General Information
IMPORTANT NOTICE
With effect from 1st January 2012, all Holiday or Business travelers to Sri Lanka must have Electronic Travel Authorization (ETA) for entering in to Sri Lanka. Please visit http://www.eta.gov.lk for more information.
The facility for applying Business Purpose Visa is at present available only at the Head Office of the Department of Immigration & Emigration and the Sri Lankan Overseas Missions.
When applying ETA by third parties payments are to be made through the arrangement made in our website www.eta.gov.lk and obtain acknowledgement of ETA application. Any payments made to other websites or agencies are not valid to process a valid ETA. Therefore, always ensure that the payments made by accessing to Sri Lanka ETA website and avoid making repayment at the port of entry to Sri Lanka.
What is a Sri Lankan Visa?
A Sri Lankan visa is an endorsement on a passport or a similar document to facilitate the legal entry of non Sri Lankans into the country and to regulate the period of their stay and the conditions governing such stay.
What are the Types of Sri Lankan Visas?
There are four kinds of visas which permit a person to enter and/or stay in Sri Lanka.
Visit Visa
A Visit Visa is an entry permit signifying the consent of the Sri Lankan Government for the admission of a foreign national to the country. The Visa contains details of the period of time and the condition/s of the stay.
There are two sub-categories which come under visit visas :-
1. Tourist Visit Visa
A Tourist Visa is issued to bona-fide tourists who want to enter Sri Lanka for sightseeing, excursions, relaxation, visit relatives or yoga training for a short period of time.
2. Business Purpose Visa
A Business Purpose Visa is issued to foreign nationals who visit Sri Lanka for business purposes for short period of time. This visa may be issued for single or double journeys.
Residence Visa
A residence visa is a permit for a non-Sri Lankan to obtain residence facilities for special purposes.There are eight sub-categories which come under residence visas -
What Eligibility category do I belong?
1. Employment Category
- Project Professional personnel whose services are required for projects approved by the state and expatriate personnel employed in projects under Board of Investment (BOI) of Sri Lanka and their dependants
- Personnel employed at banks and their dependants
- Volunteers
- Personnel attached to Non-Governmental Organizations
- Personnel employed in a project, institution or organization under diplomatic missions in Sri Lanka
- Personnel employed in a private company and their dependants
2. Investor Category
- Who desire to invest monetary capital in Sri Lanka
- Who engage in business activities in Sri Lanka.
3. Religious Category
4. Student Category
- University Students
- Students in Educational Institutions approved by the State
- Other Institutions
5. Registered Indians covered by the 1954 Indo-Lanka Agreement.
6. Ex- Sri Lankans and their dependants
7. Family Members of a Sri Lankan
- Spouses
- Children holding foreign nationality.
8. Diplomatic and Official visa
9. My Dream Home Visa Programme
10. Resident Guest Visa Programme
A Transit Visa is an entry permit granted to a foreign national for admission into Sri Lanka for a brief period which is incidential and in the course of his journey to another destination.
The holder of a Diplomatic or Official Passport or a passport with a valid Diplomatic or Official endorsement will not be required to pay any fees for the visa.
Who are eligible for Visa Exemptions?
- Sri Lankan dual citizens.
- Children whose birth has been registered under section 5(2) of Citizenship Act - 1948 upto 21 years of age.
- Children born in Sri Lanka for Sri Lankan parents under 21 years of age.
What are the general eligibility requirements for Sri Lankan Visas?
Sri Lanka Immigration and Emigration may grant or issue a visa to you if -
- Sri Lanka Immigration & Emigration is satisfied that you are suitable to enter Sri Lanka.
- Sri Lanka Immigration & Emigration approves the purpose for which you are entering Sri Lanka.
- You hold a passport valid for a minimum period of six months from the date you arrive in Sri Lanka.
- Sri Lanka Immigration & Emigration is satisfied that you have adequate funds for your maintenance whilst in Sri Lanka and for the payment of your return passage to the country which issued your passport.
- You are in possession of a written assurance (ticket) to return to the country of domicile or a visa to the next country of destination if you are a visit visa holder.
What are the general conditions of a Visit Visa?
- You should not engage in any form of employment, paid or unpaid, or in any trade or business other than that specified in the visa during the period of your stay in Sri Lanka.
- Your visa must be utilized before the date of expiry noted on the visa.
- Validity of your visa is subject to entry into Sri Lanka during the indicated entry period.
- Applications for the extension of all visas should be made to the Department of Immigration and Emigration.
