Despite being a victim of 25 years of brutal civil war, the country is emerging as a remarkably safe place to travel. However, no matter how many safety measures the government deploys, there are still a lot of tourists who become a victim of untoward incidents, violent crime, and sexual abuse and plenty of other kinds of crime in Sri Lanka.

Every now and then, the internet is filled with stories of women describing the harassment and injustice they faced on their holiday to Sri Lanka. Despite the legal system and laws pertaining to the safety of tourists in Sri Lanka, it’s appalling to hear horrific accounts narrated by them.

Such incidents make fellow women travelers feel intimated. If women want to travel solo to Sri Lanka, they should be able to do it without any doubt or fear in their mind.

Thus, don’t refrain from traveling to the island only because of some touts and street hustlers. Instead, be aware of your surroundings and know your rights as a tourist traveling to Sri Lanka. A little caution goes a long way in ensuring your safety.

If you ever feel like you are in a tricky situation, immediately file a complaint at a police station near you and the harasser will face serious consequences.

Important Number: Emergency Numbers

Common Scams in Sri Lanka

Just like any other developing nation, petty theft and scams are common forms of crime in Sri Lanka. As a tourist, it is important for you to be alert at all times.

Thus, even before running you through the security measures you can take, we’ve listed the types of crimes and scams tourists are prone to face in Sri Lanka.

• Petty theft: Petty theft is less common in Sri Lanka than many other parts of Asia. However, it still does exist. At all times, you must take responsibility for your belongings. Pickpockets mainly take place in crowded areas. Few travelers have also reported theft from their hotel rooms. We would recommend depositing your valuables in the safe provided in the hotel rooms. If you are a woman traveling solo, avoid dark and secluded beaches at night. In this aspect, Negombo and Hikkaduwa particularly have bad reputations.
• Credit card scams: Credit card fraud is a grave risk for visitors. Use cash wherever possible. You could also withdraw from an ATM close-by. In case you hand over your credit card to the manager of a hotel, make sure you never lose sight of it. Chances of duplicating your credit card information are high.

• Visa scams: Despite tourist visas being available on arrival, it is always better to obtain one online beforehand. It saves you time and you can directly breeze through immigration. When you arrive at Colombo International Airport, make sure you are aware of the visa fee for your country. Some officials scam naïve tourists by overcharging them.
• Other scams and hassles: It’s unfortunate but scams and other related crime in Sri Lanka are quite common. From tuk-tuk drivers to gem shop owners and guesthouse touts, all are experts at cheating tourists. They often start by being overly friendly with you. Once they feel like they’ve won your confidence, they persuade you to stay in their shop or visit their guesthouse. Most tuk-tuk drivers say they are an official government-run but end up taking you to secluded places to rob you or stores where they will get a commission. You’ll find the maximum con artists in Galle, Kandy, and Colombo Galle Face Green. Also, when you are booking a day tour or safari, make sure to book it from official travel agents. If you are taking a tuk-tuk somewhere, always haggle and agree on the price before you travel.

Sexual Abuse

Off late, there has been an increasing number of cases of harassment of tourists and sexual abuse. There are a lot of western women who have reported incidents of verbal and physical harassment by groups of men. From making sexually suggestive advances to lewd comments and sexual assaults, sexual harassment of tourists is on the rise. There is no particular place that is unsafe. However, most of the incidents have been reported from tourist areas including market places, railway stations, public streets and bus stations.

There have also been reports of drinks spiked with drugs at bars and restaurants. Therefore, never leave your drink unattended and be careful about taking anything from strangers.

Sexual Assault of Tourists in Sri Lanka

Sexual assault has been the most grappling form of crime in Sri Lanka that has demanded serious attention from the naysayers. In the past few years, the numbers of sexual harassment cases have been increasing in different parts of the island. Here are some of the cases that made national news:

• In 2018, a group of men, as well as women, visited a bar on Mirissa Beach. When the group was enjoying dinner and drinks, the waiters at the restaurant tried to grope the women and sexually harass them. After a while, more local guys began to inappropriately touch other tourist girls. The group even tried complaining to the bar owner but their pleas were brushed off. Other visitors to Mirissa said that such behavior by the beach boys is a common occurrence. When the group decided to leave the bar, a group of 8 to 10 locals mercilessly assaulted three women while the male friend was punched to the ground and repeatedly kicked. After the men escaped the scene, the victims came to their senses and lodged complaints with the Tourist Police via electronic mail.

