Sri Lanka's computerized Police Clearance Certificate system has been restored, allowing applicants to submit online applications again, according to the Police Media Division.
However, people who submitted online applications on 20 August 2026 have been asked to apply again because those application records were removed from the system following the failure.
The Police Media Division said the Rs. 5,100 fee paid for the affected previous application would be refunded to the credit card used for the original payment.
What happened?
Sri Lanka Police previously announced that the computerized system used by the Police Clearance Division became inactive at 12:50 p.m. on 20 August.
The system is used for submitting applications, obtaining background reports and processing Police Clearance Certificates.
During the outage, Police introduced a temporary procedure allowing applications and supporting documents to be submitted by email.
Police said at the time that ICTA had been informed of the technical problem and steps were being taken to restore the system.
Who needs to apply again?
The new instruction specifically affects people whose online applications were submitted on 20 August and were subsequently lost from the clearance data system.
Those applicants should submit a fresh application through the restored online process.
Police said the clearance certificate would then be processed after the relevant reports were obtained for the new application.
The Rs. 5,100 payment attached to the previous affected application is to be refunded to the credit card originally used.
Why the restoration matters
Police Clearance Certificates are commonly required for purposes including overseas employment, migration and other administrative procedures.
The restoration therefore removes the temporary interruption to the normal online application process.
Applicants affected by the August 20 data loss should follow the latest instructions issued by Sri Lanka Police rather than assuming their original application remains active.