The Sri Lankan Visa for your Trip to Sri Lanka
Applying for a Sri Lankan visa is necessary when visiting on vacation trip or to visit a relative or residing in Sri Lanka or on a work trip.
Usually, a visitor should be able to apply for the required Sri Lankan visa online/ at the nearest Sri Lankan embassy in the country of your residence.
General Visa Requirements and Validity Period of Sri Lankan Visa
Before applying for a visa for Sri Lanka, it is recommended you check whether you can apply for the Sri Lankan visa.
A brief list of the most important requirements and conditions when getting the visa for Sri Lanka:
- You do not intend to carry out volunteer work that can otherwise be undertaken by a paid worker in Sri Lanka.
- You do not intend to enter into a work relationship in Sri Lanka.
- You do not plan to offer services to Sri Lankan organisations (this is permitted with a Sri Lankan work visa or business visa).
- You do not mean to give or sell product or services to consumers in Sri Lanka.
- You and your family members are not in debt to the Sri Lanka Government.
- You do not present a threat to the health or safety of the people of Sri Lanka.
- You are able to demonstrate that you have sufficient financial resources to pay for your trip and return from Sri Lanka.
Do I require a Sri Lankan visa?
It depends on your citizenship and the kind of travel document you are using to travel to Sri Lanka.Please go here to verify if you need a Sri Lankan visa.
Who exactly can obtain a Sri Lankan visa?
Any person hoping to go on holiday to Sri Lanka can request a Sri Lankan visa.
There are several kinds of visa for Sri Lanka which you can use as a traveller to Sri Lanka. If you are not exactly sure which sort of Sri Lankan visa you require to apply, please call the nearest Sri Lankan visa office to obtain further information as objective of this page is to give you basic overview when looking for Sri Lankan visa.
What kind of Sri Lankan visa do I require?
This relies on 3 things:
- The citizenship according to your passport – If the citizenship according to the passport is from a nation that is on visa free travel to Sri Lanka or eligible to secure a visa on arrival in Sri Lanka, then you may not need to obtain a Sri Lankan visa prior to leaving from your home country. Please click here to find out if you require a Sri Lankan visa.
- The timeframe of your stay in Sri Lanka – If you wish to stay in Sri Lanka for a shorter period less than 90 days, then you can get the Sri Lankan visa. If you wish to remain longer, then contact the local Sri Lankan visa office to obtain the suitable visa for your trip.
- The activities you wish to perform in Sri Lanka – If your sole purpose of taking a trip is for tourism, then you can make an application for all kinds of Sri Lankan visas discussed on this web page.
General Visa Application Requirements to Get Sri Lankan Traveller Visa
- Tourist visa application for Sri Lanka – Completed Sri Lankan visa application form.
- Original and signed passport – The passport should be valid for at the very least six months prior to going into Sri Lanka and 3 months after leaving Sri Lanka. It must contain at least 2 spare visa pages and can not be older than 10 years.
- Passport type photo – Photo should be no older than 6 months and need to be 35 x 40mm in width.
- Previous passport – Supply a previous passport if you had any.
- Previous visas – Copies of previous Sri Lankan visas information if you had any.
- Flight tickets to Sri Lanka – Reservation of return or round trip flight tickets. In some instances the Sri Lankan visa office might request for pre-paid air travel tickets to Sri Lanka.
- Travel insurance – Evidence of travel insurance policy with a minimum cover set by the Sri Lankan embassy provided with the Certification of Insurance policy and the table of benefits. The travel insurance coverage should cover the cost of repatriation for medical reasons and the Certificate of Currency must be issued by an insurance provider. If you are thinking of using your credit card travel insurance for your travel to Sri Lanka, please call Sri Lankan embassy for more information and travel insurance coverage requirements for the Sri Lankan visa.
- Original bank statements – Original bank statements for the last 3 months showing enough funds to cover stay in Sri Lanka. If statements are printed online after that it needs to be Confirmed (marked) by the financial institution representatives.
- Hotel Reservations in Sri Lanka – Copy of confirmed hotel bookings including name of the applicant, name and address of the hotel, length of stay. In the majority of conditions, only bookings which are partly or completely pre-paid can be accepted.
- Employment letter – This letter must be: original and signed letter from employer written on company letter head paper, confirming your ongoing employment, the status of employment, regular monthly salary and annual leave. Also, please provide your three most recent pay slips. If you are self-employed: offer certified copies of business registration, income tax return.
- For students. Please give the following:
- Proof of present student status: Certificate of Enrollment.
- Original and signed letter from university written on university letter head paper, affirming ongoing enrolment, confirming the payment of tuition fees or any type of scholarships, and confirming term break.
- Insurance from Organisation/University– Give a letter from the University stating the purpose, period of travel and confirmation that you are going to be covered by the insurance coverage for the whole journey together with the Certificate of Currency and summary of benefits.
In general, visa applications for Sri Lankan visa ought to be sent for an optimum of 6 months, and no behind 15 days, prior to the journey.