What Attestation Is, and When You Need It
Attestation is the Ministry of Foreign Affairs (MOFA, often just called the Foreign Ministry) confirming, on behalf of the Government of Sri Lanka, that a Sri Lankan document is genuine. Foreign embassies, employers, universities and registries usually ask for it before they'll accept a Sri Lankan birth certificate, degree, police clearance or similar document.
The Ministry's Consular Affairs Division runs it through its electronic document attestation system, e-DAS. Each attested document gets its own number, and embassies download it electronically, but you still show them the original.
Source: Ministry of Foreign Affairs, Guidelines for the attestation of documents (January 2026), introduction and General Facts 13 (registry row mfa_attestation_originals_rules). Last checked 29 Sep 2026.
Foreign Ministry Attestation Fees and Booking
| Who / what | Fee per document |
|---|---|
| Sri Lankan citizen (including dual citizens with a Sri Lankan ID) | Rs. 1,200 |
| Department of Examinations certificate (O/L, A/L and others) | Rs. 800, plus the Department's own charge |
| Foreign national | Rs. 3,000 |
Pay by cash or credit/debit card at the Ministry's payment counters only, and check the receipt before you leave the counter. The Ministry warns people not to pay anyone to get documents attested faster.
Source: Ministry of Foreign Affairs, attestation guidelines, General Facts 05 and 07, under Gazette Extraordinary No. 2306/35 of 16 November 2022, in force from 1 January 2023 (registry rows mfa_attestation_fee_citizen, mfa_attestation_fee_exams, mfa_attestation_fee_foreign). Last checked 29 Sep 2026.
Checklist by Document
Pick the document you're getting attested to see what to bring:
The Ministry only attests a certified copy issued by a District Registrar on or after 1 January 2008. The certificate handed over when the event was registered doesn't count unless it's been re-certified.
From the District Registrar's office at a Divisional Secretariat, or the Registrar General's Department. An older certificate is accepted only if the District Registrar has re-certified it as a true copy.
The Ministry runs an online application for Registrar General's Department birth, death and marriage certificates for attestation. It's listed on the Ministry's Online Consular Services page.
Open the Ministry's Online Consular Services PortalBring the original with the translation. The Ministry encourages getting RGD documents translated by the Registrar General's Department's own sworn translators.
Only these Sri Lankan IDs are accepted. Dual citizens pay the citizen fee if they show one of them.
The Ministry attests a local degree only after the university confirms it. The university's time is outside the Ministry's control, so allow extra time.
Photocopies aren't accepted, and damaged certificates may be refused.
Get as many copies as you need attested. Ask your university how it confirms degrees to the Ministry and how long it takes.
The guidelines only list degree certificates for universities. If you need a transcript attested, ask the Ministry before booking.
For exams held after 2001 you can do the whole thing online, without visiting the Ministry. You get a soft copy only.
Choose "Foreign Ministry Certificate (Direct to Foreign Ministry)" as the certificate type and pay the Department of Examinations' fee. Read its instruction sheet first.
Open the Department of Examinations Certificate PortalOnce the Department of Examinations approves the request, it texts you a certificate number (CM-...) and a link to the Ministry's online authentication page.
Paid online on the Ministry's authentication page. Payments are non-refundable.
Apply through the Department of Examinations at Battaramulla (its One-Day Service for a physical copy). It sends the certificate straight to the Ministry, and you bring the card it gives you.
The Ministry is strict about the format. Check your report before you book.
Not on a letterhead. It must show your name, NIC number, date, address, the period covered, and the authorised officer's signature and seal.
Station reports on any other letterhead are refused. It must show the same details, signed and sealed by the Officer-in-Charge.
The receipt for the payment you made at the police station for the report.
There's no certificate for this. You attest a sworn affidavit instead.
Declared by you, a parent or a sibling before an Attorney-at-Law or a Justice of the Peace. It must give your passport number, and state only that you're unmarried in Sri Lanka, that there's no legal obstacle to the marriage, and your family relationships. The Ministry says a sample can be downloaded from its website, but we couldn't find one there.
By the Registrar of the Supreme Court if an Attorney-at-Law signed it, or by the Justice of the Peace branch of the Ministry of Justice if a JP signed it.
Living abroad? You can declare the affidavit at a Sri Lankan embassy or consulate instead.
