සිංහල தமிழ்
ICAO Photographs

Taking photographs of citizens for issuing national identity cards
Only photographs that comply with the International Civil Aviation Organization (ICAO) standards should be used for the issuance of National Identity Cards, according to the regulations of the amended Act No. 08 of 2006 approved by the Parliament on 10.02.2016 in relation to the implementation of the provisions of the Registration of Persons Act No. 32 of 1968.

Photographers who own photographic studios all over the island have been registered with the department and given the necessary software and training to take photographs of individuals in accordance with ICAO standards, in accordance with the conditions and criteria of the Department of Registration of Persons.

Points to be considered while operating a registered studio in the Department of Registration of Persons

    Registration of studios
    Renewal of registration
    Temporary suspension of registration of studios
    Blacklisting of registered studios
    Change of ownership of the studio.
    Changing the business location of the studio.

Registration of Studios

In order to obtain photos that conform to the above standards, studios located all over the island are registered. The fee charged for registration is Rs. 15,000.00.
The application form for registration of studios should be duly completed and forwarded to the Commissioner General for Registration of Persons, Department for Registration of Persons, 10th Floor, Suhurupaya, Battaramulla, along with copies of relevant certificates.

Certificates and other documents required for registration,

  1. Duly completed application
  2. Certified photocopy of the Business Registration Certificate registered as a studio. (Certified by Grama Niladhari or a Justice of the Peace)
  3. Copy of the National Identity Card of the studio owner submitting the application. (Certified by Grama Niladhari or a Justice of the Peace)
  4. To prove the relevant professional qualifications of the applicant (foundation, diploma, degree - along with attested copies of relevant certificates to prove professional qualification)

Renewal of Registration

A fee of Rs.3000.00 will be charged every 2 years for software license renewal from registered studios. The registration can be renewed by making payments online after the software notifies you that the contract period is coming to an end. Renewal can be done by submitting a copy of the bank receipt/slip to the email address (enic.drp@gmail.com) if payment is made through the bank without online payment.

    Following are the many reasons for renewing registration:

  1. Renewal of software licenses given to photo studios once every year (The above renewal fee must be paid.)
  2. In case the studio is temporarily cancelled
  3. In case of transfer of ownership
  4. In case of change of location of studio (in case of change of address)
  5. When the first owner is dead
Temporary cancellation of registration of the studio

When the system detects that photos without ICAO standards are taken and those photos are forwarded to the department, the registration of the studio will be temporarily canceled, and a message will be sent to the studio concerned. A written request must be submitted for renewal of registration. Depending on the nature of the offense, an investigation will be conducted, and based on its results, a decision will be made on temporary cancellation, removal, or blacklisting.

Black List

IIn the event that three temporary cancellations have been made due to several previous mistakes, if the same mistakes are made again, the registration of the photography studio will be canceled or blacklisted after a formal investigation and confirmation.

Change of Ownership

This change of ownership can arise on two occasions

  1. Death of the owner of the registered studio
  2. Transferring ownership of the studio to another person.
When the ownership of the studio changes, the matter should be immediately notified in writing to the Department for Registration of Persons.

Change of Business Location
If the studio is relocated to another place,
In order to operate the studio at the new location, the business registration certificate should be updated according to the change of address along with the lease agreement or rental agreement, and after the changes are made, the studio owner should submit a written request to the department confirming the change of address along with a certified copy thereof.

Minimum requirement List for ICAO studio

General Facts,

  1. After taking the photo, only the Photo Reference Slip issued by the software should be given to the applicant. According to the 18th December 2023 gazette notification, the maximum fee that can be charged from an applicant for obtaining a photograph is Rs.400.00
  2. The photographs taken by the registered photography studios in accordance with ICAO standards will be entered into the department's data system using Photo Studio software. A one-day training workshop will be organized by the project office Affairs on behalf of the department.
  3. A photograph taken by the studio is valid only for a period of 06 months from the date of taking it.