Sri Lankans applying for passports will have to provide their biometric data or fingerprints from Monday.
Accordingly the fingerprints of Sri Lankan’s over the age of 16 are to be included in the passport.
The Cabinet of Ministers had approved this regulation in 2013 but the implementation of this had been delayed due to various reasons, according to the Department of Immigration and Emigration.
The passport applicants will have to call over at the Immigration and Emigration head office in Colombo 08 to provide their fingerprints.
The International Organisation for Migration (IOM) said in a recent statement: “As globalisation has led to large-scale migration, biometrics has become the standard for identity management. High standards at borders are vital to prevent cases of trafficking, smuggling, and other attempts at exploitation.”
S.Mahendra / August 9, 2015
The news here is incomplete. The changes include the non-inclusion of children under
16 in parents passport – only individual passports will be applicable to them. There
is a discrepancy occuring here at present. Passports for under 16 are valid for 3 or
5 years in Sri Lanka, with a proportionate reduction in Fees, however these are issued for children applying at Overseas Missions for the maximum Ten (10) years instead, for a full fee ! I suppose the Dept. does not want to loose the lucarative foreign earnings?
All arrivals at Sri Lankan Airports using Sri Lankan Passports, after the 10th August, may be issued a written Order to proceed to one of the 3 named Regional Offices or
Colombo, before their depature, and provide their Finger Prints, and obtain an
endorsement on their present Passport – I hope this is the arrangement under phase 1?
/