The Department of Immigration and Emigration has introduced an online appointment booking facility for members of the public seeking to obtain passports through its regional offices, NewsFirst reported on Tuesday.

The department said the public will be able to access the system and reserve appointments from the 29th. Applicants are to visit the Department of Immigration and Emigration’s website to book a date and time for their visit.

Five regional offices are covered by the service: Kandy, Jaffna, Kurunegala, Vavuniya and Matara.

The department added that the booking system does not apply to passports obtained from its Battaramulla head office, which remains outside the new arrangement.

The announcement applies only to the five named regional offices. The department did not set out what changes for applicants who book a slot, beyond reserving a date and time in advance of their visit.

Not reported

The filing does not state the month of the “29th”, although the announcement was published on 27 October and the date falls within the same week. It does not give the web address of the booking facility, state whether booking becomes mandatory or remains optional for regional offices, say how far in advance slots can be reserved, or indicate how many appointments each office will issue per day. It also does not say whether the facility replaces or sits alongside existing appointment arrangements, nor whether the Battaramulla head office will be brought into the system later.

No other verified Sri Lankan newsroom had filed on the announcement at the time of writing.

Sources