Cannons at Colombo beach, Sri Lanka
Sri Lanka ETA application
The new Sri Lanka ETA application is quite streamlined. Gone are the days, when one had to physically go to an embassy or a consulate to queue up for a tourist visa, spending precious hours of our life. Life has been easier with so many countries starting an online application process and also issuing visa online based on the information provided.
This article has been Updated with latest information based on my Recent visit to Sri Lanka for a Heritage Tour.
Once I had a full 10 hours layover at Colombo while coming from Malaysia to India. I started searching for Sri Lanka’s visa requirements and was pleasantly surprised to find that Sri Lanka had an online option for applying for tourist visa! It was so simple that we would like to share with you the Sri Lanka ETA application process. ETA means Electronic Travel Authorization. It is important to arrange your ETA Sri Lanka before flying.
This online Sri Lanka eVisa guide is for Sri Lanka ETA for Individuals, only for tourism purposes.
Preparation
Proper preparation before commencing filling the online ETA application is half the battle won. Sri Lanka tourist visa application can be fast and easy as it hardly takes 10 to 15 minutes, once all the required data and documents are readily available. You will need the following information while filling up Sri Lanka online ETA application.
• Return air ticket
• Address and the telephone number of the place of accommodation.
• Valid Passport
• Credit Card
Sri Lanka ETA Application
Click here to start the application process
A note pops up in a white block informing the applicant about some emergency alerts to be accepted by clicking OK at the bottom. Conditions governing third party applications and how applicants from Cameroon, Nigeria, Ivory Coast and Ghana can apply.
If you do not fall in any of these categories then click OK.
On the left side 9 language options are provided. Select English. You may, of course, select any other language, however we will continue with English as this article is also in English. 🙂
A new screen opens up with 5 menu items “Home”, “Apply”, “Fees”, “Check Status” and “Contact US”. While applying you will note that the appropriate menu item is highlighted.
We will continue with standard online Sri Lanka ETA (Electronic Travel Authorization) application process for Individuals. 🙂
Click on “Apply” tab on the top menu.
Any person wishing to enter Sri Lanka for the following person must obtain an approved Sri Lanka ETA before arrival at the port of entry.
Carefully read and understand the long information, terms and conditions before proceeding further. It is mainly about round trip tickets, proof funds, conditions restricting travellers from working on this visa, non-refundable nature of the fees and so on.
Select the radio button “I Agree” to proceed further, as a mark of accepting the terms and conditions.
This online process is applicable for Sri Lankan Tourist ETA, Business ETA and Transit ETA. We will continue with selecting Tourist ETA for individuals.
A comprehensive application form opens up which is to be filled carefully. All information is from your passport and your airline ticket. Proof of funds may be required on your arrival at the port of entry.
Although it is one long form, we have split it into 5 parts.
Applicant Information – Tourist – Individual
All information here is from the information page of your passport and so is fairly self-explanatory.
Child Information in parent’s passport
This is to be filled up only if names of one or more of your Children are endorsed on your passport. If it is click on “Enable” and fill up the details.
If not, move on.
Travel Information
Intended arrival date is as per the landing time in Sri Lanka and can be discerned from the flight itinerary where all times are local times.
The date of travel should be within 90 days from the date of approval of Sri Lanka ETA.
There is a drop down list of options for the purpose of visit. These are different for Tourism, Business and Transit and are as follows.
We will continue with Tourist Visa ETA and select “Sightseeing, holidaying”. 🙂
Please note that other options may require more documentary proofs at the time of entry into Sri Lanka.
Contact Details
This section is fairly self-explanatory. Please note that address in Sri Lanka is mandatory in most cases would be that of the first hotel where you will be staying.
Declaration
There are three statements and only if your answer is No to all the three , then further processing is possible for Sri Lanka ETA.
Click on the “I Am not a Robot” captcha check box.
Confirm the correctness and click on NEXT which will take you to the Review page.
Review Information
Carefully review all the information provided..
Use Change or Confirm options accordingly.
Once you are satisfied Click on confirm which will take you to payments page.
Payment Options
The fee for Sri Lanka Tourist ETA is USD 35 per person (As on 17-March-2019). However additional service charges may be levied depending on the type of credit card used. As of now only Visa, Master and Amex Credit Card options are available.
On successful payment, ETA Application confirmation is display and also sent to the eMail ID provided by you in the contact details. This information will be required to track the application using the “Check Status” Option in the main top menu.
ETA Application Confirmation is not an approval of ETA. The authorized ETA would be sent via eMail.
Check Status
You may use this option after 24 hours of applying to check the status of your Sri Lanka ETA application by providing the information required like Confirmation code, Passport Number and Nationality. However you will receive your Sri Lanka ETA within a couple of hours.
Good Luck!
FAQ
Is eTA required for Sri Lanka?
ETA or Electronic Travel Authority is not mandatory. One can opt for Visa on Arrival too (which is USD 5 more. However looking at the convenience of applying from home and the cost factor it is suggest to go for online ETA application
How much is Sri Lanka eTA?
For SAARC countries cost of ETA is USD 20 (plus credit card charges and for all other foreigners it is USD 50 plus credit card charges. The details are mentioned here
https://www.eta.gov.lk/slvisa/visainfo/fees.jsp?locale=en_US
How long does eTA approval take Sri Lanka?
If all information is correctly filled then in most cases it will be approved in a couple of hours. If it is not done in 24 hours then it is best to contact the authorities.
What type of Visa can be applied for online?
Only tourist visa for individuals can be applied online ETA system. Visa will be valid for 30 days from the time of landing and included two-entries.
You may also read step by step guide to process Russian visa for Indians.
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P.S.- This article, Sri Lanka ETA application process, belongs to Le Monde, the Poetic Travels, an Indian Travel Blog, published by the traveling couple, Nisha & Vasudevan. Reproduction without explicit permission is prohibited. If you are viewing this on another website rather than the RSS feed reader or www.lemonicks.com itself, then that website is guilty of stealing our content. Kindly do us a favour by letting us know via Contact Us. Thank you.
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