Sri Lanka to continue on-arrival visa till March 2012 (sundaytimes.lk) Latest Visa News Saturday, Dec 31 2011
Entry visa for Sri Lanka should be applied online prior to your visit. The system will be enforced from 1st January 2013. All those Tourists and Business travelers will need to apply in advance through the online visa site, www.eta.gov.lk
Sri Lanka Government had made many changes to its available visas. Before many foreign countries passport holders are allowed to enter in to Sri Lanka without any visa fees. But now it had changed. Those people who want to come as tourist must get their visas online and with that only they are allowed to enter in to Sri Lanka.
You can use that visa only for the purpose you were given. And you must make your journey out of the country before the visa expiration date.
Foreign tourists were enjoying a free 30 days stay in Sri Lanka up to this year 2011. Now the Government had decided to make compulsory for every one to get their Sri Lanka entry visa through the online web site by making online payment as visa fees. Previously Sri Lanka
Government set US$ 50 for a visitor visa through the online visa application facility.
Now after some protest by the tourist industry people and some foreign Government the rates had been slashed. And the Sri Lanka Government had announced that US dollars 10 for countries of the South Asian Association for Regional Cooperation (SAARC) will be charged and US dollars 20 will be charged from citizens who are listed from 78 countries for to get the online Sri Lanka visa.
Mean while those who want to stay less than 48 hours in Srilanka, young children, Maldives citizen and Singapore citizen are not requested to have the Sri Lanka entry visa.
Holders of the Srilanka tourist visas will not be allowed to work while in the country and its against the law.
So if you are planning to travel by air or sea to Sri Lanka by January 2013, it is better to contact the LK mission in your country and verify the current visa requirements.
As per the reports the new online Electronic Travel Authorization (ETA) system is to function from January where you can apply for the visa through the internet or can obtain and apply through agents or can obtain the visa directly contacting the LK missions. The visa will be valid for 30 days and good for single entry.