The Light Blue Background Catches Everyone Off
Guard
If you walk into any photo studio outside Sri Lanka and ask for passport photos, you'll get a white
background. For Sri Lanka, that's wrong. The Department of Immigration & Emigration requires a
light blue background โ one of only a handful of countries worldwide that doesn't
use white. This single specification difference is responsible for more passport photo rejections
among Sri Lankan applicants abroad than any other issue.
Beyond the blue background, the specs are standard: 35ร45mm, neutral expression, mouth closed, face
taking up about 70-80% of the frame. Glasses are allowed but not recommended โ lens reflections
against the blue background can create visual artifacts that the scanner picks up. Women wearing
saree pota or hijab may keep their head covering, but the full face must be visible with no shadows.
Immigration Office Locations
- Head Office, Battaramulla โ Suhurupaya, Sri Jayawardenepura Kotte. The main
processing facility for all passport types.
- Colombo Regional Office โ 41 Ananda Rajakaruna Mawatha, Colombo 10
- Kandy Regional Office โ Pallekele, Kandy. Covers the Central Province.
- Matara Regional Office โ Nupe, Matara. Southern Province processing.
- Sri Lankan Embassy Washington DC โ 3025 Whitehaven Street NW, Washington, DC
20008
- Sri Lankan High Commission London โ 13 Hyde Park Gardens, London W2 2LU
Online applications are available through eservices.immigration.gov.lk. You submit the
application online, then visit the office for biometric capture.
Photo Mistakes at the Immigration Counter
- White background used instead of light blue โ The immigration office will
reject it immediately. Our tool lets you set the exact shade of light blue that Sri Lanka
requires.
- Face proportion too small โ Many studios shoot from too far away, leaving too
much blue background visible around your head. Get close enough that your face fills the frame
properly.
- Glasses creating blue reflections โ The light blue background reflects uniquely
in spectacle lenses, creating a blue tint across your eyes. Either remove glasses or use
anti-reflective coated lenses.
- Saree pota or scarf covering the chin โ Religious and cultural head coverings
are fine, but the full chin line must be visible. Ensure fabric doesn't drape across the lower
face.
- Photo printed at home or at cyber cafรฉ โ Low-quality prints with visible pixel
patterns or color banding are immediately rejected. Use a proper photo studio's printer or our
tool's print-ready output.
Fees
A regular Sri Lankan passport costs LKR 3,500 (~$11 USD) with processing in 10-15 working days.
One-day urgent service costs LKR 10,000 (~$31 USD). There's also an "all-island one-day" service for
LKR 15,000. For Sri Lankans abroad, embassy passport services cost approximately $44-82 USD
depending on the mission and urgency, with standard processing of 4-8 weeks.
Official Resources