GRANTING OF DUAL CITIZENSHIP – ADMINISTRATIVE PROCEDURE FOR ACCEPTING DUAL CITIZENSHIP APPLICATIONS
Please see the amendment on Processing Fee (July 15, 2019)
01. The existing legal framework for granting of dual citizenship
Dual citizenship is granted in terms of the provisions of Citizenship Act No. 18 of 1948 as amended by Act No. 45 of 1987.
I. Section 19 (2) of the said Act makes provisions in respect of a person whose citizenship of Sri Lanka has ceased due to obtaining of citizenship in another country and who thereafter desires to resume the status of a citizen of Sri Lanka.
II. Section 19 (3) of the said Act makes provisions in respect of a person who, having a desire to obtain the citizenship in another country, intends to retain the citizenship of Sri Lanka.
III. A request under 1 and 2 above can be made to the Minister-in-charge of the subject. When the Minister-in-charge is satisfied that granting the request would be of benefit to Sri Lanka, dual citizenship will be granted.
02. Persons who may make an application for dual citizenship
A person whose citizenship of Sri Lanka has ceased under Sections 19, 20 or 21 of the Citizenship Act No. 18 of 1948 or a person whose citizenship in Sri Lanka is likely to cease.
03. Qualification criteria for applying for dual citizenship
An applicant who satisfies any one of the following criteria can apply for dual citizenship:
I. An applicant who exceeds the age of 55 years.
II. An applicant who possesses the required academic or professional qualifications – an educational qualification of minimum one year diploma or higher or any professional qualification.
III. An applicant who owns immovable property/assets in Sri Lanka worth Rs. 2.5 million or above.
IV. An applicant who has a fixed deposit of Rs. 2.5 million or above for a 03 year period in any of the Commercial banks approved by the Central Bank of Sri Lanka (CBSL).
V. An applicant who has a fixed deposit of USD 25,000/- or above for a 03 year period under NRFC/RFC/SFIDA Accounts, in any of commercial banks approved by the Central Bank of Sri Lanka (CBSL) in Sri Lanka.
VI. An applicant who has invested USD 25,000/- above for 03 years under Treasury bonds (TB) or Security Investment Accounts (SIA).
VII. The spouse of the applicant or UNMARRIED CHILDREN UNDER THE AGE OF 22 YEARS OF THE APPLICANT. A spouse eligible under this provision shall be limited to a person whose citizenship of Sri Lanka has ceased under Sections 19, 20 or 21 of the Citizenship Act No. 18 of 1948 or a person whose citizenship is likely to cease.
04. Documents need to be submitted along with the citizenship application
I. Duly filled application for Dual citizenship along with 3 passport size photographs. (3.5 cm x 4.5 cm or 2” x 2”)
Please click here to download :
• The application - Download
• Instruction in Sinhala - Download
• Instruction in Tamil - Download
• Instruction in English - Download
II. ORIGINAL Birth Certificate OR a copy certified by the Consular division of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs in Sri Lanka. (If the applicant is a citizen of Sri Lanka by registration, the relevant certificate or a copy certified by the Consular division of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs in Sri Lanka)
III. If the applicant is married, the ORIGINAL marriage certificate OR a copy certified by the Consular division of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs.
IV. An applicant submitting application for Resumption under section 19 (2) (A person whose Sri Lankan Citizenship ceased due to obtaining of citizenship in another country) should submit following documents.
(a) ORIGINAL Foreign Citizenship Certificate.
(b) ORIGINAL foreign passport AND Copies of the Bio data and observation pages.
(c) A recent Police clearance report from the country of foreign citizenship NOT OLDER THAN 03 MONTHS in English or an English Translation of the original. (Police clearance certificate can be obtained by the relevant state Police/Authority) CHILDREN UNDER 16 YEARS ARE EXEMPTED FROM THIS REQUIREMENT.
(d) COPY of Bio data page and the observation page of the previous Sri Lankan passport (if available)
OR
An applicant submitting application for Retention under section 19 (3) (A person who is having desire to obtain citizenship in another country, while intends to retain the citizenship of Sri Lanka) should submit following documents.
(a) ORIGINAL PASSPORT AND COPIES of Bio data page and the observation page of the current Sri Lankan passport along with the original passport.
(b) ORIGINAL permanent residence card and COPY of same.
