Passport renewal Sri Lanka costs Rs. 10,000 for the normal service and Rs. 20,000 for the one-day service, and a Daily FT report of 15 September 2025 says both fees apply to online and offline applications. A one-day passport is issued within four hours, and the normal service produces about 1,000 passports a day. Applicants book through the Department of Immigration and Emigration’s online appointment system, which a November 2024 report says runs 24 hours a day.
If you’re planning passport renewal Sri Lanka, the first decision is whether you apply in Sri Lanka or at an embassy abroad. In the country, you book a token online, attend the office and choose normal or one-day service. Abroad, the embassy or consulate collects the application and forwards it to Colombo, and the process takes weeks and carries a different fee. This guide covers both routes, plus documents, validity, biometrics and the gaps in the sources. It draws on a Daily FT report from 15 September 2025, a Sunday Times item dated 7 November 2024, a Newsfirst report from 31 January 2024, the Department of Immigration and Emigration page for applications from overseas, the Embassy of Sri Lanka in Stockholm and a Property Finder guide published 24 June 2025. The department’s pages did not list the current fees, so the fee figures come from news reports and embassy pages, and you should confirm them with the department before paying. For how renewal works in the United States, see our passport renewal guide.
How Much Does Passport Renewal Sri Lanka Cost?
Rs. 10,000 for the normal service and Rs. 20,000 for the one-day service. The Daily FT report of 15 September 2025 gives both figures and says the normal fee applies to all countries and to online and offline applications. Newsfirst reported on 31 January 2024 that the normal fee doubled from Rs. 5,000 to Rs. 10,000 from 1 February 2024, without giving a reason.
The one-day fee is twice the normal fee, so speed costs Rs. 10,000 extra. Over a 10-year validity, the normal fee works out to Rs. 1,000 per year (Rs. 10,000 divided by 10). A family of four pays Rs. 40,000 on the normal service and Rs. 80,000 if everyone uses the one-day service. The Newsfirst report covers only the normal service, so the one-day fee rests on the Daily FT report alone.
How Does the Online Appointment System Work?
You book a token online, and the system accepts bookings 24 hours a day. The Sunday Times item, dated 7 November 2024, says the new system went live on a Wednesday morning and received over 7,500 token applications that day. It replaced an earlier system that issued a limited number of tokens per day without validation, which let photo studios and communication shops reserve most tokens and resell them. The new system, built in six days by the Ministry of Public Security and an ICT team, runs without limitations, according to the report.
The article is almost two years old and doesn’t list the steps, fees or documents. The page header shows a late October 2026 update stamp, but the article itself is dated 2024. Check the department’s site for the current booking flow and whether a token fixes your visit to a single office.
Which Documents Do You Need?
The application form, photos, your current passport, a birth certificate and your national identity card. The department’s page and the embassy pages describe the overseas set in detail, and the in-country list isn’t printed in the sources. For a Sri Lankan adult applying through the Stockholm embassy, the list is as follows.
- Completed Form K35A in block capital English letters.
- Four clear colour photos that meet Sri Lankan passport specifications.
- The current passport, or attested copies of pages 2 to 5.
- The original birth certificate, or an attested copy.
- A valid residence permit, or an attested copy.
- A copy of the Sri Lankan National Identity Card (not required under 18).
- A dual citizenship certificate and foreign passport, if relevant.
- An affidavit affirming retention of citizenship, if born abroad and over 21.
Property Finder lists a slightly different UAE set: three recent colour photographs of 3.5 by 4.5 cm, copies of data pages 2 and 3 and observation pages 4 and 5, a copy of the UAE visa page, the original national identity card with a copy, and the original birth certificate with a copy. The number of photos therefore differs by mission, from three to four, so follow the mission’s own list. Situational extras include a marriage certificate if a married woman adds or changes her surname, and a professional certificate or employer letter to include a profession.
How Does Passport Renewal Sri Lanka Work From Abroad?
Complete Form K-35A, hand it to the embassy or consulate with the documents and fee, and wait for Colombo to process it. The department’s overseas page describes the process.
- Complete Form K-35A and submit it with supporting documents to the Sri Lankan embassy or consulate. If the country has no mission, use the nearest one.
- Sign the Client Undertaking Section (CUS), because no application is accepted without it.
- Receive a special Instruction Note when you submit.
- The Overseas Missions Branch at the department’s head office processes the application.
- After arriving in Sri Lanka, give fingerprints at the head office or a regional office in Matara, Kandy, Vavuniya or Kurunegala. The page estimates a 30 to 45 minute wait.
Property Finder says the new passport is collected when the mission notifies you, and the old one is surrendered and cancelled. The Stockholm embassy page adds that biometric fingerprints apply to passports issued via embassies after 1 January 2018, and that you report to immigration at the port of entry to get a Biometric Data Acquisition form, then enrol. Keep the system receipt until you depart.
How Much Does an Embassy Application Cost?
It depends on the mission, from AED 185 in the UAE to SEK 1,500 in Sweden. Property Finder lists AED fees for the UAE, and the Stockholm embassy lists SEK fees.
