Tourama - Travel Tips

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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