• Govt. set to procure e-passports
• Attorney General raises no objections

The 24-hour passport issuance service introduced to clear a backlog of applications will likely be discontinued next month as operations at the Department of Immigration and Emigration return to normal, according to Minister of Public Security and Parliamentary Affairs Ananda Wijepala.

Speaking to The Sunday Morning, Wijepala stated that the extended service had helped streamline passport issuance, alleviating long queues and delays.

“The 24-hour service has assisted in normalising the backlog and now we notice that things are returning to normal. We are still continuing the 24-hour service and we will observe the situation for another month. If things return to normal, we will return to the standard eight-hour service,” he said.

The Minister noted that the final decision on scaling back services would also depend on the opening of the Immigration and Emigration Office in Jaffna.

Reassuring the public, Wijepala confirmed that the current passport issuance process was functioning efficiently. “Everything is being handled smoothly. There are no queues at the Passport Office any longer,” he said.

Meanwhile, the ministry is set to take the next step towards modernising travel documents, with plans to advertise for the procurement of e-passports next week.

While an official launch date is yet to be confirmed, Wijepala indicated that if all went according to plan, e-passports may begin to be issued by as early as December this year.

He noted that further technical details would be provided by the Controller General and assured that the Attorney General (AG) had raised no objections regarding the importation of e-passports.

“What is happening to the case is only known to the courts. However, we have consulted the AG and it has been confirmed that there will be no issue in setting up the order to purchase e-passports. We have therefore taken the initiative to plan around it and we are now prepared to take the next step,” he added.