Emergency Travel Documents (ETD)
If you are abroad and find yourself in an emergency situation (for example, as a tourist in transit and your passport has been lost or stolen) and there is no time or possibility to request the issuance of a new passport, the Consular Office of the Embassy can issue a temporary travel document (also known as an E.T.D. – Emergency Travel Document). This document is valid for a single journey back to Italy or to your country of permanent residence, or, exceptionally, to another destination. It can only be used for transit and not for entering countries where stopovers occur; therefore, it cannot be used for transferring between airports within the transit country. The ETD cannot be issued more than seven days prior to the departure date.
To obtain an ETD, the following documents must be submitted:
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Report of loss or theft of the passport or other travel document, made at the Embassy in accordance with Articles 46 and 47, and with the warnings set out in Article 76 of Presidential Decree 445/2000;
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Two identical color passport photos (front-facing, 35 x 40 mm, white background);
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Travel ticket (e.g. flight ticket);
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A copy of the passport or another identity document that allows the applicant to be identified, if available.
The cost of the ETD is €1.55, to be paid in Sri Lankan Rupees at the current exchange rate, plus any shipping fees if the document cannot be collected in person. All shipping costs (for both the submitted documents and the issued ETD) are borne by the applicant.
It is also advisable to report the loss or theft of the passport to the local police authorities, in order to facilitate border transit in the absence of the passport on which the entry visa to Sri Lanka or the Maldives was affixed.
It is not necessary to be physically present at the Embassy to apply for an ETD, but collecting the ETD in person at the Embassy is the fastest and most secure way to obtain it. Otherwise, all required documents and payment must be sent by post to the Embassy, and the ETD will then be mailed to the address provided by the applicant—without any guarantee on the time needed for delivery.