Effective November 6
Could be obtained from Dept’s website
Public can call Dept’s hotline 1962
A new online system to obtain passports through tokens which will be effective from Wednesday, November 6, has been announced by the Department of Immigration and Emigration using their official website.
Addressing the media at a press conference at the Public Security Ministry auditorium yesterday (4), Acting Controller General of Immigration and Emigration Nilusha Balasooriya said that the public can make reservations and obtain personal tokens to allocate a date to obtain passports using their National Identity Card (NIC) numbers.
She said that since it will take time until end of November for the department to cover the backlog of existing bookings to issue new passports, the dates for obtaining appointments through online tokens to obtain passports will be available from December 01, via the Immigration and Emigration Department’s official website.
Balasooriya said that decision has been made by the Department to implement and commence the new online system to issue tokens to obtain passports through the official website from Wednesday, November 6, in order to not disappoint those who will visit the passport office today (5) and having considered the people who have arrived from distant areas and are standing in a queue outside the Department and also to give sufficient time for the public to be aware of the new method of issuing passports.
The Acting Controller General said that the portal to obtain tokens for passport appointments can be found on the left side of the Immigration and Emigration Department’s official website under the category ‘Register to apply for a passport’ and any person can book a date online at any time of the day from anywhere using a smartphone or computer with internet facility.
Balasooriya said that a limited number of tokens will be issued each day to allow people to make prior reservations to obtain passports and if the quota for that date has been already fully booked, then the applicant can choose the next available date from the online system to make the reservation.
She cautioned applicants not to get caught by any impersonators claiming to represent the Immigration and Emigration Department to obtain tokens through this new online system. Any such bogus tokens will be rejected and would cause further delay in obtaining their passports as a result.
The Acting Controller General informed the public to avoid visiting the Department of Immigration and Emigration after November 6 to book a date to obtain passports due to the implementation of the new online booking system which will be launched from November 6.
Balasooriya further said that those who need to obtain passports on urgent basis before the available date to reserve an appointment online need to still go ahead and reserve the earliest available date to confirm that they have a token appointment booking and visit the Department prior with the required documentary proof of emergency departure from the country and that an independent committee has been established at the Department to validate the issuance of passport on emergency basis.
However, if fake documents are furnished to obtain a passport on an emergency basis, the Department will take legal action against such individuals, she said.
The Acting Controller General said that any person having difficulty obtaining an online token due to technical issues or need to receive further information can call the Government Information Centre on ‘1919’ or the Department of Immigration and Emigration Information Centre on ‘1962’.
Balasooriya further said that since this online token system to book appointments to obtain passports is still running as a pilot project, the public is requested to provide any type of suggestions to the Department to improve the system to provide an efficient service.
She said that currently there are some 33,000 new passports remaining from the existing batch of 50,000 and by end of November and end of December the Department is due to receive in batches a total of new passports up to 750,000. She further said that a new procurement plan will be implemented by the Department as well to purchase more new passports to ease the rush in demand for new passports.
The post Immigration Dept. launches online token system to issue passports appeared first on DailyNews.