Visa to Sri Lanka
Tourist coming from certain countries are granted 30 days visa upon arrival at the port of entry in Sri Lanka. As a general rule foreign national should possess tickets and documents for return or onward travel and sufficient funds for maintenance. While 60 days extension shall be issued at the Head office of Department of Immigration and Emigration.
Nationals of the following countries can visit Sri Lanka without prior visa and allowed to stay for 30 days without payment.
Europe and Russia
> Albania
> Armenia
> Austria
> Azerbaijan
> Belarus
> Belgium
> Bosnia-Herzegovina
> Bulgaria
> Croatia
> Cyprus
> Czech Republic
> Denmark
> Estonia
> Finland
> Georgia
> Germany
> Greece
> Ireland
> Italy
> Latvia
> Lithuania
> Luxembourg
> Macedonia
> Moldova
> Netherlands
> Norway
> Poland
> Portugal
> Romania
> Russian Federation
> Serbia
> Slovakia
> Slovenia
> Spain
> Sweden
> Switzerland
> United Kingdom
> Ukraine
> Turkey
Asia and Oceania
> Australia
> Bangladesh
> Bhutan
> Brunei
> China
> India
> Indonesia
> Japan
> Kazakhstan
> Kyrgyzstan
> Maldives
> Malaysia
> New Zealand
> Nepal
> Pakistan
> Philippines
> Singapore
> South Korea
> Tajikistan
> Thailand
> Turkmenistan
> Uzbekistan
Middle East
> Bahrain
> Iran
> Israel
> Kuwait
> Oman
> Qatar
> Saudi Arabia
> United Arab Emirates
North America
> Canada
> United States of America
Africa
> Seychelles
> South Africa
Foreign nationals who wish to visit Sri Lanka for purpose other than tourism should obtain prior visit visas from the Sri Lankan Embassy or Consulate.
Documents required for applying visit visa to Sri Lanka:
1. Original passport valid for at least three (3) months beyond intended stay.
2. Two recent passport-size photographs.
3. Complete Visit visa application
4. Relevant visa fee
5. Tickets and documents for return or onward travel.
Countries not mentioned above should visit the nearest Sri Lankan Embassy or Consulate for visa application. Bono- fide tourist could obtain a tourist visa up to a period of three months after paying the necessary fees at the consulates or embassies of Sri Lanka abroad.
Visa for Journalist
Journalist/media personnel who expect to visit Sri Lanka on an assignment should acquire prior visas. Aside from duly filled application form they are also required to submit the list of equipments which they tend to take to Sri Lanka on the prescribed form. They are also advised to apply for visa well advance, for the Consulate needs the clearance from the authorities on Colombo for the issuance of visas of journalists.
Journalists are required to call over the Public Communication Division of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, Republic Building, Colombo 1 Tel (+94) 011 5339287/ 5361952/ 2437633, upon their arrival to obtain the Media Accreditation issued by the Department of Information.
For those media teams who will visit Sri Lanka to film tourism promotional documentaries or for Sri Lanka Tourist Board (SLTB) familiarization tours a SLTB Selection Criteria for Journalists/TV Crews should be filled out. The Sri Lanka Tourist Board requires at least 30 working days for the processing of relevant documents prior to the scheduled commencement of the project. A ground handling team is also needed to coordinate the project in Sri Lanka.
Media teams who are coming to for filming of documentaries/ feature films are required to fill in the National Film Corporation Agreement and submit along with the synopsis of the documentary/ feature film, itinerary in Sri Lanka and the location of the filming. Seven (7) working days is needed by the Ministry of Foreign Affairs to obtain permission from the National Film Corporation, and so media teams are advised to submit necessary documents well advance to the Consulate prior to their scheduled departure.
For all visa enquiries, please visit www.immigration.gov.lk.
