Frequently Asked Questions

General information

The Consular Section of the High Commission of Sri Lanka is located at the following address:

No 13, Hyde Park Gardens
London W2 2LU

The nearest tube station is Lancaster Gate.

Please note that there are no parking facilities available at the High Commission premises.

Please use the entrance located on the right-hand side of the main entrance to the High Commission to gain access to the Consular Section. However, senior citizens visiting the Consular Section to obtain their Life Certificates for pension purposes should come to the main entrance.

We kindly request you not to arrive at the Consular Section more than 15 minutes in advance of your time of appointment as we have limited space in our waiting area.

If you do not bring photocopies of the supporting documents of your applications, there is photocopy facility at the Consular Section for an additional fee.

There is a PhotoMe photo booth outside the Consular Section for those who need passport photos at a fee of £ 8.00 to be paid by card.

Originals of all mandatory documents should be produced. Photocopies and English translations of a document in Sinhala/Tamil are not accepted as originals.

Our Consular staff are at the counters from 9.30 am to 1.30 pm serving those who visit the Consular Section. Due to this reason, we encourage those who want to contact us for specific queries to contact us via email on consular.london@mfa.gov.lk stating the subject of your query (Passport/Visa/Birth Certificate/Dual Citizenship/Attestation of Documents/Power of Attorney) in the subject line of the message to facilitate us to respond to you expeditiously, instead of calling us.

You will find information related to consular services on our website and answers to most common questions on this page.

Method of Payment – Debit/Credit card, Postal Order or Banker’s Draft. (Postal Order/Banker’s Draft should be drawn in favour of Sri Lanka High Commission. Please note that only personal Visa/Mastercard Debit/Credit cards are accepted. Corporate Debit/Credit cards, Diners Cards and American Express cards are not accepted.

Making Appointments for Consular Services

Is it necessary to make prior appointments for all consular services?

You should make an appointment for following services

• Application for new passports (renewal/applying for a new passport in lieu of a lost passport/Altering passports)
• Application for Birth Certificates
• Application for Dual Citizenship
• Application for Death Certificates

It is not mandatory to make appointment for the following services

• Application for Emergency Passports
• Application for Life Certificates of senior citizens for their pension related needs
• Applications for Visas

How can I make an appointment for consular services?

Please visit the link https://hclappointments.embassyonline.lk/ and create/register an account giving your name, email address and choosing a password of your choice.

You could then login to your account using the email address as the User Name and the password you selected. At the time of making the appointment, please select the service you require. If the service you require is not listed, you may select the ‘Any other consular related matter’ option.

Could I make an appointment over the phone?

No, appointments can only be made online.

I need to hand over my application as soon as possible. However, there are no time slots available for appointments on the day of my choice. What should I do?

Please make an appointment on the next available date and time and send us an email to consular.london@mfa.gov.lk explaining the need for the urgency, giving your name, contact number and the service you require. Please state Appointments in the subject line of the message. We will endeavour to accommodate you earlier than the date of appointment.

However, please note that it is the responsibility of applicants to apply for the required Consular service without waiting for the last moment.

I am unable to visit the High Commission on the date of my appointment. What should I do?

If you are unable to visit the High Commission on the date of appointment, you may reschedule your appointment using the same login details. However, if you are no longer visiting the Consular Section, please be kind enough to cancel your appointment enabling someone else to use that time slot.

I/my family need to hand over more than one application for the same service/different services. Is one appointment sufficient to hand over several applications for the same/different services?

No, please make separate appointments for each application irrespective of whether they are for the same service or different services.

I/my family need to make more than one appointment for the same service/different services. However, making all the appointments together/on the same day is not possible due to unavailability of appointments together. What should I do?

Please make separate appointments for each application/service as per the available appointments and send us an email to consular.london@mfa.gov.lk. Please state Appointments in the subject line of the message. We will endeavour to accept all your applications together.

Traveling to Sri Lanka

What are the present regulations with regard to traveling to Sri Lanka?

The preventive measures for persons arriving in Sri Lanka from overseas during the COVID-19 pandemic, which were last put in place by the Health Authorities of Sri Lanka on 18 April 2022 have been revised with effect from 7 December 2022.

Accordingly;

• The requirement to produce COVID-19 Vaccination Certificate by any person arriving in Sri Lanka from overseas has been removed.
• The requirement to produce a pre-boarding on on arrival negative COVID-19 test (PCR/RAT) by any person arriving in Sri Lanka from overseas has been removed.
• If any foreign national tests positive for COVID-19 after arrival in Sri Lanka, they should isolate for 7 days in a private hospital, hotel or place of residence. The cost of treatment or self-isolation should be borne by them.
• The above measures will supersede all other directives previously issued by the Health Authorities of Sri Lanka.

