Visa policy of Sri Lanka
Sri Lanka portal |
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]
Visa policy map
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:[3]
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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:[3][5][6]
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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, but no more than 90 days within any 1 year-period.
4 - 90 days within any 180-day period.
5 - 30 days within any 60-day period.
Electronic Visa (e-Visa)
Citizens of all other countries except the visa-exempt countries and countries whose citizens require a visa in advance may either obtain an e-Visa online or a visa on arrival.[1]
The types of e-Visas available online are as follows:[1]
- Tourist Visa - Single Entry for 30 days
- Tourist Visa - Standard Visitor Visa (60 days within any 6 months)
- Tourist Visa - Multiple Entry for 1 year
- Tourist Visa - Multiple Entry for 2 years
- Tourist Visa - Multiple Entry for 5 years within any 180 days
- Tourist Visa - Multiple Entry for 10 years within any 180 days
- Business Visa - Standard Visitor Visa (SAARCcountries)
- Business Visa - Standard Visitor Visa (Non SAARCcountries)
- Business Visa - Multiple Entry for 1 year
- Business Visa - Multiple Entry for 2 years
- Business Visa - Multiple Entry for 5 years
- Business Visa - Multiple Entry for 10 years
- Transit Visa - 4 days Transit
- Gratis - Multiple Entry for 1 year
Gratis e-Visa
From 24 October 2023 to 30 April 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.[7]
e-Visa restrictions
Citizens of Taiwan must select "China (Special Administrative Region of China)" as their nationality when applying for an e-Visa. |
Visa on arrival
Citizens of most other countries except the countries whose citizens require a visa in advance may obtain a visa on arrival, 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.[8][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.
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:[7]
When obtaining a visa at a Sri Lankan diplomatic mission, they must present the following documents:[7]
- Police Clearance report
- If the applicant is coming from another country after staying for more than 6 months, are required to provide Police clearance from that country and copy of the Visa
- Certificate from a Sri Lankan guarantor & a photocopy of the guarantors NIC
- Affidavit from a Sri Lankan JP (Justice of Peace) or a Lawyer
- Accommodation information (Place of stay)
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:[7]
Visitor statistics
Most visitors arriving in Sri Lanka on a short-term basis were from the following countries:[10][11]
Country | 2/2024 | 2023 | 2022 | 2021 | 2020 | 2019 | 2018 |
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
India | 64,426 | 302,844 | 123,004 | 56,268 | 89,357 | 355,002 | 424,887 |
Russia | 63,189 | 197,498 | 91,272 | 16,984 | 49,397 | 86,549 | 64,497 |
United Kingdom | 37,279 | 130,088 | 85,187 | 16,646 | 55,455 | 198,776 | 254,176 |
Germany | 29,852 | 102,539 | 55,542 | 12,442 | 34,507 | 134,899 | 156,888 |
China[12] | 26,347 | 68,789 | 4,715 | 2,417 | 26,147 | 167,863 | 265,965 |
France | 22,422 | 56,251 | 35,482 | 6,549 | 24,838 | 87,623 | 106,449 |
Poland | 14,709 | 17,946 | 15,195 | 2,110 | 11,908 | 20,896 | 20,378 |
Australia | 12,910 | 67,436 | 30,924 | 4,421 | 20,283 | 92,674 | 110,928 |
United States | 11,421 | 46,344 | 22,230 | 6,124 | 16,842 | 68,832 | 75,308 |
Netherlands | 8,542 | 29,056 | 11,987 | 2,422 | 8,656 | 38,993 | 57,160 |
Canada | 8,038 | 43,944 | 26,845 | 5,079 | 12,346 | 48,729 | 52,681 |