The UAE guide splits the fee into “Middle East only” and “all countries” categories, with the first far cheaper. Property Finder doesn’t explain the difference, so ask the mission which category applies to you before you pay. Stockholm adds postage of SEK 140 within Sweden and SEK 180 outside Sweden, SEK 50 for embassy photocopies, a SEK 50 cross-border bank fee and a 1.5 percent commission for Visa or Mastercard payments. The embassy doesn’t accept cheques.
How Long Does It Take?
One-day service takes four hours, normal service takes longer, and embassy applications take 40 to 90 days. Daily FT says one-day passports are issued within four hours, at about 1,500 to 2,000 per day. The normal service produces about 1,000 per day, and total daily output is 4,000 to 5,000 depending on demand. The report gives annual volumes of 911,757 passports in 2022 and 908,678 in 2023.
Property Finder gives two figures for embassy applications: 40 to 90 days in one place and about 40 to 60 working days in another, possibly longer if documents need verification. The Stockholm page states no processing time. A traveler applying through an embassy should therefore plan for at least three months, since Colombo processing and the fingerprint visit on arrival come on top.
How Long Is a Sri Lankan Passport Valid?
Ten years for adults. The Stockholm embassy page says ordinary passports are valid for 10 years from issue unless endorsed otherwise, and Property Finder agrees. The Stockholm page adds that minors under 16 can choose a 3-year or a 10-year passport, with the 10-year option requiring a parental letter. It advises renewing at expiry or when visa pages run out.
What Applies to Minors?
Both parents attend, with a consent letter and their passports. For minors under 16, the Stockholm embassy lists four photos, the child’s passport or attested copies, a consular birth certificate, a citizenship certificate or payment receipt if born abroad, both parents’ passports, a residence permit, and a consent letter signed by both parents. Court, death or custody documents can apply in some cases. These requirements come from one embassy, so another mission may ask for different papers.
Which Route Fits Which Applicant?
Apply in Sri Lanka if you’re there, choose one-day service only for urgent travel, and use a mission if you live abroad. The table lines up the options.
A traveler in Colombo who has a flight in three days has one workable option, the one-day service at Rs. 20,000. A traveler in Stockholm with a flight in six months can use the embassy, but should apply early because of the Colombo processing time and the fingerprint visit.
How Reliable Are the Sources?
The department’s pages don’t print the fees, and the news and embassy sources vary in age. The department’s overseas page links to circular OM/01/2019 for mission fees without reproducing it, and lists only a Rs. 300 charge for certifying a data page copy. Daily FT dates from September 2025 and Newsfirst from January 2024, so the fee schedule has at least two confirmations. The one-day fee has one. The Stockholm page is undated, and the Property Finder guide dates from June 2025.
Where two sources disagree, as on the embassy processing time (40 to 90 days or 40 to 60 working days), use the longer range for planning. Call the department on +94 11 2101524 or email acom@immigration.gov.lk to confirm the current fee before you travel to an office.
What Should You Check Before You File?
Confirm your fee, your route and your document set. Three quick checks help.
- Confirm the current normal and one-day fees with the department, since the fee rose in 2024.
- Confirm whether you need to book a token online before you visit.
- If you apply abroad, download your mission’s own document list, since photo counts and extras vary.
An applicant in Colombo should keep the token confirmation on a phone and carry the original national identity card and birth certificate to the office. An applicant abroad should photocopy each document on one side of A4 paper, as the Stockholm page requires.
Which Mistakes Delay Passport Renewal Sri Lanka?
Skipping the signature and using an outdated fee cause most delays. Check each point first.
- Leaving the Client Undertaking Section unsigned, which makes the application invalid.
- Budgeting Rs. 5,000 from the pre-2024 fee schedule.
- Sending the wrong number of photos to the mission.
- Forgetting that embassy-issued passports need a fingerprint visit in Sri Lanka.
- Choosing a scope or validity at the mission without checking the fee.
- Booking a one-day service without confirming the office offers it.
- Missing the attested copies when the original passport can’t be surrendered.
- Relying on 2024 booking details for a 2026 appointment.
FAQs
How much does passport renewal Sri Lanka cost?
Rs. 10,000 for the normal service and Rs. 20,000 for the one-day service, according to Daily FT in September 2025.
How long is a Sri Lankan passport valid?
Ten years for adults, according to the Stockholm embassy and Property Finder. Minors under 16 can choose 3 or 10 years.
Is there a one-day service?
Yes. Daily FT says one-day passports are issued within four hours, at Rs. 20,000.
Can I renew from abroad?
Yes, through an embassy or consulate using Form K-35A. Property Finder gives 40 to 90 days for processing.
Do I need fingerprints?
Yes. Passports issued via embassies after 1 January 2018 need fingerprints at the head office or a regional office.
Is there an online appointment system?
Yes. A November 2024 report says it runs 24 hours a day without token limits.
Conclusion
Passport renewal Sri Lanka costs Rs. 10,000 for the normal service and Rs. 20,000 for same-day issue, within four hours. Applicants abroad should allow at least 40 days for their embassy to process the application.
