Overseas Sri Lankans can now obtain birth, marriage, death certificates via e-service

The Ministry of Foreign Affairs, Foreign Employment and Tourism in collaboration with the Registrar General’s Department, has launched a pilot project aimed at helping overseas Sri Lankans to obtain online certified copies of birth, marriage and death certificates through Sri Lankan missions abroad.

The new system provides Sri Lanka’s diplomatic missions access to the e-BMD (electronic Birth, Marriage and Death certificate) database managed by the Registrar General’s Department in Sri Lanka.

Foreign Minister Vijitha Herath launched the project at the Ministry, with Deputy Minister of Foreign Affairs and Foreign Employment Arun Hemachandra, Ministry Secretary Aruni Ranaraja, Registrar General W.R.A.N.S. Wijayasinghe and senior officials from the Presidential Secretariat, Registrar General’s Department and the Ministry in attendance.

Initially, the pilot project will be implemented through Sri Lankan Embassies and Consulates General in Tokyo (Japan), Kuwait, Doha (Qatar), Milan (Italy), Toronto (Canada), Melbourne (Australia), and Dubai (UAE). The Ministry and the Registrar General’s Department plan to expand the service periodically to other Sri Lankan missions worldwide, ensuring more efficient consular services for the Sri Lankan diaspora.

Certified copies of birth, marriage and death certificates are required for various official purposes. This new system allows overseas Sri Lankans to obtain these documents directly from their respective missions abroad, eliminating the need for their representatives in Sri Lanka to request the documents from the Office of the Registrar General on their behalf.

Upon application, authorised Sri Lankan missions will issue certified copies by retrieving the required certificates from the e-BMD database.

Following the virtual launch, Minister Herath said that the project is a significant milestone in Sri Lanka’s digitalization efforts. 

He said that such initiatives should also be extended to the Sri Lankan community abroad, noting that the project, designed and implemented in just two months, reflects the government’s strong commitment to digitalizing public services.

Sri Lankan expatriates in countries where the pilot project is active can now apply for certified copies of birth, marriage, and death certificates by submitting application forms available at the respective missions and posts.