6-month visas to woo long-stay tourists

To attract long-stay travellers, the Government has decided to issue tourist visas valid for six months to those applying via the electronic system. The move is a follow-up to the Cabinet decision taken on 4 January to link the Sri Lanka Tourist Mobile App to the visa application process implemented under the Department of Immigration and Emigration through its ‘Online Electronic Tourist Visa Activation’ (ETA) system.

The applicable visa charges for a six-month stay are as follows: $ 70 for tourists from SAARC countries, $ 85 for those from non-SAARC countries, and $ 50 for tourists from Singapore, the Maldives and Seychelles (as per the bilateral agreements signed with those countries).

At present, short-term tourist visa for 90 days costs $ 20 for those from SAARC countries and $ 35 for nationals from other countries.

Based on a proposal submitted by President Gotabaya Rajapaksa as the Defence Minister, Cabinet approved the new move. 

The mobile application was introduced by the Sri Lanka Tourism Development Authority (SLTDA) last year.