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01 October - 31 December 2011
There is NO CHARGE for passengers arriving in Sri Lanka from the 1st October to 31st December 2011,
however all passengers must submit their visa application via the ETA process and obtain the necessary ETA approval notice promptly.
01 January 2012 Onwards
From 1 January 2012, all foreign nationals (including UK passengers) visiting Sri Lanka must obtain an ETA (Electronic Travel Authorisation). The ETA is issued online and no passport copies or photographs are required. ETAs are only valid for three months from the date of issue so intending travellers must not apply too early, however a minimum of 24 hours is required to apply before departure of their flight.
The cost to obtain an ETA is US $50 (approximately £32.00)for a tourist visa with double entry for 30 days, US $60 (approximately £32.00) for a business visa with multiple entries for 30 days, or US $ 25 (approximately £16.00) for a transit visa with single entry for seven days). This fee is payable online using Visa, MasterCard & American Express.
Applications should be forwarded only in English.
Six methodologies have been put in place to facilitate forwarding of the applications i.e.
1. Applications can be forwarded by the applicant him/herself
2. By a third party on behalf of the applicant
3. By a registered agency
4. By Sri Lankan embassies
5. By the Head Office of the Department of Immigration and Emigration
6. A visitor who has been unable to obtain prior approval through the above procedures can visit Sri Lanka after obtaining prior approval by forwarding the application prior to departure and paying the relevant fee at the Sri Lankan access point where they have landed.
Tourists from Maldives and Singapore are exempted from the charge as the countries are allowed visa on arrival.
"The ETA will be approved in minutes. In some cases it could take longer. But no application will take longer than 24 hours," said R.M.S. Sarath Kumar, Controller (Visas: Sri Lanka Government).
** To apply, please go to the Sri Lanka Electronic Travel Authorisation System.
Our comment:
Whilst we applaud this new change to an online real- time ETA system of visa control such as Australia and the USA have in place, we do not believe the cost is reasonable nor in line with other comparative destinations such as Malaysia or Thailand especially with families or groups. With Sri Lanka budgeting for 2.5 million tourists annually by 2016, and with the UK being one of Sri Lanka's prime tourist markets bringing in approximately 80,000 arrivals within the first nine months of this year, these current ETA charges could disadvantage the tourism industry in Sri Lanka.
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