Sri Lanka eases rule for kids' passport

COLOMBO: The citizenship certificate is no more a prerequisite to apply for separate passports for Sri Lankan children born outside their home country, according to a new decision taken by the immigration authorities of Sri Lanka.

An embassy official in the United Arab Emirates (UAE) told Lankapuvath that immigration authorities back home had agreed to issue passports for children born in the UAE, whose applications for citizenship were still pending with the authorities.

As per the Citizenship Act of Sri Lanka, children born outside the country have to first obtain a citizenship certificate before applying for passports."

After the UAE introduced the new regulation to have separate passports for children from some countries including Sri Lanka, a lot of applications still remain unprocessed due to the delay in getting their citizenship certificates.

Many families were finding it difficult to leave for Sri Lanka or plan their vacations abroad," said the embassy official

- Lankapuvath