How to get an e-visa to Sri Lanka

Let me start with the fact that getting a visa to visit the Republic of Sri Lanka is easy for Russians. To do this, I did not collect a bunch of certificates, as required by the Schengen countries. I did not issue a certificate from work indicating my salary plans, or from the bank confirming the presence of a certain amount in the account. I didn’t make copies of documents, passports, photographs, and didn’t provide mandatory medical insurance (although it wouldn’t hurt). I didn’t even go specifically to the Visa Center to submit documents and interview the consul. All I needed was the desire to go to the island, 30 minutes of free time, the Internet and some money on a bank card. But first things first…

For short-term entry into the country, you must obtain an electronic ETA , which is issued online on the website of the Department of Immigration and Emigration of Sri Lanka, or upon arrival in the country, at the “Visa on arrival” counter. Still, it is better to take care of a visa in advance so that after a long flight you do not waste precious time at the airport.

Types of electronic ETA

An ETA gives the right to a short stay in Sri Lanka for 30 days for tourism purposes, business purposes, or if you are traveling through the Republic in transit.

apply for a tourist visa with the possibility of double entry into the country if the purpose of your stay in the country is:

• tourism, sightseeing;
• your desire to visit friends and relatives;
• yoga, Ayurveda classes;
• participation in sports or cultural events.

The cost of such a visa is 35 USD.

If you visit the country to take short training courses, participate in various conferences, business meetings, events dedicated to art, music, dance, or a religious nature, you will apply for a business visa with multiple entry for 30 days. Cost - 40USD. A transit visa valid for 2 days (48 hours) is issued free of charge.

Children under 12 years of age are also entitled to a free electronic tourist permit.

Visa at Sri Lanka airport

Visa on arrival is issued for 30 days, single entry.

It costs $40, you can pay in cash or by card. If you pay in dollars or euros, you will still receive change in rupees; the exchange rate may be so-so.

You can make your life a little easier and issue an ETA in advance - an electronic permit to enter Sri Lanka. It turns out quickly and easily via the Internet. As a result, your data is already in the database at the time of arrival, which may (but this is not certain) save time and eliminate unnecessary questions.

It costs $35 (in fact, almost $37 due to the commission for transactions with bank cards) and the visa will be double-entry. This may be useful if you also want to visit the Maldives.

A transit visa for 48 hours is free, you do not need to apply for anything in advance. But upon arrival, you will need to present a ticket to a third country and a hotel reservation in Sri Lanka, even if you are arriving for just a couple of hours.

How to fill out the form

You can submit an application on the site directly or by a third party. It is also possible to register for a group of people at once.

If you are planning an independent trip to the island, then you do not necessarily need to contact an agency for assistance in obtaining an electronic ETA. Moreover, such a service is provided for a fee. You can do this yourself, having only a valid foreign passport with you.

By clicking on the link, we open the “APPLY” tab, agree to the conditions for obtaining a permit, click on “I AGREE” and proceed directly to selecting the desired type of visa: tourist, business or transit.

Not quite confident in your English language skills? Use Google Translate for peace of mind.

For example, if I need a tourist visa and will fill it out myself, I select Tourist ETA - Apply for an individual. Next, the site takes us to a page where the data will be entered directly. Do not forget that the information is printed in Latin.

First, enter your personal data (be sure to check the spelling with your passport). I list them in order:

• surname;
• Name;
• address to you (depending on gender, marital status and profession). Briefly, for reference, I will write the notation: 1. You are a man and it doesn’t matter whether you are married or single - choose Mr. 2. Married women, including widows, click on Mrs. 3. Unmarried girl - Miss . 4. And the one who prefers not to indicate her marital status indicates Ms. 5. The title Dr is chosen by both men and women who have a medical profession or an academic degree.
• Date of Birth;
• gender (male - male, female - female);
• nationality (select from the proposed list, in our case it is Russian Federation);
• country of birth (also select from the list);
• occupation (optional);
• passport number;
• date of issue of the international passport;
• expiration date of the passport.

Next, if a child under 14 years of age is traveling with us and he is included in your international passport (old-style passport), we fill in the data for him as well: last name, first name, date of birth, gender, degree of relationship. To add a second child to the form, click on “Add Child”. Information about children who have their own passports is filled out using a separate form.

