Sri Lanka Police has temporarily suspended online applications for Police Clearance Certificates while essential maintenance is carried out on its computer system.
There is currently no confirmed date for the online service to resume. In the meantime, Police has introduced a temporary application procedure and three 24 hour telephone lines for people who need assistance. For foreigners living in Sri Lanka, or anyone who needs a Sri Lankan Police Clearance Certificate for a visa, immigration, employment or another official process, this means the normal online application route is currently unavailable.
How to apply while the online system is unavailable
Applicants currently in Sri Lanka can submit their application through their nearest police station.
The application form can be downloaded from the Sri Lanka Police website. Under the temporary procedure, applicants should complete the form and take it to the police station together with the required identification documents.
The current instructions require:
• National Identity Card
• Passport
• Birth certificate
• Affidavit where there is a difference between the name on the National Identity Card and passport
The application fee is Rs. 5,000, which is paid at the police station, and a cash receipt should be issued for the payment.
Applicants who previously used the temporary email submission method have also been instructed to use the police station procedure instead. Applications no longer need to be sent to the previously provided email address.
What if you are a foreign national outside Sri Lanka?
Foreign nationals who are currently outside Sri Lanka can submit their Police Clearance Certificate application through the Sri Lankan embassy in the country where they are located. It is advisable to contact the relevant embassy before submitting the application to confirm its current procedure and document requirements.
New 24 hour helplines
Sri Lanka Police Headquarters has opened three dedicated telephone lines for questions and problems relating to Police Clearance Certificate applications.
The numbers are:
071 859 5946
071 859 5947
071 859 5948
The lines operate 24 hours a day through the Special Operations Room at Police Headquarters.
Does this affect Digital Nomad Visa applicants?
Sri Lanka’s Digital Nomad Visa requires applicants to provide a recent Police Clearance Certificate from their home country or country of residence.
Therefore, the suspension does not automatically affect every Digital Nomad Visa applicant.
For example, if you live in the UK and are obtaining your Police Clearance Certificate through the appropriate UK authorities, the temporary problem with Sri Lanka’s online system does not change that process.
It becomes relevant to a Digital Nomad Visa applicant who needs a Sri Lankan Police Clearance Certificate, including someone for whom Sri Lanka is the relevant country of residence or where such a certificate has specifically been requested.
Applicants should therefore first establish which country’s Police Clearance Certificate they are required to provide rather than assuming that applying for a Sri Lankan visa automatically means obtaining the certificate from Sri Lanka Police.
What should applicants do now?
If you specifically need a Sri Lankan Police Clearance Certificate, there is no need to wait for the online system to return. Applications are currently being accepted through police stations in Sri Lanka, while foreign nationals outside the country can use the relevant Sri Lankan embassy. Anyone experiencing problems with the temporary process can contact one of the three new 24 hour Police helplines. As no date has yet been announced for restoration of the online system, anyone working to a visa or immigration deadline should allow additional time for obtaining the certificate.