I am a Dual citizen of Sri Lanka and the UK. However, my Sri Lankan passport has expired/I have not obtained a Sri Lankan passport but have a Dual Citizenship Certificate. Do I need to obtain a visa to travel to Sri Lanka?

No, you do not need to obtain a visa. Please carry with you a copy of your Dual Citizenship Certificate when you travel using your UK Passport.

Passports

What are the documents that need to be submitted with a passport application?

If you are applying for a new passport after the end of the 10-year validity period, the information on documents required is available here.

If you are applying for a new passport in place of a lost passport, the information on documents required is available here.

If you are applying for making an amendment to the present passport, the information on documents required is available here.

If you are applying for an Emergency Passport, the information on documents required is available here.

Instructions for filling the passport application in Sinhala, Tamil and English are available on the downloads page of our website.

How long does it take to issue a passport?

New Sri Lankan passports (except Emergency Passports) in lieu of those due to expire/already expired after 10-year validity period and those lost are issued by the Department of Immigration & Emigration in Battaramulla, Sri Lanka. Applications received at the High Commission for these categories of passports are dispatched to the Department of Immigration & Emigration in Sri Lanka. The new passports issued in Sri Lanka are then dispatched back to this High Commission for handing over/sending to applicants. This process takes 8 to 12 weeks.

However, the issuance of a new passport in lieu of a lost Passport may take longer.

Should I contact the High Commission to ascertain if my new passport has been received from Sri Lanka?

We request you not to contact us to check on the progress of your application. When new passports are received at the High Commission, applicants are promptly notified via SMS.

In case an application has been found incomplete by the Department of Immigration & Emigration for the need of additional document/s, we will contact the applicant. Applicants may also check whether their new passports are ready for collection at the High Commission via the link http://srilankahc.uk/passport-collection/

Is there a premium service to obtain a new passport from the High Commission urgently for an additional fee?

At present such a service is not available.

How long does it take to amend a passport?

Change of name in the passport after marriage is done the same day.

Change/correction of name due to a discrepancy requires the approval of the Department of Immigration & Emigration and cannot be done the same day. Approximately, it takes about two weeks.

Extension of the validity period of the Passport with restricted validity period is done the same day.

I lost my passport. How do I obtain an Emergency Passport?

An Emergency Passport is a Non-Machine-Readable document valid for travel to Sri Lanka only and is issued at the High Commission, unlike Machine Readable passports which are issued by the Department of Immigration & Emigration in Sri Lanka.

A person who has lost their passport should come to the Consular Section of the High Commission with the relevant documents. The details of the required supporting documents are available here. It is not mandatory to obtain an appointment for applying for an Emergency Passport.

How long does it take to issue an Emergency Passport ?

An Emergency Passport will be issued within 5 working days after submitting the application at the High Commission.

I have only a photocopy of my birth certificate/the English translation of it. Is it accepted as a Birth Certificate for passport applications?

The Department of Immigration & Emigration does not accept translations or photocopies of Birth Certificates. If the original Birth Certificate is not attached to a passport application, such applications are considered incomplete, and no action will be taken on such applications until the original is submitted. Therefore, this High Commission cannot accept passport applications without original Birth Certificates.

What is the fee for applying for a passport?

Passport application fees differ according to whether it is a renewal, application for a passport in lieu of a lost passport etc. Information on consular fees is available here.

Dual Citizenship

Who are eligible to apply for Dual Citizenship?

A person whose Sri Lankan citizenship has already ceased or a person whose Sri Lankan citizenship is likely to cease as a result of obtaining the Citizenship of another country in the future is eligible to apply for Dual Citizenship.

While any Sri Lankan who is likely to lose the citizenship due to acquiring foreign citizenship can apply for retention of citizenship, those who have already lost citizenship can apply under various categories such as age category, Professional category and Assets / Properties category. Please visit the link http://srilankahc.uk/dual-citizenship/ for more details.

What is the fee for applying for Dual Citizenship?

There is a £15 administrative fee and £58 for certifying the Affidavit contained on page 6 of the Dual Citizenship application (total £73) levied by the High Commission. The fee for Dual Citizenship is payable after the application has been processed and approved.

An applicant who wishes to send their Dual Citizenship application by post should get the Affidavit contained on page 6 of the  application certified by a UK Solicitor.

Information on the Dual Citizenship fee payable in Sri Lanka is available here.

