Special citizen identification number to be issued from next Saturday onwards

A citizen identification number will be issued to all Sri Lankans from this Saturday onwards, non-cabinet Minister Ajith Perera said adding that a gazette notification will be issued to this effect tonight.

“An identification number is essential in the process of digitalising our country,” the non-cabinet Minister of Digital Infrastructure and Information Technology said during an event in Colombo today (Mar 14).

This number could be used to identify oneself at all state examinations such as the Grade Five Scholarship, G.C.E. Ordinary Level or Advanced Level examinations.

A person’s birth, marriage, and death certificates would also be documented using this number.

Accordingly, it would be made mandatory to enter the identification number of both parents in the birth certificate of a child. This would help in identifying the parents of a child, non-cabinet minister Perera added.

He also explained that this would help in identifying whether a person has been previously married or divorced following the first marriage.

Speaking further, Mr. Perera said that this identification number would be made mandatory when applying for a National Identity Card in future.

The identification number and the details pertaining to an individual could be obtained from the Registrar General’s Department after its implementation.