• On Women’s Day this year (2019), another case of sexual harassment was reported from Mirissa. A middle-aged man is said to have grabbed a woman’s vagina. At first, the woman was confused about what was happening. She was just about coming to terms that she had just been sneakily molested in a roomful of people. The men around her claimed that the abuser was drunk. She immediately called a nearby police station. After hours of waiting, they finally arrived on the scene. However, they were of very little help to her and instead asked her to pay for their tuk-tuk from the point where the incident had occurred to the police station. The victim posted this incident on Facebook with the intention of creating awareness. The suspect was put behind bars at Kotawila Police Station (the same place where the report was filed). A Colombo Gazette article wrote that the suspect was released on bail for a further hearing on March 28. Though the woman will be out of the country by then, she found a little solace that the man will now need to face a judge for his actions.

Such incidents are frequent in Sri Lanka. However, tourists should try their best to teach the harassers and defaulters a lesson. There are many tourists who refrain from going through the entire ordeal of the legal process in Sri Lanka. Since they are visitors to the country, such incidents often go unreported and the abusers roam scot-free. There are many women who get away with it unharmed physical but mentally and emotionally get much shaken up.

We urge both men and women tourists to come out and report such incidents. The Sri Lankan legal system will try its best to secure justice and punish the offenders.

Please don’t let incidents like these change your plans of visiting Sri Lanka! The country is beautiful and the people too are extremely warm-hearted and friendly. It is just a few touts and rouges whom you need to be aware of. The solution is not to avoid the country but take measures to stop such incidents from occurring. The legal system should be looked into and the punishment for such acts should be made stringent.

Awareness Campaigns/Initiatives

One Billion Rising Campaign

In order to fight Sri Lanka’s pandemic of sexual violence, women in the country recently walked with placards that read “One Billion Rising”. The campaign aimed at bringing an end to violence against women. The groups also demanded that the government take action to curb rising rape, domestic violence, and gender-based attacks.

A poster campaign aiming to create awareness on how to be cautious while traveling and important contact details in an emergency situation was launched by Tourist Police Division, Colombo with British High Commission.

Full story: https://t.co/JAflS9XrMS pic.twitter.com/t66nmO3CXh

— Sri Lanka Tourism Development Authority (@sltda_srilanka) March 14, 2019

Travel safety Poster Campaign

A poster campaign aiming to create awareness on how to be cautious while traveling across the island and important contact details in an emergency situation were launched by Tourist Police Division, Colombo with the assistance of British High Commission in Sri Lanka.

The campaign will cover 45 identified railways stations, bus stops, Bandaranayake International Airport and popular tourist destinations across the country.

Women in Need Organisation

Women In Need (WIN) is a local, non-profit and non-governmental organisation dedicated to addressing issues of Gender Based Violence (GBV) faced by women and girls in Sri Lanka. WIN’s centres are located in Anuradhapura, Colombo, Badulla, Batticaloa, Jaffna, Kandy and Matara. Their 24-hour hotline number is 011 471 85 85. They take calls in Sinhala, English, and Tamil.

Helpline for Women

On 1^st March, the Women and Child Affairs Ministry Secretary announced that the operating hours of the helpline for women – 1938 – will be extended to 24 hours to receive complaints regarding any forms of discrimination against women, including harassment, abuse, and violence. Before this, it was only operational from 8:30 am to 5 pm.

Sri Lanka’s Legal Aid Commission found that Sri Lanka has the highest rate of sexual harassment in South Asia, and South/East Asia has the second highest rate of gender-based violence worldwide.

The impact of sexual violence on tourists and locals has serious consequences not only for the victims but for the country’s national welfare too.

In order to combat such incidents, perpetrators must face legal as well as social repercussions. The government has to increase the legal accountability —and society too must play a role in addressing the problem. Instead of telling a woman not to wear a certain kind of clothing or not to visit places at night, men should be taught a lesson. Seminars should be held to make it clear to them that sexual violence is not normal, not respectable and not acceptable.