The next step is to provide travel information and contact details of the applicant:

• expected date of arrival;
• purpose of the visit (select in the penultimate stanza Sightseeing and Holidaying, sightseeing and vacation).

The departure airport, airline name and flight number are optional. But this will not be superfluous if you have already purchased tickets. Another advantage of traveling to Sri Lanka is that you don’t have to buy air tickets until you receive a visa.

• address (street, house and apartment number; the second address is optional);
• city;
• state, region;
• a country;
• the address where you are going to live in Sri Lanka;
• email address;
• contact phone number.

And lastly, answer three questions:

• Do you have a valid residence permit in the Republic of Sri Lanka?
• Are you currently in Sri Lanka with a valid ETA or have you received a visa extension?
• Do you have a multiple entry visa for the Republic of Sri Lanka?

We enter the captcha, confirm that the information entered is correct and move on to the next page - see if everything is correct. If you need to change something, then click on Edit, everything is correct - click on Confirm.

Next, we make payment using a bank card. Let me remind you that ETA processing and short-term visa processing costs 35 USD. An amount in rubles equivalent to the dollar exchange rate is debited from your card. Better yet, use a dollar card if you have one.

After payment, you will immediately receive a notification from the Consulate of the Republic of Sri Lanka to your email address stating that the application has been received and will be reviewed within 24 hours. The letter will also indicate your reference number, by which you can track the status of your application.

In less than a day, or even immediately, you will receive confirmation of approval.

In case of refusal, you should contact:

• to the Embassy of Sri Lanka in the Russian Federation at the address: 120090, Moscow, st. Shchepkina, 24, tel., 688-16-51, 688-14-63,

• or to the Consulate - 190000, St. Petersburg, 17th line V.O., no. 60, tel.: +7 (812) 305-01-85,

Entry into the country

While still on the plane, before arriving in the capital of Sri Lanka, Colombo, you will receive an Arrival Card. It is filled out for everyone, including children included in the parent’s passport.

Instructions for filling:

1. Information is filled out in Latin in capital letters. Each letter is in a separate cell.
2. When filling, use a pen with black or blue ink.
3. Residence address in Sri Lanka is required.
4. A separate card is filled out for each child included in the parent’s passport.
5. Your passport must be valid for the next 6 months.
6. For visa extensions, please contact the Immigration Department in Colombo.
7. Strictly adhere to your stated purpose for visiting.
8. This document is official. Reporting false information may result in penalties including confiscation of goods, fines, prosecution, imprisonment and deportation from Sri Lanka.

At passport control you will need to show the officer your passport and completed arrival card. Just in case, have a printed electronic ETA and return tickets ready.

This is the stamp and sticker they will put in your passport upon entry.

Welcome to Sri Lanka and have a wonderful holiday!

How to apply for a visa to Sri Lanka in 15 minutes without leaving home

Official website of the Government of Sri Lanka

First, you need to understand that for Russian citizens, as such is not required Russian , but what is issued is a permit to enter the country. And you don’t need to go to the embassy or travel agency and pay for help in obtaining a permit. This document can be completed electronically by anyone, no one is checked. The entry permit is valid for 30 calendar days from the date of its receipt.

It must be said that you can arrange all this upon arrival at Colombo airport, but there you will start rushing around looking for a migration form, asking your neighbors what to write in this or that column, you will waste a little of your nerves and time, and besides, the fee for the permit will cost 5$ more expensive, i.e. $35 per person.

The electronic authorization (ETA) is issued on the official website of the Sri Lankan government, so there is no need to worry about the legitimacy of such a permit - everything is in order.

I personally experienced the whole procedure and it took me 15 minutes, while I was lying under a blanket with a cup of green tea. Everything is very simple and fast.

To obtain a permit you will need:

1. Bank card with 30 dollars to pay the consular fee online through a bank in Sri Lanka.

2. Email to which the entry permit will be sent.

We go to the government website using this link and see this picture, on which is written a text with the basic entry rules that must be accepted. Those who know English can read it, but those who don’t want to, immediately agree with what is written and choose I Agree

Agreement for obtaining an ETA to remain in Sri Lanka

Next, select the type of resolution. We are interested in a tourist permit for one person.

Tourist ETA

Now the site will ask us to fill out a form with information about ourselves. Important: you must fill out in strict accordance with the data in your passport. If you have any difficulties translating the names of the fields in the questionnaire, use Google Translator. But even if you are lazy, then I did it for you, use it