New Online Visa Regulation via ETA – Sri Lanka
Sri Lanka has introduced the new Electronic Travel Authorization (ETA) on September 30 in order to grant prior approval for visa online for foreign nationals instead of the ‘on arrival visa’ system.
The new Visa procedure requires tourists/ tourist agencies (acting as 3rd parties) to submit the Visa application for each applicant via the ETA (Electronic Travel Authorisation) to the Ministry of Emigration and Immigration.
Only tourists from Singapore and Maldives will continue to receive on-arrival visas as those are the only two countries that offer Sri Lankan tourists the same facility.
Therefore, it is mandatory that all passengers traveling after the 1st October, 2011 to submit their Visa application on-line by logging into www.eta.gov.lk
Applications should be forwarded only in English language and six methodologies have been introduced to facilitate forwarding of the applications i.e. applications can be forwarded by the applicant him/herself, by a third party on behalf of the applicant, through a registered agency, through Sri Lankan embassies or through the head office of the Department of Immigration and Emigration, and a foreigner who is unable to obtain prior approval by the above procedures, can visit Sri Lanka after obtaining prior approval by forwarding the application and making the relevant fee to the counter established in Sri Lankan access point which he/she has landed in.
There will be no charge for passenger arrivals to Sri Lanka from the 1st October to 31st December – however, they are required to submit their application via the ETA and obtain the necessary ETA approval notice promptly.
All passenger arrivals to Sri Lanka after the 1st of January, 2012 are required to make a payment of US$ 50 per person following the same ETA process. The Visa issued will be a Double-Entry Tourists Visa applicable for 30 days from the date of arrival to Sri Lanka.
UPDATE:
Sri Lanka tourist board unofficially announced that the visa processing fee from US$50 will be cahanged to US$10 for SAARC nationals and US$20 for non SAARC nationals. In addition there will not be visa processing charge for upto48 hours for those in transit in Colombo.Children under 12 years old also will not be charged any visa processing fee.