• Govt. sets sights on Feb. 2026 rollout but says delays expected
• Technical, financial evaluations of bids completed

Sri Lanka’s long-delayed e-passport programme, a project intended to modernise the country’s travel documentation and strengthen border security, has once again been pushed back, with authorities now setting their sights on early 2026 for the official rollout.

However, they are doing it without a targeted timeline.

The Department of Immigration and Emigration says the delay stems primarily from procurement complexities and legal challenges, while temporary measures are being used to prevent shortages of existing passports.

For the past few years, officials had described the e-passport as a crucial step forward, designed to align Sri Lanka’s passport system with international standards through the use of biometric data and improved security features. 

However, the project has repeatedly stalled. Initial projections to launch in October 2024 were later shifted to December 2024 following a case filed and still ongoing before the Supreme Court. The timeline for the rollout was then postponed to December 2025 by the new Government and later postponed to February 2026 once again.

Speaking to The Sunday Morning, Minister of Public Security and Parliamentary Affairs Ananda Wijepala stated: “We wanted to complete the tender process by October 2025, and we hoped to resolve other matters and prepare for the rollout by February 2026. It is not October yet and the tender process is still ongoing. We anticipate that the issues will be resolved so that we may move for the rollout by February, but the process may encounter delays.”

Also speaking to The Sunday Morning, Department of Immigration and Emigration Controller General Chaminda Pathiraja acknowledged the challenges but maintained that the target for rollout remained achievable if procurement moved ahead without further disruption.

Procurement delay

At the centre of the e-passport delay is the procurement of the Public Key Infrastructure (PKI) system, a technology that enables secure storage and personalisation of biometric data in electronic passports. Pathiraja explained that this component was the most critical requirement before e-passports could be issued.

“The key requirement for issuing e-passports is a PKI system,” he said. “We are currently in the tender process to procure this. The procurement documents have been published, we have received bids, and the technical and financial evaluations have been completed by the Bid Evaluation Committee.”

The next stage, he noted, was approval from the High-Level Procurement Committee (HLPC). “Once approved, we will follow standard procurement procedures. We hope to sign an agreement with the selected bidder by the end of October or mid-November. After that, the bidder will need time to deliver the hardware and software solutions before we can start issuing e-passports,” Pathiraja said.

The tender process for the PKI system has already drawn attention for its extensions. Originally expected to close earlier this year, the bid submission deadline was extended multiple times. Previous media publications characterised these as delays, but Pathiraja rejected that description.

“It wasn’t a delay or postponement,” he clarified. “It was part of the standard procurement procedure. We made amendments to the documents at the request of potential bidders. The process is moving forward as planned,” he added.

Shortages and interim supplies

Minister Wijepala also weighed in on the delays. “The tender process is continuing. When a tender process is getting delayed, what can we do? All the problems have to be resolved. The problem is that when a tender process is going on, there are bound to be complaints and other matters that need to be considered before choosing the successful bidder,” he said.

He stressed that the Government must follow due process rather than rush, noting: “Sometimes these things take time. I think February is still an achievable target, but when problems happen, we need to resolve them first before proceeding to the next stage. This is how we have to do it instead of rushing into something that will become a headache later.”

The Minister referred to a previous instance of the tender process which involved a legal challenge to the tender award for five million e-passports. A losing bidder successfully obtained a court injunction over allegations of irregularities that were seen to favour the consortium of Thales-Just in Time Technologies (JITT). This legal dispute, along with administrative delays, led to a depletion of the national passport stock, resulting in significant queues and delays for applicants at the Immigration Department.

Upon taking office, Wijepala had sought and received clearance from the Attorney General and the Court of Appeal to lift the injunction specifically to allow the emergency procurement of an additional stock of Machine-Readable Passports (MRPs) from the previously awarded supplier, Thales-JITT. This decision enabled the Government to resume normal passport issuance. It also facilitated the establishment of a temporary 24-hour passport issuance system at the Immigration Department’s Suhurupaya office.

Pathiraja confirmed that an order had been placed for a large stock of MRPs to ensure continuity. “Yes, we have sufficient passport booklets. We have an existing agreement to purchase 1.1 million MRPs and the supplier is delivering them. This supply will continue until we are ready to switch to e-passports,” he said.

He added that the company would supply both MRPs and e-passport booklets during the transition. “We are required to give the company six months’ notice to stop printing MRPs. In parallel, it will begin supplying e-passport booklets,” he explained. He rejected the notion that a shortage may arise in the near future.

E-visa controversy

The controversial shift of Sri Lanka’s e-visa services to a private company, followed by public outcry and the arrest of a former Controller General over alleged irregularities, ultimately led the Government to revert to the old system.

On this matter, Pathiraja was cautious. “The matter is now before the courts. There are several investigations ongoing, including a special audit by the Auditor General. As the issue is sub judice, we cannot comment further,” he said.

Minister Wijepala took a similar line, declining to weigh in on matters before the Judiciary. “[Former Controller General of Immigration and Emigration] Harsha Illukpitiya was interdicted and arrested. But that is a matter for the courts. I don’t wish to comment on the matters of the courts,” he said.

When asked if the private company in question was claiming damages for the cancellation, Pathiraja replied: “We don’t have that information yet.”

Future decisions on an e-visa system, he noted, would depend entirely on judicial outcomes. “Any future decisions will depend on the outcomes of the court proceedings. We must wait for the judicial process to conclude,” he said.

E-gates set for launch

While e-passports remain some distance away, one digital reform is close to being rolled out: automated immigration clearance through electronic gates, or e-gates, at the Bandaranaike International Airport.

According to Pathiraja, the system is already undergoing a test run. “Regarding the e-gates we have installed at the airport, they are currently in a test run. We expect to officially launch them at the end of November or the beginning of December,” he said.

The system will allow passengers to bypass traditional immigration counters. “It’s an automated technology used in many international airports. Passengers will no longer be required to go to immigration counters for clearance. They will be able to clear immigration directly through the electronic gates. Our officers will be stationed in the area for oversight, but the clearance process itself will be automated,” he explained.

Looking ahead

Pathiraja insisted the e-passport project was on track. “We are continuing our work on the e-passport project. It is on track,” he said. 

“We hope to finalise the procurement process in the coming weeks, sign the agreement by late October to mid-November, and then move to implementation. If everything goes smoothly, we are targeting a rollout in early 2026,” he added, nevertheless declining to comment on whether the February 2026 target rollout for the e-passports was likely.

Minister Wijepala similarly noted that while the process had been slow, it must be thorough.