The Honorary Consulate of Sri Lanka in Istanbul is a volunteer-run office that assists Sri Lankan citizens in Turkey; passport and visa applications go to the Sri Lankan Embassy in Ankara.
Contact Details
| Address | Suadiye Mah. Öncü Sk. Büyükhanlı Konutları B1 Blok K:9 D:24 Kadıköy, Istanbul, Turkey |
| aydin@penthol.com | |
| Head of Mission | Aydin Özü, Honorary Consul |
Opening Hours
No regular opening hours are published. Contact the consulate by phone or e-mail to arrange a visit.
Location of the Consulate
About the honorary consulate in Istanbul
The honorary consulate represents Sri Lanka in Istanbul. According to the Diplomatic Portal of the Turkish Ministry of Foreign Affairs (accessed 19 October 2026), the honorary consul is Aydin Özü. No opening hours are published; arrange a visit in advance. To do so, e-mail aydin@penthol.com.
Istanbul lies about 350 km in a straight line from Ankara; Istanbul Airport is about 36 km and Sabiha Gökçen International Airport about 31 km from the city centre.
Holders of ordinary Sri Lankan passports need a visa for Türkiye, according to the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of Türkiye. Those holding a valid visa or residence permit of a Schengen country, the USA, the UK or Ireland may be able to obtain a single-entry e-Visa online at evisa.gov.tr if they meet the ministry’s conditions; otherwise the visa is issued by a Turkish embassy or consulate.
Which Sri Lankan office issues passports and visas?
Passports and other formal consular services for Sri Lankan citizens are handled by the Sri Lankan Embassy in Ankara.
Contact details of the Sri Lankan Embassy in Ankara, as listed on its page in this directory:
- Address: Kırlangıç Sokak No: 41 GOP, Ankara, Turkey
- Telephone: +90 312 427 10 21
- Email: slemb.ankara@mfa.gov.lk
What can an honorary consul do?
An honorary consul is not a career diplomat but a local resident – often a business person or lawyer – appointed by Sri Lanka and approved by the host country. Depending on the powers granted, the honorary consul can help Sri Lankan citizens in an emergency (lost passport, accident, arrest), pass on applications and documents to the embassy, and certify signatures or life certificates. Passports and visas are not issued by an honorary consulate; they remain the responsibility of the embassy or a career consulate.
Other consulates and embassies in Istanbul
133 other countries are represented in Istanbul, among them: Sudan (consulate general), Suriname (honorary), Sweden (consulate general), Switzerland (consulate general), Syria (consulate general), Tajikistan (consulate general), Tanzania (honorary), Thailand (honorary), Trinidad and Tobago (honorary), Tunisia (consulate general), Turkmenistan (consulate general), Ukraine (consulate general), United Arab Emirates (consulate general), United Kingdom (consulate general), United States (consulate general), Uruguay (consulate general), Uzbekistan (consulate general), Vanuatu (honorary), Venezuela (consulate general), Vietnam (honorary). The full list of all 134 missions is on the overview page for Turkey.
Closing days
Under Law No. 2429, Türkiye’s public holidays are 1 January, 23 April, 1 May, 19 May, 15 July, 30 August and Republic Day on 29 October (from 13:00 on 28 October), plus the Ramadan Feast and the Feast of the Sacrifice, whose dates move each year; in 2027 they fall on 9–11 March and 16–19 May, each starting at 13:00 the day before, according to the Presidency of Religious Affairs. Holidays that fall on a weekend are not moved to a working day. The honorary consulate may also close on days set by its own government.
Emergency assistance
In Turkey, dial 112 for an ambulance, the fire service or the police (GOV.UK travel advice). Turkish citizens who need help in Sri Lanka can contact the Turkish Embassy in Colombo, listed by the Turkish Ministry of Foreign Affairs, or the 24-hour consular call centre of the Turkish Ministry of Foreign Affairs (konsolosluk.gov.tr).
Sri Lankan missions in Turkey
Measured in a straight line from Istanbul, the nearest other Sri Lankan office is the Honorary Consulate in Izmir (about 330 km). The nearest embassy or career consulate is the Embassy in Ankara (about 350 km). Distances in brackets are straight-line distances from Istanbul.
- Ankara (350 km) – Embassy of Sri Lanka in Turkey
- Adana (710 km) – Honorary Consulate
- Erzurum (1,050 km) – Honorary Consulate
- Istanbul – Honorary Consulate (this page)
- Izmir (330 km) – Honorary Consulate
- Nevşehir (560 km) – Honorary Consulate
- Trabzon (900 km) – Honorary Consulate
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Details checked on 19 October 2026. Sources: Ministry of Foreign Affairs of Türkiye – Diplomatic Portal, Diplomatic Missions (accessed 19 October 2026), Ministry of Foreign Affairs of Türkiye – Visa information for foreigners, Law No. 2429 on National Holidays and General Holidays (mevzuat.gov.tr), Presidency of Religious Affairs (Diyanet) – official holidays 2027, GOV.UK foreign travel advice: Turkey (getting help, updated 15 October 2026).
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