Sir Lanka has made it mandatory for foreigners to get a clearance from the defense ministry if they wish to marry locals, citing national security reasons.
The new law which will come into effect starting from January 1, 2022, has been criticized by both the opposition and civil groups.
In a circular dated October 18, relevant officials had discussed that national security and issues can arise from marriages between foreigners and Sir Lankans.
It said a decision has been made to register such marriages only through the additional district registrars after obtaining a security clearance report related to the foreigner party.
The leading opposition legislator Harsha de Silva questioned the law ” what kind of discrimination is this”, he wrote on social media.
Others criticizing the law were Civil society personalities who questioned the circular on social media.
The security clearance report will certify that the foreign party was free of being convicted for any offense during the last six months according to the circular.
Government officials said the move was needed to prevent locals from being duped by foreigners into marriages. It was also motivated by the need to keep a check on increased drug peddling by foreigners who marry locals.
Previously, if any foreigner wanted to marry in Sri Lanka, you just needed to at least spend four days in the country before notifying the marriage registrar about the intent to wed. after that, there is a fourteen-day waiting period before the date of marriage registration.
Getting married in Sri Lanka was also another way of getting citizenship and I think Sri Lanka authorities want to know the true intentions of people marrying locals.
