DestinationsFree visas for some, but there’s still a fee to pay.

Sri Lanka’s new e-visa system is not popular with everyone

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Sri Lanka has a new e-visa portal run by VFS Global.
Sri Lanka has a new e-visa portal run by VFS Global. Photo Credit: Adobe Stock/Oleksii

Travellers to Sri Lanka are now required to use a new visa portal run by VFS Global, replacing the previous Electronic Travel Authorization system. The old system has been scrapped.

Effective 7 May, a 30-day single entry is available online at US$50 via the Department of Immigration & Emigration: https://www.srilankaevisa.lk/. The previous website for online visa applications is no longer operational.

Free visas will continue to be offered to citizens from India, China, Russia, Japan, Malaysia, Thailand and Indonesia; however, a US$10 service fee will still apply.

A two-year multiple entry tourist visa will now cost US$300. Prices for business visas have also increased.

The new system run by VFS has not been popular with some on social media who say the old e-visa system was cheaper and easier to navigate. There have also been complaints that the government is receiving less revenue from the new system after VFS takes its cut.

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