A private employer's service certificate can only be attested as a true copy, and needs supporting documents.
Your original appointment letter, documents showing any promotions, and your last three months' salary records or EPF/ETF records.
A true copy of the employer's business registration, certified by the Divisional Secretary or the issuing authority, with the original and certified copy of the service certificate.
The Ministry expects the document holder in person, but a close relative can submit instead. Documents for only one person can be submitted this way.
Giving the full name, NIC number and home address of the relative who'll bring the documents.
No valid passport? The letter must instead be signed before the Grama Niladhari and countersigned by the Divisional Secretary.
The final decision on attesting documents submitted this way rests with the Director General of the Consular Affairs Division.
With documents proving parenthood or guardianship. The child doesn't need to come.
How to Get a Document Attested, Step by Step
The same sequence works for most documents:
Check what your document needs first
Most documents must be certified or confirmed by the body that issued them before the Ministry will attest them: a District Registrar, your university, the Department of Examinations, the Zonal Director of Education. Use the table below.
Get a sworn translation if you need one
Only translations by a sworn translator registered with the Ministry of Justice for that language are accepted, and you bring the original with it.
Book an appointment
Every document owner needs one. Book through eChannelling (the Ministry's "Get an appointment for attestation" link), or call 225 from a mobile or 1225 from a landline. You can choose Battaramulla or a regional consular office (Kandy, Kurunegala, Trincomalee, Matara, Jaffna). Enter your name, mobile number and email correctly: they can't be changed after attestation.
Go to the Consular Affairs Division with originals and ID
16th Floor, Suhurupaya, Sri Subhuthipura Road, Battaramulla, weekdays 8:30 am to 4:00 pm. Bring the originals (no photocopies) and your NIC, passport or driving licence. Tell the officer exactly which documents you need attested.
Pay and check your receipt
Rs. 1,200 per document for Sri Lankan citizens (Rs. 800 for exam certificates, Rs. 3,000 for foreign nationals), by cash or card at the payment counter. Check the receipt before you leave the counter.
Collect and check everything
Check the attested copy, your originals and the receipt when you collect them. Each attested document gets a number in the e-DAS system, and it's valid for one year.
Take it to the destination country's embassy
Embassies download attested documents from e-DAS electronically, but you still show them your original with the attested document. Some embassies in Colombo take legalization through VFS Global instead of directly: Italy's, for example, requires the Ministry's attestation first. Check the embassy's own page.
What Each Document Needs Before the Ministry Will Attest It
The Ministry only accepts the document types in its guidelines, each with its own condition. These are the ones people going abroad need most. Business, export, adoption, court and other documents are in the full guidelines.
| Document | What it needs first |
|---|---|
| Birth, marriage, death certificate | Certified copy from a District Registrar issued on or after 1 Jan 2008 (older copies re-certified) |
| Local university degree | Original plus copies certified by the university Registrar; the university confirms it to the Ministry |
| Foreign university degree | Copies certified by the Sri Lankan embassy in that country or that country's embassy here (UK: British Council; USA: Fulbright Commission) |
| O/L or A/L certificate | Through the Department of Examinations (online for exams after 2001) |
| Government school leaving certificate | Original and translation certified by the Zonal Director of Education |
| Police clearance (Headquarters) | Police Headquarters format only, with name, NIC, period covered, signature and seal |
| Police station report | Form Police 423 only, plus the original General 172 receipt |
| Foreign police report | Attested by the Sri Lankan mission in that country or that country's mission in Sri Lanka |
| Unmarried status | Affidavit certified by the Supreme Court Registrar or the Ministry of Justice JP branch, plus a passport copy |
| Affidavit or power of attorney | Signed by a Sri Lankan citizen or company; certified by the Supreme Court Registrar or JP branch; supporting documents |
| National Identity Card | Only the original letter from the Commissioner for Registration of Persons, with the NIC |
| Driving licence | Only the Commissioner General of Motor Traffic's extract, with the licence |
| Passport | Only the bio, alterations and observations pages, certified as true copies, with the passport |
| Medical certificate | Certified by the Sri Lanka Medical Council (Ayurvedic: Sri Lanka Ayurvedic Medical Council) |
| Private-sector service letter | Certified copy plus appointment letter and salary or EPF/ETF records |
Source: Ministry of Foreign Affairs, attestation guidelines, document categories 1 to 22 (registry rows mfa_attestation_bmd, mfa_attestation_degrees_local, mfa_attestation_exam_certs, mfa_attestation_police, mfa_attestation_unmarried, mfa_attestation_school_service, mfa_attestation_affidavit_poa, mfa_attestation_other_ids, mfa_attestation_foreign_docs). Last checked 29 Sep 2026.
