How to get a Sri Lanka visa

by John Kendy Marketing Manager

I aim to give excellent expert first hand experiences on all the aspects of my travels to help you on your way. Just two weeks ago I got my first ever Visa for Sri Lanka. It’s not very difficult to get so I thought, I’d give you a very quick and easy rundown of how I did it. Please note that Sri Lanka changed its Visa policies from 1st January 2012 therefore if you have been before and didn’t require a visa, this time you might!

I am posting this advice on how to get a Sri Lanka Visa based on a UK or Irish passport, but the same procedure applies to Hong Kong passports and a host of other countries. First things first, have your flights and accommodation booked in advance (though realistically you could make up your accommodation without booking it).

Where Can I Get a Sri Lanka Visa?

To get a Sri Lanka Visa head to the official Sri Lanka Visa Website. There are a number of cool agencies that also offer online visas in advance so if you choose one of those choose the ETA Sri Lanka online visa – Sri Lanka Visa.

How much does a Visa for Sri Lanka cost?

First of all, if you are heading there as a tourist, you can get a FREE transit Visa for 2 days!! If you are going there for a short 2 day stop over then you can get your FREE Visa on arrival. If you are visiting for 3 – 7 days you should book it online for $20 US Dollars. You will save $5 by doing this – if you turn up in Sri Lanka without a visa they will charge you $25 US Dollars for a 3-7 day Visa. I’m going next month, for 8 days so I applied for the double entry, which is $30 US Dollars. It’s the same price to take a single entry Visa so you might as well get the double entry, at least that’s the way I see it. IN short:

2 day tourist visa – FREE (get it on arrival)

3 – 7 day tourist visa – $20 (online) or $25 (on arrival)

One month double entry tourist visa – $30 (online) or $35 (on arrival)

What cards can you pay with?

American Express, Visa and Mastercard.

Any other points to note about getting a Sri Lanka Visa?

Yes, please double check all your details before you click confirm to get the Visa. The reason for this advice is that the Sri Lanka government will reject your visa and charge you for it (for example if you write incorrect date of birth or passport number by mistake). You will still be able to get your Visa second time round by entering the correct information, but you will have to pay the full fee again. Harsh, but fair.

Once you have submitted your application, you will get two e-mails:

1. To confirm you have applied for your Visa

2. To confirm that you have been approved (or not) for your Visa (this e-mail arrived within 5 minutes for me)

[Source: http://dontstopliving.net/how-to-get-a-sri-lanka-visa/]