On January 1, 2012, the Department of Immigration and Emigration of Sri Lanka introduced an Electronic Travel Authorization (ETA) system for entering Sri Lanka.
The ETA is an official authorization for short-term visits to Sri Lanka that is issued electronically. Applicants will receive their visas via email after completing the application form with the necessary information, and once the online payment is completed. Simple, right?
Required Documents to Apply
Passport Personal Details Scan (if applicable)
Important Instructions
Applicants who are visiting Sri Lanka for business meetings/negotiations, conferences, workshops/seminars or for short term training programs are eligible to apply for a business visa.
Your Business Visa will allow you to enter Sri Lanka for 30 days in Total, with Double Entry.
Important: The validity of the Visa for the two entries is 30 days and starts on the first arrival date. This means the departure date for the second entry must be within 30 days of the first arrival date.
Your passport must be valid for at least six months after your listed arrival date.
The information submitted will be sent electronically to DI&E (Department of Immigration & Emigration) and iVisa will send you your Sri Lanka ETA online via email.
You cannot obtain a new ETA while you are in Sri Lanka, regardless of whether your current ETA is valid or expired.
Nationals of Yellow Fever affected countries must carry a yellow fever vaccination card at the time of arrival in Sri Lanka. See Yellow Fever countries here.
We suggest passengers verify the information, print it out, and bring a physical copy on their trip. The check-in staff at the airports can also verify the registration on their system, however, we highly recommend that clients keep a copy of it on their electronic device as well as carrying a printed copy.
The Sri Lanka Business ETA cost depends on your nationality. Additionally, there is a service fee of USD 30.00 for standard processing. For rush processing and super rush processing the service fee is USD 60.00 and USD 75.00, respectively.
The Sri Lanka Business ETA is valid for 90 days after issued. This means you must enter Sri Lanka within 90 days after issued. In addition, it is a Double Entry visa and allows for a maximum stay of 30 days in Total.
Citizens from most countries in the world require a visa to enter Sri Lanka. The only countries exempted from a Sri Lanka tourist visa are Singapore, Maldives, and Seychelles.
A passport can only have one type of associated visa (while the visa is valid). In other words, if you already have a tourist visa, you can not take out a business visa until the tourist visa expires.
No. A new ETA cannot be obtained using the same passport until it expires (180 days after issue). If you lose the passport which contains the valid ETA you will need to apply for a new one since it is linked to your passport.
Doing business in a foreign country entails some research as to what the people in that particular country do. You need to learn their customs, their traditions, and some things about their business mentality. That is if you want to be successful on your trip. Plus, it is a known fact that doing some research improves your chances of success. It makes sense if you think about it. People will always appreciate if you are making an effort to learn their habits. Sri Lanka is no different, and if you are thinking of collaborating with business people from Sri Lanka, you should have the next tips on mind.
What you need to remember is that Sri Lanka is still recovering from the civil war. It lasted until 2009, so there are still some things that need improving. But that is a good thing for you as a business person. You can find plenty of opportunities. However, since there are several ethnicities in Sri Lanka, you should consider learning a bit about each and everyone. You do not need to know everything, but enough so that you can get around and make a good impression.
One thing that you must know is that Sri Lanka is a religious country. Also, seniority is very important, which is why you need to act accordingly. Showing respect is paramount when dealing with delegations, and you must always be careful when having a serious conversation. What you will find odd, however, is that since Sri Lanka is religious, some of the people from the Sri Lankan delegation will ask help from their deity when making a business decision. This is an important tradition, and under no circumstances should you mock it. You might as well just hop on a plane to where you came from.
When it comes to communication, this part is a bit tricky. Why? Because you may find yourself in a room filled with people that only speak Sinhalese or Tamil. Some speak English, and they will take advantage of the situation to improve it. However, the best course of action is to hire an interpreter. Even so, the people of Sri Lanka are very expressive, and you will be able to read between the lines most of the times.
One aspect that can be found in many cultures is how the people of Sri Lanka value personal relationships before engaging in actual business. Most of the times, the first meeting is all about you. They will want to get to know you before going down to business. All you can do is be patient and take it. Otherwise, you may come off as offensive and nobody will want to collaborate with you.
Moreover, since hierarchy is very important in Sri Lanka, getting to an upper level may take a while. In the meantime, you should create a solid relationship with someone from a lower level. Again, patience is paramount even if it is frustrating. You should never complain or try to rush things. That is not going to happen anyway.
As for greetings, it can be challenging because of the difference in ethnicity. However, nobody in Sri Lanka expects you to know all the rules. As a result, a handshake will suffice. However, avoid initiating physical contact with the opposite sex. For example, some women in the business world are still trying to avoid contact with males other than the ones in their family. Leave the initiative to them, and if they extend their arm, just go with the flow.
If a person in the Sri Lankan delegation has a title, you should definitely use it. If not, you should just be polite and address the person in question using sir or madam. Also, you should never use someoneās first name unless you are told to do so. It is incredibly informal and you will be considered impolite.
Just like in most countries, when your first meet the Sri Lankan delegation, there will be a business card exchange before moving on. It is not a must to translate your business card into Sinhalese or Tamil, but it will be considered a nice gesture, so you should make that effort. Also, your card should be very specific as to what your position is within the company you are working in. Lastly, when you receive a Sri Lankanās business card, do not put it in your pocket right away. Take a look at it and try to look like you are impressed as they like that.
Giving gifts on the first meeting is not a custom, but it happens at times. When that is the case, you need to have a gift on standby so that you can reciprocate the gesture. However, you need to be very careful what you are buying for your host. You cannot offer gifts that contain porkās skin because you may offend the Muslim Sri Lankans. You cannot give leather gifts either because Sri Lanka has Hindu in its population. Also, flowers are meant for mourning, so they are a bad idea. The point is that you should choose a gift wisely.
