Sri Lanka Passport Photo Requirements: Digital Photo via Authorised Studio, 3.5 x 4.5 cm Abroad, No Glasses

Sri Lanka changed its passport photo process in 2015, and many people still bring prints that the Department of Immigration and Emigration will not take. Here is how it works now — at home and at Sri Lankan missions abroad.

In Sri Lanka: digital photo through an authorised studio

• With effect from 10 August 2015 applicants provide a digital photograph and fingerprints.
• “Printed photographs will no longer be accepted”, the Department says.
• Visit an authorised photo studio (island-wide), or have the photo taken at the Head Office or a Regional Office.
• The studio sends the photo online and gives you a Studio Acknowledgement Note, which you present with the application.
• Only photos taken within 6 months are valid.
• Applying online, you enter the photo’s acknowledgement number; uploaded documents must be JPEG files under 5 MB.

Abroad: the printed photo specification

Applications through Sri Lankan missions overseas can be made without the digital photograph and fingerprints. The Embassy in Stockholm publishes the “Specifications of the Sri Lankan Passport Photographs”:

Face and light

• Eyes open; no hair over the face, forehead or ears; looking straight, centred, neutral expression.
• Natural skin tone, no over- or under-exposure, uniform light without shadows on the face or behind, no red-eye.
• Head coverings or ornaments must not obscure the face; no other people or objects.

Photos that do not match are liable to be rejected and may delay the application. Our Sri Lanka passport photo tool makes the 3.5 x 4.5 cm print for applications abroad.