Australia for two or more years or in New Zealand for three or more years on a permanent resident visa. This certificate must be produced with the application in order to ascertain the applicant’s National Status.

b) For those who have only a STUDENT VISA

Please obtain a letter from the Institute where you are studying at the moment and forward to the high commission with the following details.
i) Whether the study visa was granted for a scholarship. If so which kind of scholarship and who is funding?
ii) Period of Study
iii) Date of completion of Study
Please note that if the applicant is on any of the scholarships which were granted under any aid programme to Sri Lanka, the new passport or renewed passport will be validated only up to the period of the scholarship. Such passports cannot be renewed or extended further more unless an authority of extension of your study is obtained from Colombo.

Other important requirements:

1) Address (item no 10 in form ‘K’)
The applicant should give their current residential address and telephone number in Australia or New Zealand not their Sri Lanka address.

2) Declaration - The applicant shoul place his/her signature and date without affixing a revenue stamp since fees are being paid by bank cheque/money order. In case of a child who cannot sign, parent/guardian may sign and state name and relationship.

3) Specimen signature (bottom of page 3 in form ‘K’)
The applicant must confine the signature to the rectangular boxes.

4) The name you wish shown in your passport
Machine readable passports are limited to 49 chracters including dots and spaces. This Mission would suggest the desirability that applicants do include their preferrred name then the initials for other names and the Surname in full. Please print clearly in BLOCK CAPITALS LETTERS.

Only names appearing in the Birth Certificate of the applicant will be entered in the passport/travel document. Any request for change of name should be accompanied only with Birth Certificates amended according to the section 27 of the Birth Registration Act. No other certificates of change of names issued by any foreign country will be accepted from persons born in Sri Lanka.


Charges for a new Sri Lankan passport

1) Passport Fee - A$44.00
2) Admin fee and postage - A$140.00
TOTAL = A$184.00

Also please note - If the validity of the present passport has expired at the time of reapplication, arrears at the rate of A$5.00 per year will have to be paid.

Additional Information:
a) In the case of an application for a new passport for a child whose name is endorsed in mother's or father's or guardian's passport, the original birth certificate should be sent with the application.

b) If the name of the child who is born outside Sri lanka is to be endorsed in the parents passport or a seperate passport issued for the child then the birth of the child must be registered with this Mission and Sri LankanCitizneship established before any other procedure can be effected.

c) Requests for the inclusion of names of minor children at the time of obtaining a new passport should be accompanied by two photographs measuring exactly 4.5cm x 3.5cm . The photograph should be attested by the same person who attests the application form of the parent.

Notes from our readers:
1)** You should apply for the new passport at least 12 weeks before your requirement. This is based on expereince of many readers of this page.


2) Though it is not mentioned as a requirment in High Commission guidelines, the pink form ‘K’ mentions that the applicant should attach a letter from his/her employer regarding their profession if the applicant wants the profession entered in the passport. This may not be theoretically required as the expired passport already got the profession. However, as new passports are currently issued in Sri Lanka, the entering of previous profession in the new passport will be purly subject to the interpretation of the law by the officer who issues the new passport as per his or her understanding. Apparanely there is a confusion in the requirement as the Profession of a person may not only be based on the current employement. For those who are engaged in learned professions, the professional qualifications are purly judged by what his or her professional qualification and the registration. As an example an Engineer might be employed as a Project Officer or Senior Officer and this may depend on type of award or type of contract and still his/her profession is Engineering not the Project Manager or Senior Officer. Any person who wants to get a new passport need to enter his or her engineering qualifications not the Project manager or Senior Officer job title which has no direct meaning to his/her profession may find this situation as quite frustrating as majority of employers usually provides only a certification of current job title. Thus there may be some extereme cases in which you might end up having something which you don’t want to see as the profession. This issue need further clarifications and it is up to professionals/passport holders to campaign for a clear directions/requirement specifications in form ‘k’, through Controller of Immigration & Emigration. Colombo.

3) The photographs - The form ‘k’ requires matt quality photos which are very hard to find in Australia. If you take photos from a Poloroid camera outlet you will get satin finish papers which are in between matt and glossy. These are accepted for applications comig from foriegn countries.

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