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 who has lost Sri Lankan citizenship under Sections 19, 20, or 21 of the Citizenship Act No. 18 of 1948, or someone whose Sri Lankan citizenship is likely to end.
03. Instructions to fill the application
I. Please click here to download :
• The application - Download
II. To be completed in “BLOCK CAPITALS”.
III. Delete inapplicable word or words wherever * appears in the application.
IV. Please mention “Not relevant” if particular information is not applicable.
V. Each member of family has to submit a separate application along with 3 passport size colour photographs. Affix one of these photographs in the top right hand corner of the first page of the application.
VI. Any applicant who belongs to one of the categories mentioned in Section 1 of the Application (A to G) can apply for Dual Citizenship. Please mark (ü) in the relevant cage.
VII. The statement in the application should be supported by an affidavit (page 6) made by the applicant before an authorized certification body residing in the USA (Honorary Consul/Notary Public) unless the application is submitted in person at the Embassy.
VIII. Personal Particulars Form should be completed in “BLOCK CAPITALS”. All details requested in the application must be filled in and incomplete applications will be rejected.
04. Documents required for the Dual Citizenship
I. Applicant’s 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.)
II. If the applicant is married, the ORIGINAL marriage certificate OR a copy certified by the Consular division of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs in Sri Lanka.
III. 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:
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- Original foreign Citizenship Certificate
- Original foreign passport AND copies of the Bio data and Observation Page
- A recent police clearance report from the country of foreign citizenship not older than 12 months (only applicants above 16 years should submit the police report)
- Copies of Bio data and Observation Pages of 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,
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- Original Passport AND Copies of the Bio Data page and the Observation page of the current Sri Lankan Passport
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- Original Permanent Residence Card
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- A recent Police clearance obtained from the country of permanent residence during the last 3 months. (only applicants above 16 years should submit the police report)
Note: Copies of the Foreign Citizenship Certificate, Foreign Passport, Permanent Residence Card and Foreign Academic Certificates should be certified / notarized by Honorary Consul of Sri Lanka/ Notary Public. The copies should bear the signature and the stamp of the Notary
IV. If applying under Age category(1.A) – Completion of the age of 55 years, Original birth certificate or copy certified by the Consular division of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs in Sri Lanka.
V. If applying under Professional category(1.B) – Applicant’s Original Educational / Professional certificates (Minimum one year Diploma or higher, or any other professional qualification) When submitting Diploma certificates without the study period, include a letter from the institution stating the study period for the diploma.
VI. If applying under the Assets / Professional category (1.C) – Original documentary proof of applicant’s assets such as; land or other immovable properties in Sri Lanka worth of LKR 2.5 million or above, a certified copy of deed (If applying under a gift deed, it should be a deed registered 10 years back from the date of application. If it is a life estate deed, the life estate must have been terminated.) Original valuation report and title report 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.
VII. If applying under Fixed Deposit of LKR 2.5 million or above category account in a commercial bank approved by the central bank of Sri Lanka (1.D) –A confirmation letter from the bank addressed to the “Controller General, Department of immigration and Emigration” mentioning that deposit will not be withdrawn before a period of 3 years.
VIII. If applying under fixed deposit of USD 25,000 or above category (1.E) in a NRFC/RFC/SFIDA account in a Commercial Bank approved by the Central Bank of Sri Lanka for a period of 3 years - the relevant fixed deposit certificate should be submitted for obtaining dual citizenship.
IX. If applying under Treasury Bond (TB) or Security Account (SIA) valued of USD 25,000 for minimum 3 years period category (1.F) – A certificate from the relevant authority confirming the investment will not be withdrawn prior to maturity for obtaining dual citizenship.
X. Following documents should be submitted if applying under the spouse of the applicant or an unmarried child under the age of 22 years of the applicant category (1.G) who has completed any qualification from 'A' to 'F' indicated in No. 1 of the application.
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- The original of the Marriage Certificate or a copy certified by the Consular division of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs in Sri Lanka of the applicant and spouse of the applicant.
Unmarried child under the age of 22 years.
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- If the child is born in Sri Lanka, the original birth certificate or a copy certified by the Consular division of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs in Sri Lanka.
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- If the child is born outside Sri Lanka the original Consular Birth Certificate or a copy certified by the Consular division of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs in Sri Lanka and the original Citizenship Certificate issued under section 5(2) of Citizenship Act.
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- Applications should be submitted prior to completion of the age of 21 years and 06 months.
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- Application of the applicants who have completed the age of 21 years and 06 months will not be entertained under this category with effect from 01.07.2019.
A spouse or children eligible under this category is limited to a person who has lost Sri Lankan citizenship under Sections 19, 20, or 21 of the Citizenship Act No. 18 of 1948, or someone whose Sri Lankan citizenship is likely to end.
Note:
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- The Name change Certificate or Birth Certificate with the amended name in Section 13 should be submitted if there is a name change in the documents submitted by the applicant.
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- Translated documents are not considered as original documents. (Eg: English Translation of Birth Certificates, Marriage Certificates, Police Reports etc)
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- All the documents other than in English, Sinhala or Tamil should be submitted along with an English translation made by a sworn translator.