Czech Republic | 7,336 | 12,056 | 7,350 | 1,864 | 7,599 | 19,204 | 17,600 |
Italy | 6,679 | 22,242 | 7,449 | 1,309 | 8,603 | 36,147 | 38,379 |
Maldives | 6,154 | 37,298 | 18,880 | 6,272 | 9,407 | 60,278 | 76,108 |
Kazakhstan | 6,032 | 5,130 | 8,068 | 5,754 | 2,333 | 2,399 | 2,721 |
Switzerland | 5,839 | 23,556 | 13,260 | 2,974 | 6,389 | 29,981 | 33,965 |
Austria | 4,757 | 10,594 | 5,541 | 1,502 | 4,300 | 14,713 | 19,320 |
Denmark | 4,702 | 10,346 | 7,278 | 1,302 | 4,905 | 16,869 | 19,223 |
Japan | 4,659 | 19,583 | 3,087 | 392 | 6,644 | 30,079 | 49,450 |
Belarus | 4,226 | 10,969 | 3,621 | 646 | 2,638 | 4,796 | 4,621 |
Spain | 4,040 | 23,905 | 12,895 | 2,015 | 3,385 | 24,489 | 29,208 |
Sweden | 3,824 | 8,643 | 5,097 | 1,601 | 7,061 | 22,464 | 28,267 |
Malaysia | 3,346 | 10,940 | 2,779 | 323 | 3,494 | 16,861 | 22,808 |
Belgium | 2,890 | 10,667 | 6,164 | 1,283 | 3,371 | 14,948 | 17,519 |
Hungary | 2,855 | 3,786 | 2,324 | 445 | 1,588 | 4,091 | 4,514 |
Israel | 2,761 | 19,517 | 9,326 | 1,724 | 3,556 | 14,770 | 13,833 |
Ukraine | 2,678 | 5,082 | 14,917 | 7,037 | 17,169 | 35,051 | 36,515 |
Lithuania | 2,616 | 2,722 | 2,115 | 383 | 1,054 | 2,793 | 3,386 |
Norway | 2,555 | 8,747 | 5,983 | 1,141 | 3,019 | 13,446 | 17,217 |
South Korea | 2,507 | 7,298 | 1,843 | 389 | 2,499 | 12,195 | 15,748 |
Taiwan | 2,460 | 4,999 | 363 | 42 | 1,985 | 7,127 | 8,187 |
Pakistan | 2,255 | 10,744 | 6,260 | 7,520 | 3,065 | 14,655 | 19,116 |
Slovakia | 2,169 | 4,464 | 2,432 | 664 | 1,513 | 4,944 | 5,289 |
Austria | 1,890 | 10,594 | 5,541 | 1,502 | 4,300 | 14,713 | 19,320 |
Estonia | 1,808 | 1,808 | 978 | 376 | 1,185 | 2,516 | 2,744 |
Romania | 1,793 | 4,092 | 3,313 | 820 | 1,724 | 5,463 | 5,931 |
Sweden | 1,707 | 8,643 | 5,097 | 1,601 | 7,061 | 22,464 | 28,267 |
Ireland | 1,671 | 5,136 | 3,056 | 559 | 2,294 | 8,254 | 10,830 |
Singapore | 1,666 | 9,551 | 3,770 | 557 | 2,545 | 13,871 | 19,861 |
Iran | 1,607 | 10,322 | 4,301 | 397 | 648 | 3,249 | 5,720 |
Finland | 1,403 | 2,287 | 1,500 | 341 | 2,298 | 7,028 | 8,888 |
Turkey | 1,380 | 3,739 | 1,514 | 309 | 2,121 | 4,972 | 4,262 |
New Zealand | 1,299 | 7,913 | 2,866 | 325 | 2,324 | 12,463 | 13,825 |
Norway | 1,265 | 8,747 | 5,983 | 1,141 | 3,019 | 13,446 | 17,217 |
Thailand | 1,221 | 4,922 | 1,725 | 247 | 1,880 | 9,861 | 9,178 |
Portugal | 1,141 | 3,943 | 1,906 | 372 | 1,602 | 5,193 | 5,933 |
Nepal | 1,133 | 4,750 | 1,065 | 325 | 1,384 | 5,414 | 5,302 |
Saudi Arabia | 1,060 | 6,797 | 5,952 | 1,596 | 4,755 | 15,707 | 34,703 |
Egypt | 872 | 3,091 | 2,340 | 400 | 956 | 3,708 | 3,854 |
Philippines | 702 | 4,164 | 1,961 | 529 | 4,249 | 14,590 | 19,303 |
Total Foreign Arrivals | 426,603 | 1,487,303 | 719,978 | 194,495 | 507,704 | 1,913,702 | 2,333,796 |
See also
- Visa requirements for Sri Lankan citizens
- Tourism in Sri Lanka
- Foreign relations of Sri Lanka
- Sri Lankan passport
References
- ^ a b c "SL eVisa".
- ^ a b c "Visa and passport". Timatic. International Air Transport Association through Emirates. Retrieved 1 April 2017.
- ^ a b "Visa exemption list" (PDF).
- ^ "Sri Lanka - Travel Page". www.mfa.gov.sg. Ministry of Foreign Affairs (Singapore). 4 April 2024. Retrieved 18 April 2024.
- ^ "Visa fee".
- ^ "Diplomatic & Official Visits".
- ^ a b c d "Information".
- ^ "Entry requirements - Sri Lanka travel advice". GOV.UK. Government of the United Kingdom. 5 April 2024. Retrieved 17 April 2024.
- ^ "Frequently Asked Questions".
- ^ "TOURIST ARRIVALS BY COUNTRY OF RESIDENCE 2016" (PDF). Archived from the original (PDF) on 2019-07-12. Retrieved 2017-01-05.
- ^ "Tourist Arrivals by Region – December 2016 & December October 2018" (PDF). Archived (PDF) from the original on 2018-11-23. Retrieved 2018-02-03.
- ^ Including Hong Kong and Macau.