Loss of passports should be reported promptly

by S.M. Wijayaratne, Kurunegala Cor.

Passport holders should inform the Department of Immigration and Emigration immediately if they have lost or misplaced their passports.

They should complain as early as possible since their passport can be misused by cunning persons for committing heinous crimes and robberies. A separate unit has already been set up at the Department to accept complaints on losses of passports.After complaining, those who need new passport can obtain them without any obstacle after paying due fees to the Department. The Department would cancel the lost passports immediately to prevent them being misused by racketeers, said former Divisional Secretary for Bingiriya W.E. Jayathilake at a workshop for foreign job seekers of the Kurunegala District held recently at Bingiriya MMV. The valid period of a passport is 10 years.

Therefore, those holders of passport should keep their passports with utmost care as many frauds and malpractices have been committed in the recent past using the passports of others by cunning international thieves, Jayathilake said.