Travel Tips
Visas for Sri Lankans
Visa, Health and Immigration
With a few exceptions, most
countries in the world require Sri Lankan passport holders
to have a visa stamped on their travel document prior to
arrival.
We advise you to check
with us on visa requirements prior to ticketing, as
sometimes a long lead time is required to process the visa,
for others, you can collect your stamped passport the same
evening.
Please obtain your visas early.
If you have dual citizenship or permanent residency
of another country, your application will be referred to the
counterpart Consulate in the other country - notably Indian
visas where most passports require a visa to enter. This
process can take about 7-14 days, and additional fees are
payable.
Please check with us even if you have a
non-Sri Lankan passport.
Certain consulates require ticketing prior to issuing
the visa, others vice versa.
It may be necessary to obtain your visa at
Consulates in India, Thailand or Singapore, if the
respective country is not diplomatically represented in Sri
Lanka.
List of Embassies and
High Commissions
Before you get your visa, you should have a valid
Passport. For more information on this: please see
Sri Lanka Immigration.
Here are the requirements, which are commonly asked by visa officers.
This list is not exhaustive, and may change according to the status
of the applicant. Most embassies would
have such a list of their specialised requests, and
should be collected along with your
application form. Many consulates accept application forms
downloaded (and printed) from the web. It should be noted
that, a few Embassies have begun to limit the number of applications
accepted each day, and on reaching this limit, they close
the counter.
Note: SriLankan Passport holders have
sometimes received bad treatment during the past few years,
whether at Consulates or Points of Immigration. Please be
truthful and provide complete information as requested with
your application. Too much clutter too, can be
counterproductive, so take care to provide only
documentation as requested. Applicants should remain calm during an
interview, and answer all questions as truthfully and
comprehensively as possible. Visa officers are trained in
cross-examination, and attempting to deceive or losing one's
temper will be counter-productive, and will result in you
being denied your visa.
We cannot and do not influence or
guarantee visas, nor are we a visa obtaining institution. We
offer a drop and pick up service for our legitimate
customers.
1. Your current
and previous passport, preferably showing a history of prior
travel, and valid for up to 6 months after proposed arrival
into the destination country. It is worth taking photocopies
of your previous visas to the intended destination, along
with two copies of your passport photo page and validity
extension page.
2. A letter from
you stating in brief the main purpose of your visit, with a
little detail for a tourist or family visit itinerary.
3.
Bank statements, credit cards and other relevant documents,
showing financial means to support yourself during your
travel, with photocopies of the same. In the case of
business visas, the bank statements and Form 41 of your employer will be required.
Evidence of fixed deposits and non-liquid funds and property
should be produced only on request.
4. A letter from
your employer certifying your position. This letter should
also either grant leave from work, or detail your business
trip and its purpose.
5. A letter of
invitation from your host (relative, friend, university or business
contact) or original hotel reservation with a copy, at the destination(s)
6. Between 1 and
3 recent (within 6 months) photographs of yourself. There are specific
photo requirements
(head and shoulders only, matte finish, white background, no
sunglasses) for some visas, especially the USA and Canada. A professional photo
shop will be aware of these requirements.
Other than these
basic requirements, ask
for the following in addition
(produce only at their
request):
* An original fax or letter from your hotel, giving dates of check-in and check-out.
* Travel and Health Insurance
* Your parents' passport copies
* Your wedding certificate in English
*
Your certified birth certificate in English, and that of
your children.
* A Medical Report from a designated practitioner, for
passengers over 70 years of age (e.g. Australia)
* In the case of business visas sponsored by lesser-known
companies, the business registration forms and bank
statements of both your company and your business partner company.
* Evidence of property ownership in Sri Lanka.
As a rule you should obtain the visa for your main stop
prior to obtaining transit visas (if they are required). For multi-destination tours, if your
main stop can be identified, you should always obtain that one,
first. If it cannot be identified, you should get your first
stop visa first.
Schengen rules state that you have to obtain
your visa from the Embassy or Consulate representing your
main destination. If this cannot be identified, you should
go to the Embassy representing your first point of entry
into the Schengen area.
Some embassies grant entry for only the period applied for,
while others may grant up to a 6 month multiple-entry visa
as the norm.
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