A representative of the High Commission of Sri Lanka in Ottawa provided the following information on the above subject during a telephone interview on 13 October 1992.

Sri Lankan nationals are required to possess birth certificates. Individuals who do not have these certificates in their possession or have lost them may apply for birth certificates to a government department in Colombo regardless of the region of their residence; this also includes the residents of Jaffna. The following department is in charge of issuing birth certificates for Sri Lankan nationals:
The Registrar Department
Registrar General
The Secretariat
Colombo, Sri Lanka

This department has no regional branches.

Nationals of Sri Lanka should have I.D. cards in their possession although many people do not have them. These people, as well as individuals who have lost their cards, may obtain I.D. cards if they produce their birth certificates to the above-mentioned government department which is also in charge of issuing I.D. cards.

Individuals who have lost their passports and wish to apply for new ones are required to contact the Passport Department in Sri Lanka or, if abroad, to contact the nearest Sri Lankan embassy or high commission.

The Coordinator of the Sri Lanka Resource Centre in Oslo (Norway) provided the following information on the above subject during a telephone interview on 9 October 1992.

Birth certificates may or may not be obtained in cases of loss depending on the overall political situation of the region in which an applicant for a new certificate resides. Although it is not a problem to obtain new birth certificates in certain regions such as Colombo, it is difficult to obtain them in Jaffna because many government records have been destroyed as a result of the ongoing civil war.

I. D. cards are difficult to obtain in cases of loss. The process of I.D. card reproduction is "problematic" and takes a long time because the government of Sri Lanka is cautious not to reproduce these cards for applicants without investigation, as these cards can be forged easily.

The two above-mentioned documents are produced by two different sections of the government organization in charge of registration. The source was unable to specify the exact name of this organization.

Passports can be obtained in cases of loss. Individuals who have lost their passports are required to report the loss to the police department. The Passport Department is in charge of issuing passports.

A professor at the University of New Brunswick in Fredericton provided the following information on the above subject during a telephone interview on 9 October 1992.

Not every national of Sri Lanka has a birth certificate in his/her possession as the government of Sri Lanka began to issue them about 75 years ago. In general, people who were born before independence are less likely to possess birth certificates while nationals of Sri Lanka who were born since independence have birth certificates.

I. D. cards and passports can be obtained in cases of loss. However, the process of reproduction of lost documents is long and difficult due to bureaucratic malfunction and the prevailing political situation; that is, the ongoing civil war.

The source was unable to specify which department(s) is (are) in charge of issuing the above-mentioned documents in cases of loss.

Additional and/or corroborating information on the above subject is currently unavailable to the DIRB.

References

High Commission of Sri Lanka, Ottawa. 13 October 1992. Telephone Interview with Representative.

Sri Lanka Resource Centre, Oslo (Norway). 9 October 1992. Telephone Interview with Coordinator.

University of New Brunswick, Fredericton. 9 October 1992. Telephone Interview with Professor.