Translations
- Only documents issued by Sri Lankan government institutions in Sinhala, Tamil or English are attested as originals.
- A translation is attested only if a sworn translator registered with the Ministry of Justice for that language did it. Bring the original with it; the contents must match.
- Translating into a foreign language? The translation must also give a short summary of the contents in English.
- If no sworn translator is registered for the language, the translation has to be certified by that country's embassy in Sri Lanka (or the nearest one accredited to Sri Lanka).
- For Registrar General's Department documents, the Ministry encourages using the Department's own sworn translators.
Source: Ministry of Foreign Affairs, attestation guidelines, General Facts 10 and 11 (registry row mfa_attestation_translations). Last checked 29 Sep 2026.
Online Options
- O/L and A/L certificates (exams after 2001): fully online. Request the certificate on certificate.doenets.lk as a "Foreign Ministry Certificate (Direct to Foreign Ministry)". When the Department of Examinations approves it, you get an SMS with a CM certificate number and a link to the Ministry's online authentication page, where you pay by card. You receive a soft copy only; for a physical copy, use the Department of Examinations' One-Day Service. See the Ministry's step-by-step page.
- Birth, marriage and death certificates: the Ministry's Online Consular Services page has an application for Registrar General's Department certificates for attestation.
- Appointments for everything else are booked through eChannelling, which the Ministry's own "Get an appointment for attestation" link points to, or by calling 225 (mobile) or 1225 (landline). You can book the Battaramulla office or one of the regional consular offices in Kandy, Kurunegala, Trincomalee, Matara or Jaffna.
Source: Ministry of Foreign Affairs, Certificates issued by the Department of Examinations and Online Consular Services and the Ministry's eChannelling appointment page (registry rows mfa_attestation_exam_certs, mfa_attestation_bmd, mfa_attestation_appointment_hours, mfa_regional_consular_offices). Last checked 29 Sep 2026.
What Gets Rejected
- Photocopies. Only originals are attested.
- Damaged or decayed documents. Every document is scanned.
- Letters addressed to a particular institution or embassy.
- Documents outside the Ministry's listed types, or that don't meet the condition for their type (for example, a police report on a letterhead instead of form Police 423).
- Forged documents. Producing one is an offence, and the building is under camera surveillance.
Source: Ministry of Foreign Affairs, attestation guidelines, General Facts 04, 05, 08, 09 and 10 (registry row mfa_attestation_originals_rules). Last checked 29 Sep 2026.
If You're Overseas
- Documents issued abroad (a foreign degree, a foreign police report) are attested here only after the Sri Lankan embassy in that country, or that country's embassy in Sri Lanka, has attested them. UK degrees can instead be certified by the British Council, and US degrees by the Fulbright Commission.
- Affidavits and powers of attorney: Sri Lankans living abroad can sign them at the Sri Lankan embassy or consulate there, before an officer authorised under the Consular Functions Act. The same applies to the unmarried-status affidavit.
- Someone at home can submit for you: a close relative can hand in your documents with your authorisation letter and a copy of your passport (see the "Submitting for Someone" tab above).
- Dual citizens pay the Sri Lankan fee if they show a valid Sri Lankan NIC, passport or driving licence.
Source: Ministry of Foreign Affairs, attestation guidelines, General Facts 01, 02 and 14, categories 2, 5, 21 and 22 (registry rows mfa_attestation_foreign_docs, mfa_attestation_affidavit_poa, mfa_attestation_id_and_proxy). Last checked 29 Sep 2026.
Office & Contacts
Attestation is done at the Consular Affairs Division in Battaramulla, by appointment.
Consular Affairs Division, Ministry of Foreign Affairs
Appointment required: book through eChannelling, or Dial 225 (mobile) / 1225 (landline)16th Floor, "Suhurupaya", Sri Subhuthipura Road, Battaramulla
Regional Consular Offices
The Ministry doesn't publish a per-office list of services, so confirm your document type when bookingKandy (Getambe), Kurunegala, Trincomalee, Matara and Jaffna
Official Links
The Ministry's guidelines, online services and the Department of Examinations portal:
Sources & last checked
Checked against Ministry of Foreign Affairs, Consular Affairs Division. Every source for this topic, with dates, is on our verified sources.