Generally, the people if Sri Lanka are very nice, and they will welcome you with their arms open. However, some things make them reluctant in talking to you about. For example, it is okay to talk about the war, but not too much so that you do not open old wounds. Politics is a suitable subject of conversation but nothing that led to the war.
If you are interested in a new collaboration or expanding your business, Sri Lanka may not be such a bad idea. It is a new market that needs improving, and people there are eager to make a comeback. Tourism is not as good as you would want, and the lack of infrastructure may compel you to jump through a few hoops, but they need to start somewhere. As long as you are aware of and respect their traditions and culture, you should get along with the business people of Sri Lanka just fine.
An e-Visa is an official document permitting entry into and travel within a certain country. The e-Visa is an alternative to visas issued at the ports of entry or visiting an embassy/consulate to obtain traditional paper visas.
e-Visas are linked electronically to the traveler's passport.
Our service starts with information. You can use our up-to-date visa requirements tool to search if you need a travel visa. It's as simple as telling us where you are from and where you are going. Based on this information we will tell you how much the visa costs, the number of entries, the start date and give you an action step such as applying directly on our site!
The best place to find this information is our visa requirement tool. Each country has different entry rules and visa fees. If you are in a rush you can also apply online and the form will give you this information as well.
It depends on the country issuing the visa. For many countries such as Australia ETA and Turkey e-Visa, the process can be done in 15 minutes through our rush service. For other countries such as the India tourist Visa, the process usually takes 24 hours. The exact time can be found on each application form. What we guarantee is that your application with iVisa will be the fastest way to apply anywhere.
We help you get your travel visa in the simplest and fastest way possible. Through easy-to-use online application forms and world-class 24/7 customer service, we make the whole visa process quick and simple! We also use best practices when it comes to protecting your data and credit card.
iVisa offers two types of Visa: Electronic visas (e-Visas) and traditional paper visas, based on your destination.
In addition, we also offer the following services/documents that are required by certain countries: ETA (electronic travel authorization), Tourist Cards, Visa on Arrival pre-registration/approval form, Tourist Invitation Letters, and Embassy Registration service.
Please note most countries offer the ability to process a travel visa without a service fee. The main reason we process thousands of travel visas per month is we save you time and frustration. Our service includes an easy to use website and application form. It is much easier to process your application with us especially for mobile users and large groups. We send all of our clients the visa days before travel. This is especially helpful for those passengers who purchase the visa months in advance. We also have a 24-hour customer service with professionals that are based in the United States and speak English. We accept multi-currencies and our website can be translated into over 20 languages. We believe our fee is worth your time and sanity but please note all governments do have their own "free" service.
If you have already applied on our site, please log in to your account and look for your order/application. An account is generated for you automatically after payment is received. Click the link in your confirmation email to set up a password or visit the log in page to set up the password and enter the account. Please note in most cases your visa will be delivered to you via email and can be found in your account after logging in.
This is a rare scenario. However, if your application gets rejected, we will issue you a full refund for the government fee and the processing fee under our 100% approval guarantee. This refund will be given via credit to be used for a future order.
If you need further assistance, do not hesitate to contact us. Our customer service specialists will be more than glad to help you.
If we have not processed your visa, we can make changes without a problem. We do check your information for mistakes as well. If you have already processed your visa, If we have submitted your application to the appropriate government agencies, some will allow to make changes, while others do not. Please contact us immediately (preferably through chat) if you notice an error on your application.
Some countries may require proof of yellow fever vaccination if you are arriving from a country with risk of yellow fever. You can see more info here: https://wwwnc.cdc.gov/travel/destinations/list
It's the passengerĀ“s own responsibility to verify these regulations before traveling to the chosen country.
All visas grant travelers the permission to travel to a country's port of entry. Whether you are granted entry or not will be at the discretion of the Immigration Officer at the entry point.
We know that our applicants can come across unexpected changes in their travel plans that may prevent them from traveling and therefore getting their visa. This is why we understand you may want to request a cancellation of your visa application and a credit for the amount paid. However, we will only approve the refund/credit if it follows our Refund policy guideline:
If your application has not been reviewed by our team, nor submitted to the government for approval, then you will receive a credit for the full amount of the iVisa processing fee and government fee(visa cost).
If your application has been reviewed by our team but has not yet been submitted to the government for approval, you will receive a credit for the full amount of the government fee (visa cost).
If your application has been submitted to the government for approval or a visa is already issued, unfortunately, no credit is available.
Our policy also applies to these circumstances:
If we make a mistake on your application, a 100% refund of the iVisa processing fee will be issued and we will process your visa again at no cost.
If you purchase rush or super rush processing additional fee and we do not deliver the travel document within the agreed timeframe, you will receive a credit for the iVisa rush or super rush processing fee.
If you miss your trip because iVisa does not deliver the travel document within the agreed timeframe, you will receive a full cash refund for the government fee and iVisa processing fee.
The exception to the clause above is if the government is the cause of the delay or your arrival date was sooner than our super rush processing time. In such case, you will receive a credit for the iVisa processing fee.
If for any reason, you are not satisfied with our services, please feel free to contact us. Under reasonable circumstances, we will grant a credit of the iVisa processing fee to be used for a future order.
When the visa has to be shipped to you, the processing times do not include this shipping time. It is from when we receive your application to obtaining the approval.
Most visas (e-Visas) are sent via email upon approval so shipping times will not apply.
All citizens from these territories applying through our website will have their application processed with the nationality/citizenship specified in their passport. As an example, a traveler from Puerto Rico will have their request processed as USA nationality. This does not apply to the travelers under the BOTC (British Overseas Territories Citizen) category according to the British Overseas Territories Act of 2002.
