Visa policy of Sri Lanka

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Visitors to Sri Lanka must obtain a visa, either on arrival to Sri Lanka or in advance, unless they are a citizen of one of the visa-exempt countries. Most visitors entering for tourism purposes are required to obtain an electronic visa (e-Visa) or a visa on arrival, unless they are exempt from obtaining one. [1] However, citizens of some countries must obtain a visa in advance instead of an e-Visa before being allowed to enter Sri Lanka. All visitors must hold a passport valid for 6 months. [2]

Contents

On 17 April 2024, Sri Lanka replaced its previous Electronic Travel Authorisation system with a new e-Visa system, [3] operated by VFS Global. [4] However, the new e-Visa system's increased fees were criticised by Sri Lankan opposition leader Sajith Premadasa, who claimed that Russian airline Red Wings Airlines had ceased operating flights to Sri Lanka due in part to the increased visa fees, and warned that the tourism industry could be brought to a "standstill". [4]

Visa policy map

Visa policy of Sri Lanka .mw-parser-output .legend{page-break-inside:avoid;break-inside:avoid-column}.mw-parser-output .legend-color{display:inline-block;min-width:1.25em;height:1.25em;line-height:1.25;margin:1px 0;text-align:center;border:1px solid black;background-color:transparent;color:black}.mw-parser-output .legend-text{} Sri Lanka Visa not required (90 days) Visa not required (60 days, 90 days within any 1 year) Visa not required (30 days) Gratis eVisa (30 days) eVisa / Visa on arrival (30 days) Visa on arrival (30 days) Visa required Visa policy of Sri Lanka.svg
Visa policy of Sri Lanka
  Sri Lanka
  Visa not required (90 days)
  Visa not required (60 days, 90 days within any 1 year)
  Visa not required (30 days)
  Gratis eVisa (30 days)
  eVisa / Visa on arrival (30 days)
  Visa on arrival (30 days)
  Visa required

Visa exemption

Ordinary passports

On the basis of reciprocity, citizens of the following countries do not need a visa to enter Sri Lanka, for stays up to the duration listed below: [5]

Alternatively, nationals of visa-exempt countries who instead choose to apply for a "Standard tourist visa" online are exempt from paying visa fees. [3]

Non-ordinary passports

Holders of diplomatic, official, service or special passports of the following countries do not need a visa to enter Sri Lanka, for stays up to the duration listed below: [5] [7] [8]

D - Diplomatic passports
O - Official passports
S - Service passports
Sp - Special passports
PA - Passports endorsed for "public affairs".
1 - 90 days
2 - 30 days
3 - 60 days, 90 days within any 1 year-period.
4 - 90 days within any 180-day period.
5 - 30 days within any 60-day period.

Visa on arrival

Citizens of all other countries except the visa-exempt countries and countries whose citizens require a visa in advance may obtain a visa on arrival which is good for double entry for tourist or good for multiple entries for business, valid for a maximum stay of 30 days. Visas obtained on arrival are generally discouraged as such visas are not automatically approved for entry into Sri Lanka. [9]

Citizens of the following countries and territories are ineligible to obtain an e-Visa, but may obtain a visa on arrival in Sri Lanka. [2] When obtaining a visa on arrival, they must provide a passport photo and fill in additional paperwork, such as a "Declaration of Identity for Visa Purpose", in order to be granted the visa.

Electronic Visa (e-Visa)

Citizens of all other countries except the countries whose citizens either require a visa obtained on arrival or in advance may also obtain an e-Visa online. [1]

Prospective visitors can apply for the following types of tourism/business e-Visas (unless otherwise noted):

ValidityNumber of entryDuration of stay*Visa feeNote
30 daysSingleup to 30 daysGratisOnly tourists who are citizens of China, India, Indonesia, Japan, Malaysia, Russia or Thailand may obtain this type of visa from 24 October 2023 to 31 May 2024.
6 monthsDoubleup to 60 days35 or 75 USD SAARC member states: 35 USD
Non-SAARC member states: 75 USD
1 yearMultipleup to 90 days200 USDPeople who engage diplomatic or consular activities may get visa fee waived.
2 yearsMultipleup to 180 days300 USD
5 yearsMultipleup to 180 days500 USD
10 yearsMultipleup to 180 days1000 USD

* - Duration of stay demonstrates how many days visitor may stay in each entry.