In case you find yourself in a critical situation, here are some emergency numbers you can have on your phone’s speed dial when traveling to Sri Lanka.

Crime and sexual abuse should not just stop in Sri Lanka but everywhere around the world too. If you’ve encountered an untoward incident or some sort of crime in Sri Lanka, let us know the details in the comment section below. Also, we would be thankful if you could mention the safety measures you took and the authorities you contacted.

Image Source: Google

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As a tiny island located in the Pacific Ocean, Sri Lanka has transcended several upper-middle-income nations in terms of life expectancy, and indicators for maternal and under-five mortality rates (U5MR). With this, the country explicitly intends on achieving universal health coverage (UHC). Universal health coverage is an indispensable part of the United Nations’ Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs).

The World Health Organization (WHO) describes universal health coverage as “all people and communities can use the promotive, preventive, curative, rehabilitative and palliative health services they need, of sufficient quality to be effective, while also ensuring that the use of these services does not expose the user to financial hardship.”

As there is ubiquitous access to healthcare and advancement in the epidemiological studies, Sri Lanka has ensured free of charge health checkups to every citizen of their country.

Challenges in Sri Lankan Health Care System

Sri Lanka has achieved significant progress in the health care sector. However, the country also faces a myriad of health care issues. While there is serious advancement in the medical industry, poverty in the country has led to dearth of health care.

With this said, there is an escalating of non-communicable diseases such as diabetes, cancer, mental health and acute illnesses like injuries. The WHO highlights that non-communicable diseases account for more than seventy-five percent of all deaths and roughly one in five people die prematurely from NCDs.

Furthermore, the health organization attributes this to excessive tobacco consumption, improper diet, alcohol and lack of physical activities. The majority of the population, the poor, living in the underdeveloped corners of the country, are affected by infectious diseases such as dengue, influenza and tuberculosis.

Between January and July 2017, Sri Lanka’s Epidemiology Unit of the Ministry of Health (MoH) reported 80,732 dengue fever cases, which included 215 deaths. This explosive outbreak was 4.3 fold more than the average number of cases for the exact duration between 2010 and 2016.

As per the report, the massive rains and flooding that occurred in this period exacerbated the outbreak.

Sri Lanka trounced another mosquito-borne disease – Malaria. In 2016, the World Health Organization declared the island country as Malaria-free; the last case reported was in 2012.

Sri Lanka’s National Health Development Plan has garnered tremendous support from the World Bank, ever since the initiative has tuned its standards for better healthcare nationwide. Following are the achievements of the Second Health Sector Development Plan initiated in mid-2013 that concluded in September 2018:

1. Proliferate the number of standard emergency and trauma services
2. Built Healthy Lifestyle Centers in nearly all Medical Officers of Health areas.
3. Attained success in ensuring functioning of management units in all of the centre-based hospitals and provincial hospitals.
4. Expanded provincially managed hospitals reporting on their mortality and morbidity data electronically.

Former Microsoft CEO Bill Gates lauded the health care system as high-quality with a team of female health care professionals. Gates, who currently manages Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation, is supported by the World Bank and other highly reputed global entities working towards educating the general public about disease prevention.

Several other problems have intertwined, posing major health security threats such as the rapid changing of demographics. In order to combat this rising issue, the Sri Lankan government has to assume a stronger role as the current system is incompetent to feed the needs of the burgeoning elderly population.

To eradicate non-communicable diseases, the Lankan government has to improve the existing infrastructure of the health care sector and execute prevention programs.

