Dual citizens, those married abroad exempt from new rule
27 Dec 2021
Dual citizens, those married abroad exempt from new rule
27 Dec 2021
Lankans who gave up citizenship now seeking to marry Lankans under SL law affected
BY Pamodi WaravitaThe new circular issued by the Registrar General’s Department, mandating a “Security Clearance Report” by the Defence Ministry prior to a marriage between a foreigner and a Sri Lankan citizen will not affect those holding dual citizenship status or those who opt to marry under the law of another country.“Dual citizens (a person who holds a Sri Lankan citizenship status, along with the citizenship of another country) can marry a Sri Lankan citizen without this circular affecting them. This circular will also not affect dual citizens when they marry a foreign citizen. Sri Lankan citizens who choose to marry foreign citizens under the laws of another country will not be affected by this either,” an official at the Registrar General’s Department told The Morning yesterday (27).However, they added that if a former Sri Lankan citizen (one who has given up their Sri Lankan citizenship status) wishes to marry a Sri Lankan citizen under the Sri Lankan law, this circular will affect them as they will be considered foreign citizens.“Last year, 143,061 marriages were registered under the Registrar General’s Department, of which 126,000 of them were general marriages. Only about 0.1% of the total number of marriages constitutes those between foreigners and Sri Lankan citizens,” the official added.Print media reported last week that the aforementioned circular, which will come into effect from 1 January 2022, has mandated a “Security Clearance Report” from the Defence Ministry and health declaration forms from the foreign citizens before they marry a Sri Lankan citizen. Registrar General W.M.M.B. Weerasekara had told the media over the weekend that the circular was drafted on the instructions of the Defence Ministry, as the authorities have seen foreigners marry Sri Lankan citizens for “ulterior motives” such as drug trafficking and money laundering. He had added that this circular would ensure national security and had noted that investigations into the Easter Sunday terror attacks have also revealed that loopholes that exist in the present marriage registration procedure were used to the advantage of certain parties. The Morning’s attempts to contact Weerasekara for further details proved futile.Prime Minister’s Co-ordinating Secretary Geethanath Cassilingham Tweeted on 26 December that Defence Ministry officials had informed him that the need for this circular arose as a result of the increasing number of foreigners who arrive in Sri Lanka on a spousal visa in order to conduct illegal activities.“Some of these scams include drug rackets and fraud conducted through social media. Often, it is poor women who are the target of such marriages. Even in the Easter Sunday Presidential Commission’s report it was recommended to get clearance for foreigners to marry locals to prevent extremists from entering Sri Lanka,” he said.
