Passport under Scrutiny: UK Incident Raises issues Over SL’s New Travel Documents
An allegation that a former Sri Lankan Parliamentarian was detained and questioned by UK immigration authorities over difficulties reading his new passport has opened a new front in the country’s long-running passport crisis.
SJB MP Mujibur Rahman raised the issue in Parliament, claiming British officials were unable to properly read the document and consequently suspected that it could be fraudulent. He also questioned the physical quality of the new 48-page passport, alleging that immigration stamps could bleed through the pages and that Sri Lankan travellers had encountered difficulties overseas.
The claims, however, remain allegations. No publicly disclosed finding by British authorities has established that Sri Lanka’s current passport series contains a systemic technical defect.
The Department of Immigration and Emigration has strongly rejected the suggestion of a widespread quality problem. Controller General Chaminda Pathiraja said more than 1.2 million of the new passports had been issued since late 2024 without any formal complaint or inquiry from a foreign government authority or passport holder.
“If there was such a widespread defect, we would reasonably expect complaints,” Pathiraja said, pointing to the large number of passports already in circulation. He also defended the supplier, Thales, describing it as an international company that supplies passports to other countries.
Hitherto the absence of formal complaints does not, by itself, answer every question raised by Rahman. A single passport failing to scan could result from damage to that document, a machine-readable problem, inspection equipment, or another individual circumstance. Establishing whether the cause lies with the passport series requires technical examination of the particular document.
International interoperability is governed by standards established by the International Civil Aviation Organization (ICAO), particularly Doc 9303. These requirements cover the Machine-Readable Zone, document construction, security features and, for electronic passports, chip-based authentication and biometric information.
There is currently no publicly available ICAO determination declaring Sri Lanka’s current passport series non-compliant.
The physical concerns nevertheless warrant scrutiny. Passport pages must withstand repeated handling, scanning and stamping. Ink visible through a page does not automatically constitute an ICAO violation, but widespread bleeding could raise legitimate questions about durability and material specifications.
The reduction from 64 pages to 48 has added another layer to the controversy. While a smaller booklet is not inherently non-compliant, frequent travellers may have less space for visas and physical immigration stamps. The unchanged Rs. 6,000 fee has consequently prompted questions about value for money.
The controversy is particularly significant because the passport was introduced during a supply crisis. Sri Lanka had faced severe shortages in 2024 as stocks dwindled and the planned e-passport transition stalled.
The Government subsequently procured 750,000 machine-readable passports from Thales DIS Finland Oy as an interim measure.
The central question now is not simply whether one passport encountered difficulty at a foreign border. It is whether Sri Lanka can demonstrate, through transparent and independent testing, that the passports already in circulation consistently meet the technical, security and durability requirements expected of an international travel document.
Until such evidence is publicly established, competing claims will continue to leave passport holders caught between official assurances and unanswered questions.
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