In a 1 December 2006 interview with the Research Directorate, an official at the High Commission of the Democratic Socialist Republic of Sri Lanka in Ottawa provided the following information on specific features of the National Identity Card (NIC):

Date of issue

The date of issue of the NIC has six digits: two digits indicating the year, followed by two digits indicating the month, followed by two digits indicating the day, separated with dashes or dots (i.e., yy-mm-dd). Sri Lanka began issuing NICs in 1972; therefore, no date of issue should precede 1972. The date of issue on the NIC has been six digits long since 1972. The date of issue is handwritten on the NIC by an employee of Sri Lanka's Department of Registration of Persons.

Other features of the front of the card

The NIC is a laminated card with a yellow background. At the top of the card on the front side, the Sri Lankan emblem appears with the word "Sri Lanka" in Sinhalese written above it. All of the information on the front of the NIC is in Sinhalese, the official language of the Sri Lankan government.

The NIC identity card number appears directly below the Sri Lankan emblem. The first two digits of the identity card number indicate the year of birth of the cardholder, while the remaining digits are "security digits" assigned by the Department of Registration of Persons. The digits are followed by a letter, either "V" or "X." Cards with a "V" are issued to individuals aged 16 years and over, while cards with an "X" are usually issued to individuals under the age of 16 years. Cards with an "X" are generally issued to students who use the card as an identity document while writing exams; however, these cards are not very common. Once a person holding a card with an "X" turns 16, he or she must apply for a NIC with a "V."

Below the identity card number a black and white photograph of the cardholder appears. Underneath the picture, to the left of the card, the six-digit date of issue appears, and to the right of the card, the signature of the Commissioner of Registration of Persons appears. Along the bottom of the front of the card the name of the Act under which the NIC was issued is written.

In the top right corner, a faded number should appear. This number indicates whether the card is the cardholder's original card, or whether it is a replacement card. For example, if the card is the original, then the number "1" appears. If the holder has lost his or her card and had a second card issued to him or her, then a "2" appears on the card. No information as to whether there is a maximum number of cards that the Sri Lankan government will issue was provided.

A horizontal green line appears across the front and back of cards issued after 1990.

Features of the back of the card

All cardholder information on the back of the NIC is filled in by hand by an employee of the Department of Registration of Persons. The first line on the back of the card is for the cardholder's "regular" name, while the second line is for the cardholder's other names or "nicknames." The third line on the back of the NIC is for the sex of the cardholder; however, this line may not always be filled out. Below this line, the date of birth and the place of birth of the cardholder appear. The date of birth has eight digits: four digits indicating the year, followed by two digits indicating the month, followed by two digits indicating the day, separated by dashes or dots (i.e., yyyy-mm-dd).

Below the date of birth and place of birth a line appears indicating the occupation of the cardholder; this information may not always be filled out. The permanent address of the cardholder is located directly below this.

On the bottom left of the back of the card is a serial number issued by the Department of Registration of Persons. No further information on the serial number was provided.

This Response was prepared after researching publicly accessible information currently available to the Research Directorate within time constraints. This Response is not, and does not purport to be, conclusive as to the merit of any particular claim for refugee protection.

Sri Lanka. 1 December 2006. High Commission of the Democratic Socialist Republic of Sri Lanka, Ottawa, Canada. Interview with an official.