According to the Third Secretary of the Sri Lanka High Commission in Ottawa, a Sri Lankan must prove citizenship in order to be issued a passport (15 Mar. 1996). If an individual does not submit a National Identity Card (NIC), citizenship can still be proved with a birth certificate or a citizenship certificate, and the individual can be granted a passport (ibid.). The Third Secretary further stated that if no NIC is produced, the NIC number will not appear in the passport; however, a passport without an NIC number is still valid (ibid.).

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

Sri Lanka High Commission, Ottawa. 15 March 1996. Telephone interview with the Third Secretary.
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