With effect from 1st January 2012, all Holiday or Business travellers 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 the website http://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 – Tourist Visit Visa and Business Purpose Visa
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.
How can I renew my tourist visa?
Every bona-fide tourist who enters Sri Lanka within the period of the landing permit granted by the Immigration officials at the port of entry can apply for a visa extension before the expiry of the visa. Two (02) months extension beyond 30 days shall be granted at the Department of Immigration Emigration (Head Office). However further extension shall only be considered with valid reasons. This restriction will not be applicable to Ex-Sri Lankans.
Where can I get a tourist visa renewal Application Form?
- Head office of the Department of Immigration & Emigration, Colombo.
- Download printable versions of the Application Forms from the website.
(Click here to download )
What are the other conditions applicable to renewal of my tourist visa?
Your intended stay in Sri Lanka should end at least two months before the expiry date of your travel document.
How can I renew my Business Purpose Visa?
Applications for the extension of all visas should be made to the Department of Immigration and Emigration Head Office.
Where can I get a Business Purpose Visa renewal application form?
- Head office of the Department of Immigration & Emigration, Colombo.
- Download printable versions of the Application Forms from the website.
(Click here to download )
What are the other conditions applicable to renewal of my Business Purpose Visa?
In order to extend your visa necessary documentary proof has to be submitted by the relevant Sri Lankan Company/ Agency / Institution etc.. Your intended stay in Sri Lanka should end at least two months before the expiry date of your travel document.
For Electronic Travel Authorization System, please visit: http://www.eta.gov.lk/slvisa/
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?
- 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
- Investor Category
- Who desire to invest monetary capital in Sri Lanka.
- Who engage in business activities in Sri Lanka.
- Religious Category
- Student Category
- University Students
- Students in Educational Institutions approved by the State
- Other Institutions
- Registered Indians covered by the 1954 Indo-Lanka Agreement.
- Ex-Sri Lankans and their dependants.
- Family Members of a Sri Lankan
- Spouses
- Children holding foreign nationality.
- Diplomatic and Official visa.
- My Dream Home Visa Programme.
- Resident Guest Visa Programme.
Transit Visa
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.
Gratis Visa
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.
Short Visit to Sri Lanka
An intended traveller visiting Sri Lanka for a short stay for following purpose, must obtain ETA prior approval for their arrival.
- Visit Category - TOURIST
- Sightseeing, holidaying
- Visiting friends and relatives
- Medical treatment including Ayurvedic and yoga
- Participate in sporting events, competitions and activities relating to cultural performance
Customs Regulations
Sri Lanka has the usual list of prohibited imports, including drugs, weapons, fresh fruit and anything remotely pornographic.
Custom Imports
You are allowed to bring into the country duty free 1.5 litres of spirits, two bottles of wine, a quarter-litre of toilet water, and a small quantity of perfume and souvenirs with a value not exceeding US $250. The import of personal equipment such as cameras and laptop computers is allowed but must be declared on arrival. However, personal equipment must be taken out of the country upon the visitor.s departure. The import of non-prescription drugs and pornography of any form is an offence.
Custom Exports
On leaving the country you are allowed to export up to 10kg of tea duty free.
No antiques antique. defined as anything more than 50-years-old - rare books, palm-leaf manuscripts and anthropological material can be exported without permission from the Director of National Archives.
There are duty-free shops in the arrivals area before you reach baggage claim at the airport. Besides booze they include appliances like blenders and refrigerators.
For more details, visit Sri Lanka Customs
Do’s and Don’ts
Upset Stomach
As most stomach upsets are due to the unsanitary preparation of food, it is useful to know what to watch out for. Under-cooked fish (especially shellfish) and meat (especially pork and mince) can be hazardous. Salads can be risky unless purified water has been used to wash the various vegetables. Fruit that has already been peeled should be avoided. Be careful of ice cream, in particular the varieties sold by street vendors and served at cheap restaurants. Sometimes there are power outages Sri Lanka, especially away from urban centres, so it pays to be suspicious of all refrigerated foods if you know there has been a recent outage in your area.
Water
Tap water is not safe to drink, and boiling and filtering is sometimes done too hastily in some HOTELS AND restaurants, so the best solution is to drink bottled water. There are now many brands available, mostly using spring water from the highlands of the island. Make sure that the bottle carries an SLS certification and that the seal is broken only in your presence. Beware of ice unless you are satisfied it has not been made from tap water, and remember the tap water you may be tempted to use to rinse out your mouth after brushing your teeth is unsafe. Keep a bottle of water in your bathroom for this purpose.
Sunburn
When you flop onto the beach or poolside lounger for a spot of sunbathing, always remember to apply a sunscreen product with a sun protection factor of at least 15. Remember you are just 600km from the equator. Even with sunscreen, your sunbathing should be limited in time. If you don't apply sunscreen you are liable to become so sunburnt that it will be painful to move, your skin will peel, you will have to start afresh to get that tan, and most importantly you put yourself at risk of serious dermatological disease.
