The Department of Immigration and Emigration earns between Rs. 3 billion and Rs. 5 billion a month from issuing passports, Deputy Controller and Media Spokesman of the Department, Mahesh Karunadasa, has said.
Briefing the media, Karunadasa said a passport could be obtained within four hours of submitting an application. Under the one-day service, 1,500–2,000 passports were issued daily, while under normal service around 1,000 passports wereissued aday. In total, 4,000–5,000 passports were issued daily on average, he noted.
Applicants pay Rs. 20,000 for the one-day service and Rs. 10,000 for the normal service. Karunadasa cautioned that discrepancies in National Identity Cards or birth certificates could cause delays, and urged applicants to ensure their documents were accurate and legible before applying.
He further said that since individuals who obtained NICs at 16 could undergo physical changes over the years, passports are issued with a 10-year validity.
By Chaminda Silva