Sri Lankans to get chip-enabled e-passports by end 2024

The Government will roll out the long-awaited e-passports, equipped with biometric chips compliant with the latest International Civil Aviation Organisation (ICAO) standards by the end of this year, Department of Immigration and Emigration sources confirmed.

After almost an 8-year delay, the e-passport project has now been re-activated following the recent closing of bids from eligible bidders for the procurement to supply five million e-passports to the department.

The tender also included the required software update to implement the new system, the department’s tender notice published on November 9, 2023 indicated.

“The chosen supplier will need several months to formulate the system, so we are hoping to start implementing this e-passport project by the last quarter of this year,” an official of the department said.

According to specifications the e-passport will have a microchip inserted to the existing passport with additional bio data as well as biometric data – fingerprints and a standardised photograph – of the holder.

Minister of Public Security Tiran Alles considering the high cost and complaints from other reputed suppliers relating to high eligibility criteria and unwanted security features, cancelled the previous notice of Expression of Interest (EOI) for the supply of ‘e-Passports’ in August last year and called for this fresh tender on November 9.

A senior ministry official said that more than 700,000 e-passports should be issued per year and it will cost about US$15 million.