Heatstroke
Sometimes those who have spent too long in the sun suffer what is termed heatstroke, the most common form being caused by dehydration. This condition can occur if the body's heat-regulating mechanism becomes weakened and the body temperature rises to unsafe levels. The symptoms are a high temperature - yet a lack of sweat - a flushed skin, severe headache, and impaired coordination. In addition, the sufferer may become confused. If you think someone has heatstroke, take that person out of the sun, cover their body with a wet sheet or towel, and seek medical advice. To avoid heatstroke, take plenty of bottled water to the beach, or buy a thambili (king coconut) from an itinerant seller.
Prickly Heat
Prickly heat rash occurs when your sweat glands become clogged after being out in the heat for too long or from excessive perspiration. The rash appears as small red bumps or blisters on elbow creases, groin, upper chest or neck. To treat it, take a cold shower, clean the rash with mild soap, dry yourself, apply hydrocortisone cream, and if possible, a product that contains salicylic acid. Repeat every three hours.
Local Health Care
Minor health problems can always be treated by doctors with practices in the resorts and elsewhere in the country. If you have a more serious problem, Colombo now boasts a selection of modern, well-equipped private hospitals offering the latest in conventional medical and surgical therapies. A growing number of foreigners are taking advantage of affordable, high quality private healthcare in Sri Lanka, and combining it with the chance to take a holiday. Though the medical tourism industry in Sri Lanka is still in its early days, a number of private hospitals in Colombo are geared to provide advanced surgery and other treatment to international clients (link to Medical Tourism article)
Travellers With Special Needs
Travellers with special needs, especially if they visit Sri Lanka without a companion, should note that the country has relatively few facilities for disabled people, although greater awareness and improvements are evolving. There.s no need to worry at Colombo's Airport as wheelchairs and assistance in boarding and disembarking are available. Buildings, offices, and banks are becoming better-equipped with wheelchair ramps and suchlike. If you arent travelling with a companion, you'll find that Sri Lankans will be only too eager to assist.
Sri Lanka's Currency
The local currency is the Sri Lankan Rupee, divided into 100 cents (you rarely come across scents today). Currency notes are Rs.5,000, Rs2,000, Rs1,000, Rs500, Rs100, Rs50, Rs20 and Rs10. Beware of mistaking the Rs500 note for the somewhat similar Rs100 one. To check whether notes are genuine when not given at a bank, look for a lion watermark. Coins, should you have receive them, will be in denominations up to Rs10.
Make sure you have plenty of lower denomination notes (Rs50, Rs100, Rs500), especially when travelling and you need to buy small items, fruit, and eat cheap meals, because change is often hard to come by apart from at hotels and big shops.
Banks
Banks are open from 0900 hrs to 1300 hours Monday to Friday. Some city banks close at 1500 hrs, while some are open on Saturday mornings. It.s easy to withdraw money across the island at ATMs using international credit cards or debit cards.
Credit Cards
Most hotels, restaurants and shopping centres accept credit cards. Some establishments may try to add a surcharge, which is illegal.
Time Difference
Sri Lanka Standard Time is five and a half hours ahead of GMT. (Allowance should be made for summer-time changes in Europe.)
Electricity
230 . 240 volts, 50 cycles AC. If you travel with a laptop computer bring a stabilizer.
Language
Sri Lanka has two official languages . Sinhala and Tamil - with English as a link language. Most people have some knowledge of English, and signboards are often in English.
Dos and Don’ts in Religious Shrines
Northern Province is a beautiful, exotic destination full of religion, culture, nature and smiling faces. The people of the area are very friendly and humble. Northern Province is steadily building its tourism, and more and more visitors enter this gorgeous region each year. Tourism is relatively a new sector to Northern Province, most areas in the Province may not seem exactly tourist-ready.
The grandeur of Tamil culture and Hinduism is blend and visible in the Northern Province. Temples are cultural treasure of this area. Following list shows some important matters to be considered before enter into a religious shrine.
Dos:
- Take a bath, look fresh, wear clean clothes and enter the temple. (Verti for men and saree for woman are ideal)
- Take your offerings, plantain coconut camphor and the like with you. Before entering pay homage to the tower. ( Worshipping tower is equal to many millions worth of merit.) Raise both your hands just above your head and worship.
- Gents wearing shirt or banian are not allowed.
- Men can worship by being prostrate. Ladies in the normal way.
- Go to Pillaiyar first and finally to Sandeswarar.
- Go clock – wise, when going around relics.
- Place your offerings separately for every deity.
- On completion of the pooja, wear the holy ash on your fore head using 3 fingers.
- Have your “Theertham” and wear kumkum with your ring finger.
Don’ts:
- Don’t enter the temple sans pure heart and body.
- Ladies should avoid visiting temple during menstruation.
- Don’t enter into a temple premises with your footwears and caps / hats on.
- Don’t wear anything offensive to decency.
- No use of camera, phone, video, etc unless allowed.
- When talking to people talk in moderation.
- Don’t do anything that can spoil the area.
- Don’t disturb other devotees.
- Don’t stretch your legs towards the shrine.
- Don’t go around the temple anti-clock wise.
