BRITISH HIGH COMMISSION

NEWS RELEASE

September 17, 2010

BRITISH HIGH COMMISSION ANNOUNCES CHANGES

TO APPLYING FOR A BRITISH PASSPORT IN SRI LANKA AND THE MALDIVES

COLOMBO, Friday, 17 September, 2010: The British High Commission in Colombo announced that with effect from 15 October, 2010, applications for British passports received in Sri Lanka will be processed and printed in Hong Kong.

Commenting on the change, Mark Gooding, Acting British High Commissioner to Sri Lanka and the Maldives, said, “This change, under which British passport applications from across Asia will be processed in Hong Kong, is part of a global initiative to streamline the UK's overseas passport operation. It is designed to increase efficiency and keep costs down, as well as to improve the security of our passport operation. It will also achieve a high and consistent quality of customer service for British nationals across Asia.”

Under the new arrangements, passport applications will continue to be submitted at the British High Commission in Colombo. A British passport will cost £128.00 for a 32-page passport and £154.50 for the jumbo passport. Customers would also have to pay a courier charge of LKR1200 per application. The target processing time will be four weeks for passport renewals, and customers should allow at least six weeks for first time applications. Emergency Travel Documents (ETD), however, will continue to be issued in Colombo.