Passport issuance limited for two months ahead of e-passport launch: Minister

By Chaturanga Pradeep Samarawickrama  

When asked about the issue, Public Security Minister  Tiran Alles told the Daily Mirror that passport issuance has been  limited for the next two months in preparation for the country’s first  issuance of e-passports.   

He said that there are numerous technical and logistical  issues to address before the e-passports arrive in mid-October. Until  then, the department must manage the existing stock.  
However, the immigration department is issuing passports to individuals with urgent travel needs, he said.  

Minister Alles also said that in the past, only 30 per cent of issued passports were used, with the rest being obtained for  safekeeping. Currently, the department is issuing 1,000 passports per  day to meet urgent requirements.  

The department is making every effort to begin issuing  e-passports by mid-October. If the e-passport system is not ready by  then, normal passports will continue to be issued to applicants.