HOW TO APPLY FOR THE SRI LANKA ONLINE VISA?

Tourism is big business in Sri Lanka. Following the end of the 40-year old civil war in the country in 2009, and a sustained marketing campaign, Sri Lanka has emerged as one of the most popular tourist destinations in Asia. The Sri Lankan government has had a major role to play in this, and one of the highly progressive decisions made by them was to simplify the process of applying visa to Sri Lanka by taking the whole thing online.

With the Electronic Travel Authorization offered in this Website (we have no affiliation with the Sri Lankan government) applying for an online visa to Sri Lanka is ridiculously easy.

ETA or Electronic Travel Authorization helps travelers to Sri Lanka save time and money as the entire visa application process is done online, no visits to the local Sri Lankan consulates are required, and there is no question of standing in queues.

Also, travelers get their ETA within just a single business day after submitting their applications at this website, and can exchange it for a visa on arrival at a Sri Lankan airport - which is such an improvement over how the process was like in the days past, when it took weeks to get permission to visit Sri Lanka.

There are 3 types of ETA to Sri Lanka – Tourism ETA, Business ETA and Transit ETA. We make it easier for you to get the Tourism ETA for Sri Lanka. Those applying for the Tourism ETA can visit Sri Lanka only for the purpose of tourism, sightseeing, rest and recreation. Nobody is allowed to work in Sri Lanka on a tourism visa.

Applying for the Sri Lanka Visa Online

To apply for the Sri Lanka online visa, you have to submit an application for the ETA. The application form is simple enough – you will be asked for the relevant personal details and contact information. It is very important to be accurate while submitting the application form.

After filling all the details, you will be taken to the safe and secure payment gateway, where you can pay the fees for the ETA by MasterCard, Visa, American Express or PayPal.  The ETA fees amount to $30 per person (unless you are a citizen of the SAARC countries - Afghanistan, Bangladesh, Bhutan, India, Maldives, Nepal, and Pakistan, in which case the ETA would cost $15.) In addition, you will be charged a service fee of $25 per application.

Once the application is submitted, you will have to wait 1 business day for it to get approved by the Sri Lankan authorities. Once your application has been approved, you will be sent a confirmation email that will have your ETA number. On getting the confirmation, get the email with the ETA number printed and carry the copy with you on your flight to Sri Lanka. On arrival at a Sri Lankan airport, you will be handed over the Sri Lanka tourist visa by immigration in exchange for the ETA number.

The tourist visa is valid for 30 days from the date of arrival. If you really have to extend your stay beyond 30 days, do get in touch with your embassy in Sri Lanka.

There are a few things to be kept in mind. If you have children under the age of 12, they don’t have to apply for the ETA. The ETA allows for 2 entries within the period of 30 days.

Also, the ETA is non-refundable if you apply on the government website. If you apply with us, we will refund your application fee – but not the service fee – if we haven’t yet forwarded your ETA application to the Sri Lankan government. Otherwise, if your application has already been sent, we cannot refund you.

If you make a mistake in your ETA application, use this number +94 71 9967888 belonging to the Sri Lankan government officials and get in touch with them directly.

Finally, why should you apply with us for the Sri Lanka Online Visa and why should you pay the extra service fee?

We are a private company that has no ties to the Sri Lankan government. We provide the valuable service of making the process of applying for the Sri Lanka online visa much easier for you, than it would be, had you used the official website to submit your application. The government website is very much clunky and it would actually take you hours of effort to get it right.

[Source: https://www.srilankavisaonline.org/blog/how-to-apply-for-the-sri-lanka-online-visa.html]