05. Submission of application
The duly filled applications should be submitted directly to the Department of Immigration and Emigration or to the Embassy of Sri Lanka by the applicant.
The duly filled and signed checklist should be submitted along with the application form and the documents sent to the Sri Lanka Overseas Mission by post .(as the first page)
Processing fee of USD 30.00 will be charged by the Embassy to process an application for Dual Citizenship.
Address in the United States:
Embassy of Sri Lanka
3025 Whitehaven Street NW,
Washington D.C 20008
TP :202 483 4025, 202 483 4026
Emails :- This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it.
This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it.
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Please mention “Application for Dual Citizenship” on the top left hand corner of the envelope when sending documents to the Embassy by post.
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The required documents will be authenticated by an Authorized official in the Embassy of Sri Lanka in Washington D.C.
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Originals of all the required documents should be submitted along with a set of photocopies of each document.
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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 all documents are in order.
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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.
Period to process the application- The exact time frame cannot be specified because there are many applications being processed. It will depend on how long the Department of Immigration and Emigration takes to process them.
06. Dual Citizenship Fee
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Main Applicant |
US $ 2,000.00 |
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Spouse of Applicant |
US $ 500.00 |
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Unmarried child below 22 years |
US $ 500.00 |
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Fee for issuance of certified copies of certificates issued under Citizenship Act |
LKR 2,000.00 |
The Department of Immigration and Emigration will notify the applicant through e-mail to make the relevant fee. This should be paid in cash or Credit/Debit card (in US Dollars) to the shroff, Citizenship Division, 4th Floor, Department of Immigration and Emigration, “Suhurupaya”, Battaramulla or online payment can be done using the payment link provided on the e-mail (in US Dollars).
The date of making the payment for dual citizenship would be the effective date of the dual citizenship.
7. How to collect the certificate?
Applicant will be notified through e-mail to collect the Certificate from the Department of Immigration and Emigration.
8. Citizenship Status Check
https://eservices.immigration.gov.lk/DualCitVisaStatus/index.faces
9. For further details, please visit:
https://www.immigration.gov.lk/
10. Further information for the attention of the applicants
- Regarding obtaining Dual Citizenship under Section 19(2)
The valid Sri Lankan Passport possessed by the applicants must be submitted to the Mission for cancelling, if it has not been already handed over to the Department of immigration and Emigration.
The existing National Identity Card and the Sri Lankan Passport (used so far) will become invalid with effect from the date of obtaining citizenship of the relevant country.
A new National Identity Card needs to be obtained.
This new National Identity Card needs to be obtained within 06 months from the date of issuing the Dual Citizenship Certificate and an application shall be submitted to the Department for Registration of Persons for the same.
If he/she fails to do so, he/she shall liable to pay a fine of LKR. 2500.00 as he/she shall be guilty of the offence of not submitting a request for obtaining a National Identity card within the prescribed period under the provisions of the Registration of Persons Act, No. 32 of 1968.
Furthermore, in an event the name indicated in the dual citizenship certificate is different to the name stated in the Birth Certificate, the name in the Birth Certificate needs to be amended before applying to obtain the National Identity Card.
2. Regarding obtaining Dual Citizenship under Section 19(3)
Before making the payment of relevant amount (USD 2000 or USD 500) for dual citizenship, a certified copy of the citizenship certificate and the passport issued by the residing country must be sent to the Department of Immigration and Emigration (the email address: This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it.) if he/she has obtained the citizenship of the relevant country.
Under that:
His/her category requested will be changed to 19 (2).Accordingly, further proceedings shall be carried out under the terms of Section 19 (2).Please note that submitting the application to obtain dual citizenship does not mean you are fully eligible to receive dual citizenship. Applicants will not have dual citizenship until their applications are fully processed and the final payment is made. Kindly note that the Minister in Charge has the final authority on granting dual citizenship.
Renunciation of Sri Lankan Citizenship
An applicant who expects to renounce his /her Sri Lankan Citizenship has to forward following documents;
- A letter of request with all contact details of the applicant addressed to Controller General/ Department of Immigration and Emigration, Sri Lanka
- Authenticated copy of the Foreign Passport and Citizenship certificate and a photo copy of the same from the relevant government authority (Eg – Australians – DFAT, New Zealanders – Internal Affairs)
- Original Sri Lankan Dual Citizenship Certificate with a copy
- Original 5(2) Citizenship Certificate ( If available) with a copy
- Original Sri Lankan Passport with a copy
- Original Sri Lankan National Identity Card with a copy
- Original Sri Lankan Birth Certificate
- Duly filled and attested Form K [Click here for Form K]
Processing fee of USD 30.00 will be charged by the Embassy to process an application
Department of Immigration and Emigration, Colombo, Sri Lanka [DG/DIE] will communicate with the applicant directly, after the documents are submitted.
All documents should be submitted through the Embassy or Citizenship Division of Department of Immigration & Emigration by the applicant.
Note – If the application sent via post, Form K should be certified (with an official stamp) by an Honorary Consul of Sri Lanka or a Notary Public.
