Sri Lanka Emigration and Immigration

Online Sources

 * 1813-1834 Former British Colonial Dependencies, Slave Registers, 1813-1834 at Ancestry, ($), index and images.
 * 1878-1960 UK and Ireland, Incoming Passenger Lists, 1878-1960, at Ancestry.com, index and images. ($)
 * 1890-1960 Passenger Lists Leaving UK 1890-1960 at Findmypast; index & images ($)
 * 1892-1924 New York Passenger Arrival Lists (Ellis Island), 1892-1924 Search results for Ceylon

British Overseas Subject

 * British In Ceylon Parish Records'', index and images ($)
 * British Civil Service Evidence Of Age, index ($)
 * British Armed Forces and Overseas Births and Baptisms, Sri Lanka, index and images, ($)
 * British Armed Forces and Overseas Banns and Marriages, Sri Lanka, index and images, ($)
 * British Armed Forces and Overseas Deaths and Burials, index and images, ($)

Finding the Town of Origin in Sri Lanka
If you are using emigration/immigration records to find the name of your ancestors' town in Sri Lanka, see Sri Lanka Finding Town of Origin for additional research strategies.

Sri Lanka Emigration and Immigration
"Emigration" means moving out of a country. "Immigration" means moving into a country. Emigration and immigration sources list the names of people leaving (emigrating) or arriving (immigrating) in the country. These sources may be passenger lists, permissions to emigrate, or records of passports issued. The information in these records may include the emigrants’ names, ages, occupations, destinations, and places of origin or birthplaces. Sometimes they also show family groups.

Immigration into Sri Lanka

 * The Portuguese arrived in Sri Lanka (largely by accident) and then sought to control the island's maritime regions and its lucrative external trade. Part of Sri Lanka became a Portuguese possession. In 1517, the Portuguese built a fort at the port city of Colombo and gradually extended their control over the coastal areas.
 * In 1638, the king signed a treaty with the Dutch East India Company to get rid of the Portuguese who ruled most of the coastal areas. The following Dutch–Portuguese War resulted in a Dutch victory. The Dutch remained in the areas they had captured, thereby violating the treaty they had signed in 1638.
 * The Dutch possessions were then taken by the British, who later extended their control over the whole island, colonizing it from 1815 to 1948.
 * A national movement for political independence arose in the early 20th century, and in 1948, Ceylon became a dominion.
 * As of 2017, 40,018 foreign-born people lived in Sri Lanka per United Nations' population division (countries with 1,000 or more):
 * India	10,814
 * Italy	5,107
 * China	2,482
 * Kuwait	1,755
 * United Arab Emirates	1,689
 * Saudi Arabia	1,417
 * Maldives	1,409
 * United Kingdom	1,193

Emigration From Sri Lanka
KNOMAD Statistics: Emigrants: 1,780,100. Top destination countries: Saudi Arabia, India, the United Arab Emirates, the United Kingdom, Canada, Qatar, Australia, Italy, Germany, the United States