Moreover, a US$18.50 service fee [4] as well as a US$5 "convenience fee" is charged by VFS Global for each visa application, regardless of the type of e-Visa. [10]

Gratis e-Visa

From 24 October 2023 to 31 May 2024, citizens of the following 7 countries are eligible for a gratis e-Visa (single entry) for tourism purposes only, valid for a maximum stay of 30 days. [11]

e-Visa restrictions

Citizens of Taiwan must select "China (Special Administrative Region of China)" as their nationality when applying for an e-Visa.

Visa required in advance

Citizens of the following countries are ineligible to apply for both an e-Visa and a visa on arrival independently, [2] and thus must obtain a visa in advance from one of the Sri Lankan diplomatic missions around the world: [11]

When obtaining a visa at a Sri Lankan diplomatic mission, they must present the following documents: [11]

Entry restrictions

Mandatory yellow fever vaccination

Citizens of the following countries must present a yellow fever vaccination certificate upon arrival in order to enter Sri Lanka: [11]

Visitor statistics

Most visitors arriving in Sri Lanka on a short-term basis were from the following countries: [12] [13]

Foreign visitors to Sri Lanka
Country2024202320222021202020192018
Flag of India.svg  India 96,279302,844123,00456,26889,357355,002424,887
Flag of Russia.svg  Russia 91,205197,49891,27216,98449,39786,54964,497
Flag of the United Kingdom.svg  United Kingdom 58,819130,08885,18716,64655,455198,776254,176
Flag of Germany.svg  Germany 48,176102,53955,54212,44234,507134,899156,888
Flag of the People's Republic of China.svg  China [14] 39,21268,7894,7152,41726,147167,863265,965
Flag of France.svg  France 33,38256,25135,4826,54924,83887,623106,449
Flag of Australia (converted).svg  Australia 21,76267,43630,9244,42120,28392,674110,928
Flag of Poland.svg  Poland 19,49817,94615,1952,11011,90820,89620,378
Flag of the United States.svg  United States 19,03846,34422,2306,12416,84268,83275,308
Flag of the Netherlands.svg  Netherlands 12,24929,05611,9872,4228,65638,99357,160
Flag of Canada (Pantone).svg  Canada 12,07243,94426,8455,07912,34648,72952,681
Flag of the Czech Republic.svg  Czech Republic 10,32412,0567,3501,8647,59919,20417,600
Flag of Italy.svg  Italy 9,18122,2427,4491,3098,60336,14738,379
Flag of Switzerland (Pantone).svg   Switzerland 8,36123,55613,2602,9746,38929,98133,965
Flag of Kazakhstan.svg  Kazakhstan 8,2985,1308,0685,7542,3332,3992,721
Flag of Maldives.svg  Maldives 7,71637,29818,8806,2729,40760,27876,108
Flag of Japan.svg  Japan 7,23419,5833,0873926,64430,07949,450
Flag of Spain.svg  Spain 6,74623,90512,8952,0153,38524,48929,208
Flag of Austria.svg  Austria 6,43110,5945,5411,5024,30014,71319,320
Flag of Denmark.svg  Denmark 6,19910,3467,2781,3024,90516,86919,223
Flag of Belarus.svg  Belarus 5,89110,9693,6216462,6384,7964,621
Flag of Iran.svg  Iran 5,19610,3224,3013976483,2495,720
Flag of Sweden.svg  Sweden 5,1558,6435,0971,6017,06122,46428,267
