Sri Lanka Police Clearance for an Australian Visa — Apply From Australia
How to get a Sri Lanka Police Clearance Certificate for an Australian visa entirely from Australia, using Sri Lanka Police's own online e-services portal. Covers who needs one, the documents to scan first, processing time, and the separate Australian Federal Police check. Figures as at September 2026.
Read the full guide, with official sources →
Watch
Chapters
- 0:00 You don't need to be in Colombo
- 0:13 12 months or more, in the past 10 years,
- 0:33 Documents to scan before you start
- 0:43 Name differs between your NIC and passport?
- 1:01 No collection in Colombo — it's posted to you
- 1:20 Certificates within about 12 months of the decision are accepted
- 1:30 $56
- 1:42 Check every country you've lived in — not just Sri Lanka
- 1:54 Where to read more
Transcript
Applying for an Australian visa from Sri Lanka? You don't need to fly to Colombo for your police clearance — it can be done entirely from Australia.
Police clearances are generally required for every country you've lived in for 12 months or more in the past 10 years, counted from age 16.
Apply entirely online at eservices.police.lk: complete the form, upload scanned documents, and pay by card, all within 20 minutes of starting.
Scan these first: your passport's bio-data page, the all-countries page, and the front and back of both your National Identity Card and your birth certificate.
If your name on your NIC differs from your passport, add an affidavit from an Attorney-at-Law or Justice of the Peace confirming the difference.
A new application issues within 14 working days of submission, according to Sri Lanka Police's own instructions.
There's no need for a relative to collect it in Colombo. The finished certificate is sent by registered post to the address you give in the application.
Allow for follow-up questions and postal delivery on top of the 14 working days. A four to eight week planning window from Australia is sensible.
As a general rule, certificates obtained within about 12 months of the visa decision are the ones Home Affairs accepts, so don't order it too early.
Your years in Australia need a separate check too. An Australian Federal Police check costs 56 dollars, using the Immigration or Citizenship purpose, sometimes called code 33.
If you've also spent 12 months or more anywhere else, the Gulf, India, or elsewhere, that country needs its own certificate too. Check every country before you start.
The full guide, with the official sources, is on migratio.com.au. The link is in the description. And if you'd like to talk it through, you can compare registered migration agents there, and see their fees before you book anything.
Short versions
- You don't need to fly home for this (0:32)
- Scan these documents first (0:34)
- No one needs to collect it for you (0:35)
Talk it through with a registered agent
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