The Sri Lankan Tourist Visa for your Holiday or Visiting a Family
If you are thinking of visiting Sri Lanka as a tourist or to meet a family or friend, then applying for a Sri Lankan holiday visa can become a necessary task.
Generally, you can apply for the required Sri Lankan tourist visa online/ at the nearest Sri Lankan embassy in the country where you live, for a stay in Sri Lanka of up to 3 months.
General Visa Requirements and Validity Period of Sri Lankan Tourist Visa
It is advisable to check the Sri Lankan tourist visa requirements, before applying for your tourist visa to Sri Lanka.
A brief summary of the most important requirements and conditions when getting the tourist visa for Sri Lanka:
- You do not intend to conduct unpaid work that may otherwise be undertaken by a paid staff in Sri Lanka.
- You do not mean to enter into an employment relationship in Sri Lanka.
- You do not plan to supply services to Sri Lankan organisations (this is allowed with a Sri Lankan work visa or business visa).
- You do not intend to give or offer services or products to consumers in Sri Lanka.
- You and your family members are not in debt to the Sri Lanka Government.
- You do not pose a threat to the health or safety of residents of Sri Lanka.
- You are able to show that you have sufficient financial resources to pay for your trip and return from Sri Lanka.
Do you need a Sri Lankan tourist visa?
It relies on your nationality and also the type of travel document you are using to take a trip to Sri Lanka.Please visit here to check if you require a Sri Lankan visa.
Exactly who can make an application for a Sri Lankan tourist visa?
Any person wanting to go on vacation to Sri Lanka can request a Sri Lankan tourist visa.
There are many types of visa for Sri Lanka which you can use as a traveller to Sri Lanka. If you are not sure which type of Sri Lankan tourist visa you need to apply, please get in touch with the local Sri Lankan visa office to get additional clarification as objective of this web page is to provide you basic overview when obtaining Sri Lankan tourist visa.
What kind of Sri Lankan visa do I need?
This relies on three aspects:
- The citizenship according to your passport – If the nationality according to the passport is from a country that is on visa free travel to Sri Lanka or eligible to make an application for a visa on arrival in Sri Lanka, then you may not require to obtain a Sri Lankan tourist visa before leaving from your home country. Please click here to check if you need a Sri Lankan visa.
- The length of your stay in Sri Lanka – If you want to stay in Sri Lanka for a much shorter duration less than 90 days, then you can get the Sri Lankan tourist visa. If you prefer to remain much longer, then get in touch with the nearby Sri Lankan visa office to find the suitable visa for your trip.
- The activities you want to execute in Sri Lanka – If your main purpose of taking a trip is for tourism, then you can apply for all kinds of Sri Lankan tourist visas mentioned on this page.
General Visa Application Requirements to Obtain Sri Lankan Traveller Visa
- Holiday visa Form for Sri Lanka – Completed Sri Lankan visa application form.
- Original and signed passport – The passport should be valid for at least 6 months prior to entering Sri Lanka and 3 months after leaving Sri Lanka. It needs to contain a minimum of 2 extra visa web pages and can not be older than ten years.
- Passport type photo – Photo has to be no older than six months and must be 35 x 40mm in size.
- Previous passport – Offer a previous passport if you had any.
- Previous visas – Copies of previous Sri Lankan visas details if you had any.
- Flight tickets to Sri Lanka – Reservation of return or round trip flight tickets. In some circumstances the Sri Lankan visa office may request pre-paid flight tickets to Sri Lanka.
- Travel insurance coverage – Proof of travel insurance policy with a minimum cover set by the Sri Lankan embassy provided with the Certification of Insurance coverage and the table of benefits. The travel insurance must cover the expense of repatriation for medical reasons and the Certificate of Currency need to be issued by an insurer. If you are considering using your credit card travel insurance for your travel to Sri Lanka, please contact Sri Lankan consular office to learn more and travel insurance coverage requirements for the Sri Lankan visa.
- Original bank declarations – Original financial institution statements for the last 3 months revealing enough funds to cover your visit in Sri Lanka. If statements are printed online then it needs to be Authenticated (stamped) by the financial institution officials.
- Hotel Reservations in Sri Lanka – Copy of confirmed hotel reservations including name of the applicant, name and address of the hotel, duration of stay. In most scenarios, only bookings which are partially or completely pre-paid can be accepted.
- Work letter – This letter should be: original and signed letter from employer written on company letter head paper, verifying your ongoing employment, the status of employment, monthly income and annual leave. Also, please give your 3 latest pay slips. If you are self-employed: offer certified copies of company registration, 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, verifying the payment of tuition fees or any type of scholarships, and confirming term break.
- Insurance policy from Organisation/University – Supply 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.
As a whole, visa applications for Sri Lankan visa need to be submitted for a maximum of 6 months, and no later than 15 days, prior to the journey.