The long queues that had persisted for several months outside the Department of Immigration and Emigration to obtain passports have finally ended today (6 November) with the government’s introduction of an online appointment system. No queue was seen outside the passport office today.

At the weekly Cabinet media briefing, Minister Vijitha Herath explained that, due to an agreement made by the previous government with the passport supplier, it was not possible to import the full required quantity of passports in one shipment.

As a result, passports are being delivered in batches: 50,000 in October, 100,000 by the end of November, and another 100,000 by the end of December, he stated.

Herath noted that the previous arrangement required staggered delivery, preventing the import of the entire 750,000 passports at once. He acknowledged the inconvenience caused to the public and emphasized the government’s efforts to address the issue.

“Since midnight yesterday (5), many people have applied for passports on an urgent basis. With the online system in place, there is no queue for passports,” Herath said.

He added, “The November passport appointments are now scheduled in advance and will be processed as per the issued tokens. For new applicants, the online system is now available to book an appointment, and we have provided solutions to the situation.”