All duplicate copies of birth, death and marriage certificates in Sri Lanka do not require a validity period, the Registrar General’s Department has announced.

Issuing a statement, the department reiterated that all duplicate copies of birth, death and marriage certificates will be accepted without time limitation.

The department stated that a decision has been made to amend the earlier requirement of a validity period of six months from the date of issue of the documents.

As per the latest decision, all certificate copies issued by the department will be accepted without any limitation on the validity period.

The Registrar General’s Department has notified the Ministry of Education, the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, the Department of Immigration and the Department of Registration of Persons in this regard.

The public has been advised to only obtain fresh copies of the relevant documents only if they require alterations to the certificates.

Those with existing copies of birth, marriage and death certificates in clear and good condition do not require to obtain fresh copies, the department added.