Starting October 1, 2024, travelers from 35 countries, including India, the United Kingdom, and the United States, will be allowed to enter Sri Lanka without a visa as part of a new initiative to boost its economy and tourism sector.
Sri Lanka’s cabinet has revealed that it has approved a six-month pilot program granting a 30-day visa-free entry to citizens of the specified countries, VisaGuide.World reports.
List of 35 Countries Whose Citizens Will Soon Be Eligible to Visa-Free Entry to Sri Lanka
Based on an official Twitter announcement by the Minister of Foreign Affairs of Sri Lanka, Ali Sabry, the list of countries whose citizens will be able to enter Sri Lanka without the need to obtain a visa starting October 1 is as follows:
- United Kingdom
- Germany
- Netherlands
- Belgium
- Spain
- Australia
- Denmark
- Poland
- Kazakhstan
- Saudi Arabia
- United Arab Emirates
- Nepal
- China
- India
- Indonesia
- Russia
- Thailand
- Malaysia
- Japan
- France
- United States
- Canada
- Czech Republic
- Italy
- Switzerland
- Austria
- Israel
- Belarus
- Iran
- Sweden
- South Korea
- Qatar
- Oman
- Bahrain
- New Zealand
Sri Lanka Halts New eVisa System Temporarily
Sri Lanka has temporarily suspended its e-visa services. The suspension, intended to simplify the new visa-free process and avoid potential confusion, will impact the previously available e-visa options, which included double entry for up to 30 days (extendable to 60 days) and transit entry for up to two days.
Such a decision to halt the e-visa system follows ongoing controversies and issues with the previous scheme, which had drawn criticism since its introduction. Sri Lanka continues to offer free tourist visas to visitors from select countries, including India, China, Russia, Japan, Malaysia, Thailand, and Indonesia. However, e-visa services in other countries have been suspended temporarily.
Previously, the country decided to keep the tourist visa fee at $50 instead of raising it to $75. The change comes after tourist industry leaders complained that the higher fee would make Sri Lanka’s visa the most expensive in Asia.
Sri Lanka’s tourism sector, severely impacted by the COVID-19 pandemic and a financial crisis in 2022, shows signs of recovery. As a result, the country, known for its stunning beaches, has welcomed nearly two million tourists by mid-August this year, a notable increase since 2019.
According to recent data from the Sri Lanka Development Authority, India remains the largest source of tourists, with 246,922 arrivals, followed by the UK with 123,992,
The Sri Lankan central bank reported that the nation earned $1.5 billion from tourism in the first half of 2024, a significant increase from $875 million during the same period last year.