- AG clears tender despite court cases
- E-passport rollout set for Dec.
- Biometric passports to meet global standards
The Government has decided to proceed with the controversial tender originally awarded under the previous administration led by former President Ranil Wickremesinghe to the consortium of Thales and Just In Time Technologies for the procurement of e-passports, it is learnt.
The decision was confirmed yesterday (24) by Public Security and Parliamentary Affairs Minister Ananda Wijepala, with the Government preparing for the full rollout of biometric passports later this year.
Wijepala stated that the Attorney General (AG) had granted clearance for the procurement to continue, despite ongoing court proceedings.
“We are proceeding with the same tender that was issued by the previous Government, which includes specific Public Key Infrastructure (PKI) requirements for the software,” he said.
“We are currently in the process of procuring the software. No steps will be taken that will conflict with the matters currently before the courts.”
The contract, initially awarded to the consortium of Thales and Just In Time Technologies, is to remain in effect. The consortium had been selected to produce the e-passports prior to delays caused by legal challenges.
Under the agreement, the suppliers are expected to deliver up to five million passports. So far, the Government has procured 750,000 Machine-Readable Passports (MRPs) under the same tender.
Wijepala noted that an additional 400,000 passports were expected to be ordered in order to ensure sufficient stock as the transition to e-passports accelerated.
“We currently issue an average of 4,000 passports per day, which amounts to approximately 80,000 per month,” he said. “We are planning to purchase around 400,000 more passports to maintain continuity and avoid shortages as we phase in the new system.”
The full implementation of the e-passport system is expected to begin in December. The new biometric passports will replace traditional MRPs and will feature embedded chips containing facial recognition and fingerprint data, in line with international standards set by the International Civil Aviation Organization (ICAO). Authorities hope the upgraded system will enhance border security and streamline immigration procedures for Sri Lankan citizens.
Wijepala also noted that the 24-hour passport issuance service, which was temporarily introduced to address a backlog in applications, would soon be discontinued. “The demand has now normalised and regular operations have resumed,” he said.
The e-passport initiative marks a major step in modernising Sri Lanka’s travel documentation infrastructure, following years of delays and procurement controversy.