An opposition MP has alleged that newly issued Sri Lankan passports are experiencing quality problems that have led to rejections in some countries, while the government disputes the claims.

Opposition Member of Parliament Mujibur Rahman raised concerns in Parliament about the quality of Sri Lanka's newly issued passports, citing a case in which a former parliamentary colleague was detained and questioned by UK immigration authorities. According to Rahman, British officials suspected the document was fraudulent because the passport could not be properly scanned or read by their systems.

Rahman outlined several specific issues with the new passports. He claimed that the number of pages has been reduced from 64 to 48 while the issuance fee remains unchanged at Rs. 6,000. The MP also alleged that the new passports lack observation and extension pages and suffer from substandard print quality. He further stated that some countries have rejected the passports due to problems such as immigration stamps bleeding through to adjacent pages.

The government has disputed these allegations. Minister of Public Security and Parliamentary Affairs Ananda Wijepala rejected claims of quality defects, asserting that reducing the page count aligns with international standards and reflects practices adopted by other nations. The Minister noted that legal proceedings continue regarding the tender for procuring five million passports and indicated the government is addressing complications related to the rollout of the e-passport system.

The dispute highlights tensions between the opposition and government regarding the implementation of Sri Lanka's new passport system, with unresolved questions about quality control and international compatibility remaining at issue.