Structure of Healthcare System in Sri Lanka

• War-torn populations of the North, East, and the bordering areas of the country have been affected the most. Some of which the problems the faced include psychological trauma and loss of lives, restricted mobility, damage of infrastructure and homes, displacement, disruption of community and institutional networks, educational facilities, and also the deterioration of health services.
• Currently, there has been a comprehensive network of health centres, hospitals, medical institutions, and large labor engaged in public health and curative activities countrywide.
• There is a health information system in place, which comprises of epidemiological information and management data including routine surveillance data for communal diseases. Sri Lanka is also in need for a healthcare delivery system that can routinely monitor trends in non-communal diseases and the risk factors. Also, the reported data available beforehand lacks accuracy, especially hospital medical records, which are, in most cases, incomplete and imprecise.
• But, the peripheral health network system still suffers from limited advancement of human resources and insufficient geographical distribution. More likely, the health education concentrated on the contribution of medical doctors. Medical professionals are seen to be less interested or unwilling to work in these areas and instead focus on large urban centres.
• Health expenditures averaged around 3.4% of the GDP through the 1990s decade. The government mainly provided the financial resources for the health care. In 1998, the foreign assistance was about 4% of the government health expenditures. The service provided under the public sector is mostly provided free of cost to the patient.

Common Diseases in Sri Lanka

On September 5th, the World Health Organization had declared the country malaria-free, a result not achieved overnight. However, there are diseases deemed as life-threatening that are widespread across the nation.

1.  Diabetes

Often christened as “sweet,” the Sri Lankans are less known for their high sugar content carried in their blood. There are over four million diabetics in the country. The number has aggravated from 16 percent in 2009 to an abominable increase of 20 percent in 2014.

By 2030, diabetes is said to be the seventh-largest cause of death.

Like mentioned earlier, the primary reasons are lack of physical activity, genes, obesity, and food habits. Also, physical and emotional stress are a few other causes that lead to diabetes.

2. Dengue

As the island country is declared malaria-free, dengue still prevails in the country. By the end of 2016, nearly 37,500 cases and 52 deaths were reported.

The Sri Lankan Ministry of Health Ministry stated:

“During the last 9 months of the year 2016, 39561 suspected dengue cases have been reported to the Epidemiology Unit from all over the island.”

3. Tobacco and Alcohol

Alcohol and tobacco are the major reasons for health deterioration, often leading to deaths. The problem also has a gruesome effect on women and children as they face social issues such as domestic violence and sexual abuse.

The annihilation of public property, accidents, and suicide are some of the typical results of post-excessive alcohol consumption.

Albeit, legally banned drugs pave their way into the hands of civilians, consumed heavily and suffer the brunt of it.

Since we’ve discussed the life-threatening diseases prevalent in the country, below are a few tips for outsiders that are waiting to explore the tiny Sinhalese island.

Also Read: Everything you need to know about Sri Lanka Visa services

Before Travelling Tips To Sri Lanka

Sri Lanka is a $ 4.4 billion tourism industry; fused with exotic destinations, the country invites travelers from all around the world. Here is our “healthy” checklist you need before boarding the flight to Sri Lanka.

1. Traveler’s diarrhea

Arguably, the most prevalent problem travelers to Sri Lanka are confronted with. It is caused by contaminated food and water, followed by feeble hygiene practices.

Defined as the passage of over three watery bowel motions within 24 hours, including symptoms such as nausea, vomiting, fever, cramps, and dehydration.

It is recommended that you seek medical attention before any of the above illness exacerbates. Antibiotics like ciprofloxacin and azithromycin will help in shunning off the bacteria.

1. Do not drink the tap water. Bottled or filtered water is highly recommended. Whilst buying a water bottle, look for the ‘SLSI’ logo (Sri Lankan government standards)
2. Ensure that the entire food is cooked before taking the first bite.
3. While traveling to major tourist attractions, try evading ice cubes and cool drinks.
4. Make sure to carry the anti-diarrhea medication kit if you plan to travel to rural locations.

2. Heat

Sri Lanka is bloody hot, hence be prepared for almost unbearable heat. The humidity is intense throughout the year, as the average temperature ranges between 26-30C.

Essentials like loose-fitting clothes, sunscreen, powder, sunglasses, a hat and a water bottle will keep you safe during the day. Take showers and avoid staying out during the day as much as possible.

Heatstroke is a huge problem that leads to headaches and dizziness. To recuperate from this sickness, take cold bath/showers. The heat in Sri Lankan is so hideous at times, making you either unconscious or collapse.

Solution: cover yourself with cool, wet towels. Seek medical treatment.

