Study in the UK

The British Council's verification service is provided to individuals who are UK educational qualification holders.

We verify all education, training, and professional awards, including certificates, degrees, and diplomas, at all levels issued by any accredited UK institution or organisation.

Verification is a confirmation that a photocopy (Black and white) is a true copy of an original document.

The British Council reserves the right to reject certification of any document if the programme or institution is not recognised by the UK education board, if the document is found to be too old, altered, or defaced in any way or if there is any question regarding the originality of the document 

We do not stamp:

  • passports
  • ID cards
  • birth certificates
  • testimonials
  • marriage certificates
  • membership certificates
  • University of London Certificates
  • other documents required by an educational institution or employer.

To have your documents verified:

Visit our office in Colombo along with the following;

  • Original document
  • Confirmation from awarding body/institute (obtained within 6 months)
  • Authorisation letter (if not certificate holder)* 
  • Copy of identification document

Choose the service

There are two services for you to choose from;

Normal service - Submit the original certificates and/or transcripts before 4.00 pm and collect them on the next working day after 9.00am. (Documents submitted after 4.00 p.m. can be collected after 12.30 p.m. on the next working day).

Same day service - Submit the original certificates and/or transcripts before 10.30am and collect them by 12.30pm (time frame for this service may vary as per the signatories availability)

*Service availability notice during Friday 14 December 2018 - Wednesday 2 January 2019

Type of service

Collection date

Same day service  will not be available
from Friday 14 Dec - Thursday 20 Dec and
from Monday 24 Dec – Tuesday 1 Jan

NA

 

Normal Service  

from Friday 14 Dec – Thursday 20 Dec

Friday 21 December by  12.30pm

from Friday 21 Dec – Friday 28 Dec

Tuesday 2 Jan by  12.30pm


Payment method

Cash or credit card (at the time of collection)

Normal Service: Rs. 3,000 per verified copy

Same day Service: Rs. 4,500 per verified copy

 

Working hours

Colombo – Monday to Friday 09.00 a.m. to 05.30 p.m.

*Please note that our verification services will no longer be offered at our Kandy office with effect from 01 April 2018.

 

Terms and Conditions

British Council verifies only UK educational qualifications.

  1. Please note that the acceptance of your documents does not guarantee verification.
  2. British Council verifies certificates as ‘true copy of the original’ only.
  3. If a local qualification is required to be verified by us for UK education purposes, we require evidence showing that the candidate is enrolling for a UK qualification. This could be an offer letter from an accredited UK university or a completed admission form which states the requirement for verification from British Council along with a confirmation from the awarding body (local institution). 
  4. British Council reserves the right to take appropriate action if any forged documents are found.
  5. Original certificates given for verification MUST be collected within 5 working days. British Council will not be liable for any loss or damage of documents after this period.

Guidelines for customers

  1. Original certificates and transcripts must be handed over for verification. Photocopies / scanned copies will not be accepted.
  2. The certificate holder should be present to submit/collect documents. Please bring along your NIC or Passport. In the event the certificate holder is unable to personally visit British Council, a duly authorised (Family member) may submit the documents. However, an authorisation letter signed by the certificate holder, containing the certificate holder’s full name, document(s) they wish to verify, the full name of the authorised person and NIC/Passport number should be produced.
  3. The Verification service is provided ONLY to the certificate holder. Please note 3rd party requests such as Student Consulting Firms, Overseas Education Guide/ Helper, Private / Public Universities / Institutions are NOT ACCEPTED.
  4. A confirmation from the awarding body or the relevant institution must be provided in either of the following formats.

*Hard copy confirmation: A copy of the certificate stamped and signed with the name, designation and date by an authorised person of the institution.
*E-mail confirmation: An e-mail verification from the official e-mail address of the university including the e-mail signature of the university.

Please note that the details included in the confirmation provided by the institution / university should match with the information on your certificate.

 5. Validity period for certificates issued through British Council

        1. British Council Teaching Centre certificates -  Issued within the last 7 years. 

        2. IELTS certificates - issued within the last 2 years

        3. Pearson / Cambridge certificates - issued within the last 5 years. - If you have done the examination through a non-registered British Council Sri Lanka examination centre, a confirmation from the examination centre or School must be produced along with the original certificates.

        4. Cambridge English Language Assessment (CELA) Certificates  issued within last 2 years (2016 onwards). If not, please contact the awarding body (Cambridge)

Certificates obtained before the above mentioned validity period and from non-registered British Council examination centres, contact the respective awarding body for a confirmation of your qualification.

such as,  Edexcel 
               Cambridge

 6. Please note that Embassy of  the State of Qatar in Sri Lanka  requires an award confirmation letter of the qualification,  irrespective of the UK university or institution.

(Please click here to view the preferred format)

 

Please Read Our Fair Collection Notice

The British Council will require your original documents to provide this service. We will hold these securely until the service is complete and the documents can be returned to you. We will record your name, type of document, the date of transaction, and any other relevant details for our records. This will be kept securely and will not be provided to any other parties unless we are legally required to do so.