(e) A recent Police clearance report from the country of permanent residence not older than 3 months in English or an English Translation of the original. ( Police clearance certificate can be obtained by the relevant state Police/Authority) CHILDREN UNDER 16 YEARS ARE EXEMPTED FROM THIS REQUIREMENT.
V. CATEGORY (3:1) - IF APPLYING UNDER AGE
ORIGINAL Birth Certificate AND COPY of same
VI. CATEGORY (3:2) - APPLYING UNDER THE PROFESSIONAL
ORIGINAL Educational/ Professional certificates. (minimum one year diploma or higher, or any other professional qualification).
VII. If applying under the Assets / Properties category (3.3) original documentary proof of applicant’s assets such as; land or other immovable properties in Sri Lanka worth of Rs. 2.5 million or above a certified copy of deed, (If applying using a gift deed, it should be a deed registered 10 years back from the date of application.) original valuation report and title repot with pedigree for the same not older than 3 months should be also submitted. Valuation report should be prepared by a registered valuer who has registered at the Department of Valuation.
VIII. If applying under fixed deposit of Rs. 2.5 million or above – category (3:4) an original confirmation letter from the bank mentioning deposit will not be withdrawn within a period of 3 year.
IX. If applying under fixed deposit of USD 25,000 or above – category (3:5) a confirmation letter from the bank mentioning deposit will not be withdrawn within a period of 3 year.
X. If applying under Treasury Bond (TB) or Security Investment Account (SIA) valued of USD 25,000 for minimum 3 years period – category (3:6) a certificate from the relevant Authority conforming the investment will not be withdrawn prior to maturity.
XI. If applying under the spouse of the applicant or an unmarried child under the age of 22 of the applicant – category (3:7) the original of marriage certificate (For Spouse) and original birth certificate (For unmarried child – born in Sri Lanka) or the original Citizenship certificate issued under section 5 (2) of the Citizenship Act No. 18 of 1948 (For unmarried child – born outside the Sri Lanka). A spouse or children eligible under this category shall be limited to a person whose citizenship of Sri Lanka has ceased under section 19, 20 or 21 of the Citizenship Act No. 18 of 1948 or a person whose Sri Lankan citizenship is likely to cease.
05. Submission of application
Please refer the instructions attached with the application prior to completing the application.
- All documents other than in English, Sinhala or Tamil should be submitted along with the English translation of the same.
- The duly perfected applications should be submitted directly to the Department of Immigration and Emigration or to the Sri Lanka Overseas Mission by the applicant.
- The applications submitted through the Sri Lanka Overseas mission/Embassy of Sri Lanka should be sent along with the documents specified above which should be authenticated by the Head of the Diplomatic mission or senior officer in the rank of Third Secretary or above in which the applicant has acquired citizenship / permanent residence.
- The applications and the documents should be authenticated by the Deputy or Assistant Controller of the citizenship divisionwhen the applicants are handed over to the head office of the Department of Immigration and Emigration.
• The duly perfected applications of those living in the United States of America can also be sent through the Embassy of Sri Lanka in Washington D.C, to the following address.
Processing fee of USD 30.00 will be charged by the Embassy to process an application for Dual Citizenship.
Embassy of Sri Lanka
3025 Whitehaven Street NW,
Washington D.C 20008
TP :202 483 4025, 202 483 4026
Fax : 202 232 7181
E mail: This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it.
• The required documents will be authenticated by an Authorized official in the Embassy of Sri Lanka in Washington D.C.
• Please note that if you wish to submit the application to the Embassy of Sri Lanka in Washington D.C, Originals of all the required documents should be submitted along with a set of photocopies of each document.
• A money order /certified check for USD 20/- in favor of the Embassy of Sri Lanka has to be sent along with the application to be used as the return mailing fee, in terms of sending the original documents back to the applicant.(This will not be applicable to those who submit the applications in person to the Embassy.) The original documents will be returned to the applicants within 10 - 15 working days, if the documents are in order.
• Upon receipt of the application , the Embassy of Sri Lanka in Washington D.C will issue a reference number to each applicant. The reference number can be used for further inquiries.
• The Department of Immigration and Emigration will notify the applicant to make the applicable payment once the application is approved. Details will be notify by the Department of Immigration and Emigration .
06. Dual Citizenship Fee
| Main Applicant | US $ 2,000.00 |
| Spouse of Applicant | US $ 500.00 |
| Unmarried child below 22 years | US $ 500.00 |
Period of process The time frame cannot specifically mention due to the large number of applications in process. It will depend on the Department of Immigration and Emigration processing time period.