Flag of Malaysia.svg  Malaysia 5,06710,9402,7793233,49416,86122,808
Flag of Israel.svg  Israel 4,97319,5179,3261,7243,55614,77013,833
Flag of Belgium (civil).svg  Belgium 4,45510,6676,1641,2833,37114,94817,519
Flag of Romania.svg  Romania 4,4554,0923,3138201,7245,4635,931
Flag of Lithuania.svg  Lithuania 3,8352,7222,1153831,0542,7933,386
Flag of Norway.svg  Norway 3,5888,7475,9831,1413,01913,44617,217
Flag of Ukraine.svg  Ukraine 3,5855,08214,9177,03717,16935,05136,515
Flag of Hungary.svg  Hungary 3,4403,7862,3244451,5884,0914,514
Flag of the Republic of China.svg  Taiwan 3,4314,999363421,9857,1278,187
Flag of South Korea.svg  South Korea 3,3687,2981,8433892,49912,19515,748
Flag of Pakistan.svg  Pakistan 3,19610,7446,2607,5203,06514,65519,116
Flag of Slovakia.svg  Slovakia 3,1144,4642,4326641,5134,9445,289
Flag of Singapore.svg  Singapore 2,8329,5513,7705572,54513,87119,861
Flag of Ireland.svg  Ireland 2,6795,1363,0565592,2948,25410,830
Flag of Estonia.svg  Estonia 2,4981,8089783761,1852,5162,744
Flag of New Zealand.svg  New Zealand 2,3317,9132,8663252,32412,46313,825
Flag of Thailand.svg  Thailand 2,1494,9221,7252471,8809,8619,178
Flag of Finland.svg  Finland 1,8672,2871,5003412,2987,0288,888
Flag of Turkey.svg  Turkey 1,8533,7391,5143092,1214,9724,262
Flag of Portugal.svg  Portugal 1,8113,9431,9063721,6025,1935,933
Flag of Nepal.svg    Nepal 1,4424,7501,0653251,3845,4145,302
Flag of Saudi Arabia.svg  Saudi Arabia 1,1516,7975,9521,5964,75515,70734,703
Flag of the Philippines.svg  Philippines 1,0974,1641,9615294,24914,59019,303
Flag of Egypt.svg  Egypt 9713,0912,3404009563,7083,854
Total635,7841,487,303719,978194,495507,7041,913,7022,333,796

See also

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References

  1. 1 2 "SL eVisa".
  2. 1 2 3 "Visa and passport". Timatic . International Air Transport Association through Emirates . Retrieved 1 April 2017.
  3. 1 2 "Sri Lanka implements new online visa system from today". Travel Trade Journal. 17 April 2024. Retrieved 19 April 2024.
  4. 1 2 3 "Sri Lanka opposition leader questions visa fee hike". EconomyNext. 19 April 2024. Retrieved 19 April 2024.
  5. 1 2 "Visa exemption list" (PDF).
  6. ↑ "Sri Lanka - Travel Page". www.mfa.gov.sg. Ministry of Foreign Affairs (Singapore). 4 April 2024. Retrieved 18 April 2024.
  7. ↑ "Visa fee".
  8. ↑ "Diplomatic & Official Visits".
  9. ↑ "Frequently Asked Questions".
  10. ↑ Srinivasan, Meera (6 May 2024). "Tourism-reliant Sri Lanka faces backlash over new visa system". The Hindu . Retrieved 7 May 2024.
  11. 1 2 3 4 "Information".
  12. ↑ "TOURIST ARRIVALS BY COUNTRY OF RESIDENCE 2016" (PDF). Archived from the original (PDF) on 2019-07-12. Retrieved 2017-01-05.
  13. ↑ "Tourist Arrivals by Region – December 2016 & December October 2018" (PDF). Archived (PDF) from the original on 2018-11-23. Retrieved 2018-02-03.
  14. ↑ Including Hong Kong and Macau.


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