Department of Immigration and Emigration Sri Lanka: Direct Application to the Govt, Buy your second citizenship

Our experience with immigration and emigration in Sri Lanka was extremely frustrating. I have done my 30 days visa application online while I was in Australia and it’s came to my email within 5 min. Once I came to Sri Lanka and tried to extend my visa. I have been trying to contact the officer several times and phone is always busy. And I have been sending email and didn’t get any response at all. We trying to do online application and it’s always comes up with error n matter how correct your response are. At the end we have to come to the office. There is not enough staff. People are waiting for hours. and waiting for 6 or 7 hours to grand the visa that took us only 5 min to do only while we are in Australia. This system is really frustrating to foreigners as we coming to Sri Lanka enjoy our time. No wonder why no one wants to stay more than 4 weeks.

The most terrible, ill mannered and disgusting place to ever exist. The “24 hour service” is all bs. I was asked to come and collect my passport (after paying for one day service - Rs. 20,000) and handing over documents only at 5.30 pm (after staying is queues for over 7 hours), and I reached the passport office for collection at 11.45 pm they refused to give my passport and asked me to come back on Monday. When I reached the office the individuals there were leaving already and they said they cannot issue the passport today and that I had to come back on Monday. They were so rude and extremely selfish and impolite. They don’t give a rats ass about the people. It’s like they’re offering a free service. They have absolutely no respect nor decency. If you need to go specifically to the passport issuing floor (1st floor) please make sure to be super rigid and stern to them, or you’ll never get your work done. They act as if they’re doing a social service there it’s absolutely hideous and extremely disorganized. Clearly all the information and details you see online about the passport being issued within one day and how it’s all simple now, is redundant and false. Nothing functions properly. They don’t provide any support. Also the people you see in the pictures are those that were at the premises when I went for the collection, they were upstairs in their office at the time I reached, but still refused to issue the passport to me saying they were leaving and i should’ve come earlier. At the end of the day, after staying in the queue to simply get inside for over 7 hours, standing for almost 12 hours straight and paying LKR 20,000 I still could not get my passport on time. Disappointed, frustrated and disgusted is an understatement.

My experience with the services provided by Immigration and Emigration Sri Lanka was extremely disappointing and frustrating. I tried to extend my tourist visa online, but I did not receive any response, despite following all the steps indicated on their website. I sent numerous emails hoping to get some clarification or a solution, but none of them were answered.I also tried to contact the institution by phone several times, but no one ever answered. Communication with this institution is practically non-existent.In the end, I had to go to their office in person to resolve the issue. There, I was met with total disorganization. The staff seemed overwhelmed, and the process was extremely slow. I waited in line for hours, alongside other equally dissatisfied tourists, without receiving any explanations or support.Additionally, I noticed that some people managed to obtain their visa online, while others, like myself, received no response at all. The website interface is outdated and poorly designed. I even noticed that Romania is listed twice in the country selection menu, which further highlights the lack of attention to detail.The services are far from efficient, and the lack of transparency and professionalism turns the entire visa extension process into a real nightmare for tourists. An institution of such importance, in a country with such great tourism potential, should drastically improve its operations and pay more attention to those seeking their assistance.I strongly advise against relying on the online application – it’s best to prepare for an in-person visit and bring a lot of patience. My experience was truly exasperating.

Service is becoming very good! But on the ground floor, there is very limited information given: for example 1. in the place where birth certificate copies are issued, only one person of a family can stay there, and others have to leave the place including children. But it's not written there. 2. In the National Identify card section, it's showing big boards to show where should we go to get several categorized services! But considering that, if you go to the 9th or 13th floor! Then they will tell me this area is not for the outsides, but it's not mentioned in any of the places. Also in the inside restaurant the service and quality is very poor. We ordered biriyani and got biriyani-type rice with typical Sri Lankan style devel chicken parts and egg (No minchi samball or BBQ chicken! Even though the price is high the quality and the service are unsatisfactory! Regarding other services in this place, I mean the passport office is satisfactory!

I came here several weeks back to register the finger prints as part of renewing my passport online.The process was fast as we arrived by 9.00am.[Update regarding Online Application:As of August 15th 2024. The government wants us to wait till October as the new e-Passport is introduced, so they ask only those who need a passport urgently to apply.Also they have restricted the number of Passports distributed per day. I am not sure of the numbers.You can apply online in normal and urgent categories, most of the time the quota for the Urgent application is finished for the day even at midnight. Urgent costs you 15,000 and will get the passport couriered to you 3 days after finger print. The normal category you will be sent the passport on registered mail 30 days after the finger print ]The One Day service has a huge line.Several things to point out - There is a food court and several small bakeries at the floors - There is a Lost and Found box and seems like many lose their IDs and important Docs here - No power for lifts and Escalators at least for the visitors. -Main entrance is Blocked for public and a board says 'Reserves for Ministers' - There are multiple floors of Car park but not for the public it's for the staff. -There are shops and individuals around the building doing services related to passport applicationNot a pleasant place to be. Better apply online if you have all the important documents that need to be submitted without complications.