How long does it take to process a dual citizenship application?

Dual citizenship applications accepted at this High Commission are forwarded to the Citizenship Division of Department of Immigration & Emigration in Sri Lanka, which is the authority in processing such applications. According to the Citizenship Division of the Department of Immigration & Emigration, more than four months may be taken at present to process the dual citizenship applications until a decision is made.

The Citizenship Division of the Department of Immigration & Emigration in Sri Lanka communicates directly with the applicants if their application is incomplete or additional documents are required.

Should I contact the High Commission to check the progress of my dual citizenship application?

As stated above, the Department of Immigration & Emigration directly communicates with applicants, after their applications for Dual Citizenship have been received by the Department. Applicants can check the progress of their applications by visiting the link  https://eservices.immigration.gov.lk/DualCitVisaStatus/index.faces of the Department of Immigration and Emigration by giving the reference number allocated to them by the High Commission and their date of birth.

How do I know when my application has been processed?

When the processing of the application has been complete, the Department of Immigration & Emigration contacts the applicants to inform them accordingly and to make the relevant fee, which at present is payable only in Sri Lanka.

Birth Certificates

What are the documents required for applying for a birth certificate?

The documents required for applying for birth certificate of a child depends on whether the birth is registered within 3 months of the birth, between 3 to 12 months of the birth or after 1 year of the birth. Please visit the link http://srilankahc.uk/consular/registration-of-births/ for more details.

What is the fee for applying for a Birth Certificate?

Information on consular fees is available here.

How long does it take to issue a Birth Certificate?

If a birth of a child is registered within 12 months of the birth, the Birth Certificate is issued by the High Commission within 2 weeks. However, approval of the Registrar General’s Department of Sri Lanka is required to issue the Birth Certificate if the birth of a child is registered after 1 year of the Birth. In that case, the application is forwarded to the Registrar General’s Department of Sri Lanka for approval.

There is also a one-day service for the registration of a birth of a child which is registered within 12 months of birth, for an additional fee of £25.

Who can submit an application for a Birth Certificate of a child?

The parent who has signed the application should submit it.

Visas

How can I obtain a visa for Sri Lanka?

Visit Visas

Those who wish to visit Sri Lanka up to 30 days for the purpose of tourism, family visits, medical treatment including ayurvedic treatment, participation in sports and cultural performance should obtain a Visit Visa which can be obtained online at the official Electronic Travel Authorization website of the Department of Immigration and Emigration of Sri Lanka https://eta.gov.lk/slvisa/

However, applicants who need a Visit Visa longer than 30 days can apply for a visa valid upto 3 months at the Consular Section of the High Commission.

If an applicant for a Visit Visa needs to stay in Sri Lanka more than 3 months, they should get their visas extended at the Visa Section of the Department of Immigration and Emigration of Sri Lanka.

For more details, please visit the link.

Applicants are cautioned that there are fraudulent visa sites that closely resemble the official Electronic Travel Authorization website of the Department of Immigration and Emigration of Sri Lanka and hence they are advised to apply only on the official website.

Business Visas

Those who wish to visit Sri Lanka up to 30 days for business purposes (Participation in business meetings and negotiations), journalism, participation in art, music and dance events, participation in religious events, participation in symposiums, attending short term training programmes, Conferences, Workshops and Seminars should obtain a Business Visa.

They can apply for their visas online at the official Electronic Travel Authorization website of the Department of Immigration and Emigration of Sri Lanka https://eta.gov.lk/slvisa/

However, applicants who need a Business Visa longer than 30 days can apply for a visa upto 3 months at the Consular Section of the High Commission.

For more details, please visit the link.

Residence/Work Visas

To obtain a Residence Visa for Sri Lanka, an applicant must enter the country on an Entry Visa issued by the High Commission of Sri Lanka in the UK. However, the applicant or their representative in Sri Lanka should first apply to the Department of Immigration & Emigration in Sri Lanka for the Entry Visa using Form B.

It is not possible to apply for Entry Visas on the Electronic Travel Authorization website of the Department of Immigration and Emigration of Sri Lanka.

Once the issuance of the Entry Visa is approved by the Department of Immigration & Emigration, it is conveyed to the High Commission. The applicant should then submit a completed Form B together with the passport and the supporting documents to the High Commission of Sri Lanka.

The procedure of the issuance of a Residence Visas for all categories of persons is available on the website of the Department of Immigration and Emigration of Sri Lanka at this link.

For details of the supporting documents required with an application for an Entry Visa submitted to the Consular Section of the High Commission, please visit the link.