At least one of the parties to the marriage should be a Sri Lankan citizen to apply for the registration of marriage under the Marriage (General) Registration Ordinance of Sri Lanka.

If both parties to the marriage are Sri Lankan Muslims, the marriage is governed by the Muslim and Divorce Act and must be solemnized by an Islamic scholar. A Kandyan marriage is governed by the Kandyan Marriage and Divorce Act. law is applicable. The applicable laws can be found on the Registrar General’s Department site.

Applying for a Notice of Marriage (General):

The parties to the marriage should provide a written Notice of Marriage to the Sri Lanka Overseas Mission. The  Marriage Notice (Form: Registration B 100) should be completed and attested in duplicate and handed over to the Consular Section of the Embassy. If one of the parties to the marriage is not a Sri Lankan citizen (this regulation does not apply to the dual citizens of Sri Lanka), the foreign national is required to submit the following documents w.e.f. 01.01.2022

1. A certified/ authenticated original document of the Security Clearance Report    issued by the relevant Security authorities of the country of his/her residence within the period of last six months indicating that he/she has not been convicted any offense.

1. Health Declaration form:  Health Declaration form (Health Declaration) .

The concerned foreign party should submit to the Registrar General of Sri Lanka the above two documents in order to obtain the Licence of Marriage issued by the Registrar General of Sri Lanka.

Based on the Security Clearance Report and the Health Declaration provided by the concerned foreign party, the Registrar General of Sri Lanka will issue a ‘License of Marriage’ to the contacting party/ies to proceed the register the marriage as mentioned above.  

For Circular No. 18/2021 and more information please visit Registrar General’s Department

Note: Persons authorized to attest marriage notice are: diplomatic officers at the Embassy of Sri Lanka.

Requirements for submitting a Marriage Notice:

• Both parties to the marriage must have completed 18 years at their last birthdays.
• The parties should not have any kind of relationship prohibited in law.
• No party should have entered into any legal marriage which is valid at the time of Notice.
• The Notice of Marriage should be made 14business days prior to the date of registration of the marriage.

Processing Time: up to 7 business days 

Applying for Registration of Marriage (General):

The marriage may be registered at the Embassy of Sri Lanka after a lapse of 14 working days from the date of receipt of the Notice of Marriage, and within 03 months from such date. Note: If the registration of a marriage is not conducted within 3 months of the issuance of the Notice of Marriage, a new Notice of Marriage needs to be issued before the marriage can be registered (See: Section 39 of the Marriage Registration Ordinance of Sri Lanka).

Two witnesses with valid photo identification documents must be present at the time of marriage.

Documents required:

The originals of the following documents must be provided. Note: English translations will not be accepted as originals. You must provide:

Application:

One fully completed Certificate of Marriage application (Form: Registration B 121). The application must:

• Be signed and dated.
• Filled in BLOCK letters
• Include answers for all required fields accurately.
• List the name of the parties exactly as it is written in the passport. 

Passport:

Both parties to the marriage must have valid passports. The passports must be valid on the date of marriage.

Bachelor Certificate:

Both parties (if Sri Lankan citizens) must present a valid Bachelor Certificate issued by the Grama Niladari (village headman) in the applicant's city/village, which should then be endorsed by the Divisional Secretary, and thereafter, by the Consular Division of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, Colombo.

If one of the parties to the marriage is not a Sri Lankan citizen, the foreign national is required to obtain a Bachelor's Certificate from the Embassy of his/her nationality. A US citizen should obtain such a document from the Office of Vital Records at the Department of Health of their State of residency. The State seal on the document should in turn be certified by the U.S. Department of State in Washington, DC.

Notice of Marriage:

Provide the original Notice of Marriage (as described above)

Proof of Residence:

Both parties must provide a proof of their current address of residency. The document must either be a copy of the front of your driver's license or government ID, or an utility bill. The document must:

• Display your name as it appears on your passport.
• Display the current residence address as provided on your Notice of Marriage.

Note: If you must submit a utility bill the Embassy requires electric, gas, or a water bill; phone and cable bills are not accepted.

Processing Time: up to 7 business days

Obtaining certified copies and translations of Marriage Certificates:

Please provide a written request at the time of marriage registration indicating how many additional certified copies and translations of the marriage certificate are required. Please note there is a fee per certified copy and translation.  Please consult the Fees and Methods of Payment page for applicable fees.

Correction of errors on Marriage Certificates:

Corrections to a Certificate of Marriage can ONLY be done by the Registrar General’s (RG) office. Please visit the Registrar General’s Department website to download the required forms. The completed forms should be submitted to the RG’s office directly.

Consular fees: Please consult the Fees and Methods of Payment page.

Returning of documents:

• Your original documents will be returned along with the Marriage Certificate by secure courier.
• Please note that pre-paid self-addressed envelopes and/or shipping labels are not accepted.
• Please consult the Fees and Methods of Payment page for more details.

Important Notes:

• Please ensure you add the costs of “returning documents” to the consular service fee(s).
• The Embassy is not responsible for any document lost in the post.
• The submission of forged documents and making false declarations relating to citizenship is a punishable offence. In such circumstances, consular fees will not be refunded.
• Incomplete applications will be rejected.