1. Registration of Birth Outside Sri Lanka

i. The registration of birth of a child under the Births and Deaths Registration Ordinance must under normal circumstances be made within three months of the birth. However, if a child of a citizen of Sri Lanka is born abroad, there is an additional requirement under the Citizenship Act that such birth should be registered within one year at the office of the Representative of Sri Lanka in the country of birth or at the Citizenship Division of the Ministry of Defence in Colombo and a Citizenship Certificate should obtain for such child from the same Division.

ii. Therefore, when an application is made for the registration of birth under the Births and Deaths Registration Ordinance, a valid application for the registration of the child under the Citizenship Act should also be made. Such applications for Citizenship Certificates are forwarded to the Citizenship Division of the Ministry of Defence in Colombo which will process the application and send the Citizenship Certificates to the same High Commission/consulate for onward transmission to the applicant.

iii. If the application for registration of birth is made after 03 months, the reason for the delay should be given in writing at the time of submitting the application. If the application is made after 1 year, such applications are forwarded to the Registrar General in Colombo for necessary approval.

iv. For the registration of the birth of a child of a Sri Lankan national born outside Sri Lanka, either the father or the mother must be a citizen of Sri Lanka at the time of the child’s birth. Either parent may submit the application for registration of birth, which must be made in duplicate.

v. A child’s birth may be registered in Sinhala, Tamil, or English. The preferred language must be clearly indicated at the time of application.

Please note: When completing the application form, “Cage-2 - Name” must contain the name given to the child.

2. Instructions

(a) An application for registration of birth must be submitted within three (03) months of the birth. If submitted after three months, the reason for the delay must be provided in writing.

(b) Either parent (father or mother) must be a citizen of Sri Lanka at the time of birth of child.

(c) A child’s birth may be registered in Sinhala / Tamil / English, and the preferred language must be indicated.

(d) Either the father or the mother may submit the application for registration of birth.

3. 1. Registration of Birth - SUBMISSION IN PERSON

To register the birth of a child born to Sri Lankan nationals, the following three (03) forms must be submitted in person at the High Commission:

(a) Application for Registration of a Birth Outside Sri Lanka (Ceylon) - Citizenship Form under Act No. 18 of 1948

(b) Declaration of Birth under the Births and Deaths Registration Act:

i. If submitted “within the three (03) months” category from the date of birth:

Registration B4 and CR 01

B4 Form -  Click here - B4

CR 01 Form - Click here - CR 01

(Note: Applications will be accepted up to one (01) year with a letter explaining the reason for the delay, as indicated in “1-iii” ): 

ii. If submitted under the “after three (03) months” category  (after one (01) year from the date of birth:

Registration B6 and CR 01

B6 Form - Click here  - B6

CR 01 Form - Click here -  CR 01

(c) Declaration of Citizenship of the Father/Mother as per the specimen provided (signature must be notarized). Notarization will be done in the presence of an officer of the High Commission. - Declaration Form

3.2. Supporting Documents (Originals)

The above mentioned forms must be submitted together with the following original documents:

(i) Birth Certificate issued by the competent authority in Canada

(ii) Passports of both father and mother

(iii) Original birth certificates of the parents (no translations)

(iv) Original marriage certificate of the parents (no translations)

(v) Proof of current status in Canada of both parents (original PR Card / Work Permit / Citizenship Card / Dual Citizenship Certificate / Study Permit)

Note:

1. The duly completed original forms mentioned in (3.1.a), (3.1.b) and (3.1.c), along with the photocopies of documents listed in (3.2.i) to (3.2.v) must also be submitted.
2. If the applicant is above 21 years of age, the Application for Registration of a Birth Outside Sri Lanka (Ceylon) -Citizenship Form under Act No. 18 of 1948 must be submitted directly to the Citizenship Division of the Ministry of Defence in Colombo.

4.1 Registration of Birth - SUBMISSION BY POST

To register the birth of a child born to Sri Lankan nationals by post, the following three (03) forms must be submitted:

(a) Application for Registration of a Birth Outside Sri Lanka (Ceylon) - Citizenship Form under Act No. 18 of 1948

(b) Declaration of Birth under the Births and Deaths Registration Act: 

i. If submitted “within the three (03) months” category from the date of birth:

Registration B4 and CR 01

B4 Form - Click here -  B4

CR 01 Form  - Click here -  CR 01

(Note: Applications will be accepted by the High commission up to one (01) year with a letter explaining the reason for the delay, as indicated in “1-iii”):  

ii. If submitted under the “after three (03) months” category (after one (01) year from the date of birth: Registration B6 and CR 01

B6 Form - Click here - B6

CR 01 Form - Click here -  CR 01

(c) Declaration of Citizenship of the Father/Mother as per the specimen provided. - Declaration Form

4.2 Supporting Documents (By Post)

(i) Original Birth Certificate issued by the competent authority in Canada

(ii) Original Passports of father and mother

(iii) Original birth certificates of parents (no translations)

(iv) Original marriage certificate of parents (no translations)

(v) Copies of proof of parents’ current status in Canada (PR Card / Work Permit / Citizenship Card / Dual Citizenship Certificate / Study Permit)

Note:

1. The duly completed original forms mentioned in (3.1.a), (3.1.b) and (3.1.c), along with the photocopies of documents listed in (3.2.i) to (3.2.v) must also be included.
2. If the applicant is above 21 years of age, the Application for Registration of a Birth Outside Sri Lanka (Ceylon) -Citizenship Form under Act No. 18 of 1948 must be submitted directly to the Citizenship Division of the Ministry of Defence in Colombo.

7. Consular Fees for Registration of Birth

(a) Registration of Birth - C$ 55.00

(b) Citizenship Certificate - C$ 50.00

If the application is submitted after one (01) year from the date of birth, an additional C$ 10.00 per year will be charged for the delay.

(c) Additional copy of Birth Certificate - C$ 30.00

(d) Postage - C$ 40.00, or two (02) prepaid self-addressed envelopes

Mode of Payment:

1. Cash (for in-person submissions only)
2. Money Order or Bank Draft payable to “High Commission of Sri Lanka” (for applications submitted by post)

8. Important Notes

i. Applicants submitting applications by post who require the return of original documents after verification must include an additional prepaid self-addressed envelope.

ii. The High Commission bears no responsibility for documents lost in transit.

iii. Submission of forged documents or making false declarations relating to citizenship constitutes a punishable offence.

iv. The Department of the Registrar General (DRG) is the sole authority for approval of birth registrations, and the Citizenship Division is the sole authority for citizenship matters.

v. Incomplete applications will be rejected.

vi. For instructions/guidelines to fill form CR 01 - Instructions

vii . After submitting the application, the fee is non-refundable.