Sri Lanka’s passport crisis set to end Monday

Sri Lanka Passport

Cabinet Media Spokesperson Minister Vijitha Herath announced that Sri Lanka will receive a new shipment of passports next Saturday, with distribution starting on Monday, October 21, 2024.

This announcement was made during a press briefing this morning (October 15), where the Minister outlined the decisions made during the Cabinet meeting held yesterday.

The Minister also discussed the ongoing legal issues related to the e-passport system.

He stated that there is currently a court injunction preventing any tenders from being called for the e-passport project. “We will revisit the matter once the court proceedings are concluded,” Herath added.

Despite the arrival of 750,000 passports, the Minister warned that this stock will soon be depleted.

To avoid another potential passport shortage, the government has decided to initiate a procurement process for regular passports.

Minister Herath noted that the government plans to import additional passports through a tender process to meet the increasing demand.

He emphasized that the government is taking proactive steps to prevent any disruptions in passport issuance and ensure that the public’s needs are met promptly.