In the event that a holder of a National Identity card requests an English translation of the National Identity card confirming the information on the National Identity card issued by the Department for Registration of Persons, the information on the National Identity card will be translated and provided.

Documents to be submitted to obtain English translations of National Identity cards

    National Identity card (undamaged clear National Identity card should be provided)
    The form in which the information of the National Identity card is recorded.
    Receipt obtained by paying Rs.2000/- to the cashier counter of the head office of the Department for Registration of Persons for translation of the National Identity card into English.

It is possible to obtain English translations of the National Identity card from the B Wing on the 09th floor of the Head Office of the Department for Registration of Persons, and it is mandatory for the holder of the National Identity card to be present for this purpose. In the event that the holder of the National Identity card is unable to come due to some special reason, the letter of English translation of the National Identity card could be obtained by providing a letter of authorization given to mother, father, spouse, siblings or the legal guardian.


This opportunity is provided by the Department when a special request is made by any institution or Government Department or when a request is made from the Commissioner General by the Divisional Secretariats.


The Department for Registration of Persons is delegated with the authority of confirming the accuracy of information in the National Identity Card by Section 39 of the Registration of Persons Act No. 32 of 1968, as amended by the Registration of Persons (Amendment) Act No. 8 of 2016. A written request must be made to the Commissioner General for the Registration of Persons, in order to obtain this service.

Accordingly, computerized National Identity Card information is provided through an online method to the authorities under agreement with the Department, upon the consent of the National Identity Card holder. In this process, the Department issues a monthly invoice to the relevant institution, including the fee payable based on the number of requests submitted for information confirmation.

In the event that an individual is informed by a financial institution or any other organization while providing service requirements that the relevant person’s National Identity Card information is not available in the departmental data system, an inquiry canbe made to the Department in this regard.

In this regard, to verify the accuracy of the National Identity Card issued to the individual, the National Identity Card issued by the Department to the applicant for the last time and the original copy of his/her birth certificate (bearing the signature and official seal of the Additional District Registrar), along with a contact telephone number, should be forwarded to the Number Confirmation Branch of the Department via the email address niclookup.ccu@drp.lk. In instances where forwarding through email is not possible, these documents may be submitted to the Provincial Offices of the Department for Registration of Persons or Regional Offices, established at the nearest Divisional Secretariat.

After checking the submitted identity cards and documents, subject to departmental criteria, and also taking into consideration the expected service, uploading those National Identity Cards into the system will be considered. The identity card must be physically presented for system uploading, and requests involving identity cards that are damaged, unclear, discoloured, or altered by the applicant will be rejected.

Inquiries
Head of Branch - Number Confirmation Division
Telephone : 011 5226164
E-mail : niclookup.ccu@drp.lk


In the process of issuing National Identity cards to Sri Lankan citizens, when a person has applied to amend the National Identity card in possession or to obtain a duplicate of a lost National Identity card, or when receiving services using the National Identity card issued to the applicant, or when the following issues are detected, the relevant application will be dealt with promptly and correction will be done.

    The same National Identity card number issued to two persons
    National Identity card issued with a number that does not match the date of birth or gender, due to an error of the department.
    In cases where the applicant has been notified by a financial organization or any other institution to get the accuracy of the National Identity card checked.
    Whenever there is a requirement for verification of the National Identity card numbers of deceased persons, the relevant number verification letter is issued by the number verification branch of the Department for Registration of Persons.

Documents required for obtaining National Identity card number verification letters

    Request of the relevant person for a number verification letter from the Department.
    National Identity card issued for the last time.
    Birth Certificate
    Documents such as passport, driver’s license, bank passbook, employee provident fund records, etc. as acceptable written evidence for the use of the last issued national Identity card number.
    All the documents and records mentioned under the instructions for verification of National Identity card numbers of deceased persons, in the case of an inquiry made by the relatives after a death

Note:

  1. It is mandatory for the individual to have the last issued National Identity card, and if the National Identity card is lost, damaged, defaced or the information is unclear, the person should submit the request for number verification letter subsequent to obtaining a duplicate of the identity card.
  2. In cases where the National Identity card verification has to be submitted to foreign missions on requirements of individuals, since the letter of verification of National Identity card number has to be issued in a trilingual format as per the agreement with the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, the National Identity card should have been obtained as a smart card.
  3. Also, on all occasions, the holder of the National Identity card and, in cases of verification of National Identity card number of a deceased person, the next of kin of the deceased should submit a request for obtaining number verification letter to the department, and an authorized person with the recommendation of the relevant Grama Niladhari can come to the department for special reasons such as disability/sickness.
  4. A fee of Rs. 500/- should be paid to the government for confirmation of the National Identity card number of a deceased person.

Steps should be taken to handover the National Identity cards of deceased persons to the Department for Registration of Persons or the Divisional Secretariat.

It is stated in Registration of Persons Regulation No.16 of 2017 regarding the National Identity cards of deceased persons.
National Identity cards of deceased persons should be surrendered to the department or to the Registration of Persons division at the Divisional Secretariat.

Handing over the National Identity cards of deceased persons to the department

Following documents are required when handing over the National Identity cards of deceased persons to the Operations Division of the Head Office.
    National Identity card of the deceased along with 03 photocopies
    Certified photocopy of death certificate
    03 completed forms of D.R.P./OP/01/3

Acceptance of National Identity cards of deceased persons by the Divisional Secretariat

If the National Identity card is available,

    National Identity card of the deceased person
    Annexure 01 formobtained from a relative of the deceased party.
    The form referred to in 2 above, following certification by the Registrar of Deaths, also certified by the Grama Niladhari.

In cases where the National Identity card is lost,
Accordingly,
    Police report
    Annexure Form 02 obtained from a relative of the deceased party.
    The form referred to in 2 above, following certification by the Registrar of Deaths, also certified by the Grama Niladhari.


Whenever there is a requirement to get the National Identity card numbers of deceased persons verified, the corresponding number verification letter is issued by the number verification branch of the Department for Registration of Persons.


Whenever there are complaints related to the issued National Identity cards or in cases where problems are observed in the applications entered into the system (cases where the date of birth is different, cases where there are different dates of birth and birth certificates, cases where different names are used, cases where the identity cards are tampered with), a formal investigation will be conducted and action will be taken to resolve the relevant issues.


At present, the department’s data system is linked to the Sri Lanka Police; therefore, the Sri Lanka Police conducts police clearances, and applications with problems are forwarded to the department, and clearances are issued after solving the problems.