LankaSolve is an independent information service and is not affiliated with the Government of Sri Lanka or the Ministry of Foreign Affairs. Attestation rules, fees and appointment arrangements can change. Always check the Ministry's current guidelines before you go.
Frequently Asked Questions
How much does Foreign Ministry (MOFA) attestation cost in Sri Lanka?
Rs. 1,200 per document for Sri Lankan citizens and Rs. 3,000 for foreign nationals. Department of Examinations certificates are Rs. 800 each, plus that Department's own charge. You pay by cash or card at the Ministry's counter. These fees have applied since 1 January 2023 under Gazette 2306/35.
How do I book a Foreign Ministry attestation appointment?
Every document owner needs one. Book through eChannelling, which the Ministry's own "Get an appointment for attestation" link points to, or call 225 from a mobile or 1225 from a landline. The Authentication Section is open weekdays from 8:30 am to 4:00 pm, except holidays.
Can I get documents attested in Kandy or another regional office?
The Ministry has regional consular offices in Kandy (Getambe), Kurunegala, Trincomalee, Matara and Jaffna, and eChannelling takes bookings for each of them as well as Battaramulla. The Ministry doesn't publish which services each regional office handles, so confirm your document type when you book.
How do I get a police report attested by the Foreign Ministry?
A Police Headquarters clearance must be on the Headquarters format (not a letterhead) showing your name, NIC, address, the period covered, and the officer's signature and seal. A police station report must be on form Police 423, with the original General 172 payment receipt. Book an appointment and bring the original. See the police clearance guide for getting the report.
Where is the Consular Affairs Division?
16th Floor, "Suhurupaya", Sri Subhuthipura Road, Battaramulla. Telephone +94 112 275 575, email [email protected].
Can the Ministry attest a photocopy?
No. Only original documents are accepted, and every document is scanned, so damaged or decayed documents may be refused. Letters addressed to a particular institution or embassy aren't accepted either.
How do I get my degree certificate attested?
Bring the original degree certificate and the true copies you need, certified by your university's Registrar. The Ministry attests it only after the university confirms it, and the university's time isn't in the Ministry's control, so ask your university how long confirmation takes.
Can I get my O/L or A/L certificate attested online?
Yes, for exams held after 2001. Request it on certificate.doenets.lk as a "Foreign Ministry Certificate (Direct to Foreign Ministry)", wait for the SMS with your CM certificate number, then complete the Ministry's online authentication and pay by card. You get a soft copy only. For a physical copy, or an exam before 2001, apply through the Department of Examinations at Battaramulla.
Is my old birth certificate accepted?
Only if it was issued, or re-certified as a true copy, by a District Registrar on or after 1 January 2008. The certificate handed over when the birth was registered doesn't count on its own. Get a fresh certified copy from the District Registrar or the Registrar General's Department: see how to get certificate copies.
How long is an attested document valid?
One year from the date of attestation.
Can someone else submit my documents?
Yes, a close relative can, with your authorisation letter (their full name, NIC number and address) and a copy of your passport. If you don't have a valid passport, sign the letter before your Grama Niladhari and have the Divisional Secretary countersign it. Documents for only one person can be submitted this way.
Which translations does the Ministry accept?
Only translations by a sworn translator registered with the Ministry of Justice for that language, brought together with the original. If no sworn translator is registered for the language, the translation must be certified by that country's embassy.
I'm going abroad for work. What else do I need?
Every Sri Lankan leaving for employment abroad must register with the Sri Lanka Bureau of Foreign Employment before leaving. See the SLBFE registration guide for fees and documents.
I'm a dual citizen. Which fee do I pay?
The Sri Lankan citizen fee, Rs. 1,200 per document, if you show a valid Sri Lankan NIC, passport or driving licence.
My document was issued abroad. Can the Ministry attest it?
Only after it's been attested by the Sri Lankan embassy in the country that issued it, or by that country's embassy in Sri Lanka. Foreign police reports and foreign degrees follow the same rule (UK degrees: British Council; US degrees: Fulbright Commission).