Foreign Ministry attestation in Sri Lanka: documents, translations and fees

What attestation is, and when you need it

Attestation (also called authentication or legalisation) is the Ministry of Foreign Affairs confirming that a Sri Lankan document is genuine, so that an authority in another country will accept it. The work is done by the Authentication Section of the Consular Affairs Division in Battaramulla and by the Ministry’s regional consular offices.

You usually need it when a foreign embassy, university, employer or registry asks for a “legalised” or “attested” Sri Lankan certificate: a birth, marriage or death certificate, an examination certificate, a police clearance, an affidavit or a power of attorney. Ask the receiving organisation exactly which documents it wants attested and in which language, and keep its instructions with your papers.

Which documents the Ministry accepts

Embassy guidance that repeats the Ministry’s rules says only original documents issued by institutions of the Government of Sri Lanka in Sinhala, Tamil or English are accepted, and photocopies are not. Documents issued abroad are a different route: they go to the Sri Lankan mission in that country, not to Battaramulla.

Some documents have extra conditions. The Ministry’s own page on affidavits and powers of attorney says an affidavit prepared by an Attorney-at-Law should be certified by the Registrar of the Supreme Court, one signed by a Justice of the Peace should be countersigned by the J.P. Division of the Ministry of Justice, and the facts in it must be supported by official documents or it will not be attested. Private documents in general are harder to attest than government-issued ones, so check before you book.

• Bring the original, not a photocopy or a scan.
• Check that the issuing authority, signature and seal are on the document.
• For affidavits and powers of attorney, bring the official records that prove the facts stated.

How translations are handled

The Ministry attests the original document. If the receiving country also needs a translation, the common rule is that the translation is attached to the original and both are produced together; the Ministry does not attest a translation on its own. Embassy guidance and the Ministry’s consular guidelines describe the same procedure.

Who may translate depends on the destination, not on Sri Lanka alone. The Netherlands, for example, says documents in Sinhala or Tamil must be translated by a sworn translator into Dutch, English, French or German, that English documents need no translation at all, and that a translation made in Sri Lanka must be legalised together with the original, while a translation made in the Netherlands need not be. Other countries have their own rules, so read the destination’s legalisation page before ordering a translation.

In practice this means: get the translation done by a sworn translator first, keep it stapled to the original, and attest both in one visit. On Translate you can upload the document, choose sworn review, and receive a signed translation carrying a serial number and QR code that the receiving office can verify online.

• Confirm with the destination whether a translation is needed and into which language.
• Have the translation made by a sworn translator before the attestation appointment.
• Attach the translation to the original; present them together.

Fees

Attestation fees were revised by Gazette Extraordinary No. 2306/35 of 16 November 2022, effective 1 January 2023. As reported from the gazette: Rs. 1,200 per document in general; Rs. 800 for an examination certificate issued by the Department of Examinations; Rs. 3,000 for a Sri Lankan government document attested for a foreign national; and Rs. 8,000 for a set of export documents certified by an approved Chamber of Commerce.

Fees are charged per document, so a certificate and its translation attested together are two documents. Fees can change; confirm the current amount when you book your appointment.

Where to go and how to book

The Consular Affairs Division is on the 16th floor of “Suhurupaya”, Sri Subhuthipura Road, Battaramulla (telephone +94 112 275 575, email [email protected]). The Ministry’s Online Consular Services page has a “Get an appointment for attestation” link that opens its booking system, and a separate online entry for authenticating birth, marriage and death certificates.

The Ministry also lists regional consular offices in Kandy, Kurunegala, Matara, Jaffna and Trincomalee. Opening hours and document limits per visit are published by the Ministry and change from time to time, so check the current notice on the Ministry’s site before you travel.

After the Ministry has attested a document, the embassy of the destination country may add its own legalisation. Some countries accept the Ministry’s attestation directly; ask the embassy which it is.

• Book through the Ministry’s online appointment system.
• Take the original documents, the attached translations and the fee.
• Ask the destination embassy whether it needs to add its own stamp afterwards.