Remember: Complex surgical procedures and specialist care are only available in the public sector at the National Hospital of Sri Lanka, which is located in Colombo. Apart from this hospital, there are other big hospitals located in major cities that comprise of a few advanced facilities.

Also Read: Crime in Sri Lanka: Here’s how tourists can stay safe

Emerging health care innovations in Sri Lanka

Sri Lanka has amassed billions by addressing the gaps in the healthcare industry. Here are a few emerging ventures revolutionizing the country’s health care industry.

• Doc Call

Doc Call is a medical consultancy platform launched by mobile service provider Mobitel. The system allows telecom subscribers to seek medical assistance from government-registered doctors by dialing 247 any time of the day.

Calling charges are affordable – Rs. 1-2 per minute; the consultation fees is Rs. 150. However, Doc Call does not provide diagnosis or prescriptions, only suggesting callers to seek specialists and sharing other basic information.

Since it is available 24/7, a caller is given a maximum of 10 minutes to speak with the doctor.

• MyDoctor.Ik

Telco Dialog Axiata PLC initially launched MyDoctor.Ik as a web-based service in 2012; later launched a mobile application in 2017. MyDoctor offers a range of medical assistance, including packages with discounts, connecting to professionals, etc.

To avail the services, Dialog users can dial 2407, while other service users can connect by dialing +94 117 24 7000. MyDoctor allows users to schedule an appointment through a website with a handful of doctors and hospitals to choose from.

The mobile application allows you to chat with a doctor, schedule tests and has medicine delivered to your doorstep. Available on Android and iOS platforms, the platform records health status and presents a health care guide. Besides, the app presents data in the graph and numerical format to help evaluate trends.

• Fitzky

Launched in 2019, Fitzky is a web and location-based app offering users a multitude of options to choose gyms and fitness classes in Sri Lanka.

Fitzky facilitates users with class timings, prices and an option to discover new gyms and book them too. The app allows users to pay for the gym by the minute, rather than opting for a membership.

The Bottom Line

Sri Lanka has made giant strides in the field of healthcare. The country’s recent collaborations with the private sector and investments in the industry are improving access to healthcare.

Even though the healthcare system of Sri Lanka comes with low expenditure,  the country’s health indicators are very much similar to that of more developed (neighboring) countries.

The government seamlessly provides universal healthcare to the citizens, but when it comes to specialist care and advanced procedures, there is a long wait in the public sector.

Here the private sector plays a huge role in addressing the gap, but it requires an upfront payment. The challenges here are the aging population and the increase in non-communal diseases.

The success of the country’s healthcare system of Sri Lanka is dedicated to its effective public healthcare delivery system in Sri Lanka. It provides the citizens with both preventive and curative care at low cost.

Healthcare provided by the government is entirely free for everyone, and it accounts for almost all in-patient treatment and preventive care. But, the public sector comes with a downside. It has major inadequate capacity, inconsistent service standards, and limited access to specialist treatment.

So the problems start right at the waiting list, which is usually really long even if you tend to ignore the disparity of available care when comparing the rural and urban areas.

The health infrastructure is relatively weak in the northern and eastern regions of the country, which was an aftereffect of the damages caused during the civil war in the country.

The Sri Lankan government and a few organizations jointly have created initiatives in order to develop safe, quality healthcare systems. With this, we conclude our post. If there’s something, we’ve missed out on, write back to us in the comments section below.

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What are the types of Sri Lankan visas?

There are four (4) kinds of to Sri Lanka visa services which permit a person to enter and stay in this country.

1. Visit Visa/ETA There are two sub-categories which come under visit visas: 1.1 Tourist Visit Visa – A Tourist Visa is issued to bonafide tourists who want to enter Sri Lanka for sightseeing, excursions, visit relatives for a short time.

1.2 Business Purpose Visa services – Issued to foreign nationals who visit Sri Lanka for business purposes for a short time. This visa may be issued for single or double journeys.

2. Residence Visa- A residence visa is a permit for a non-Sri Lankan to obtain residence facilities for particular purposes. There are eight (8) sub-categories which come under residence visas.

3. Transit Visa -A Transit Visa is an entry permit granted to a foreign national for admission into Sri Lanka for a brief period which is incidental and in the course of his journey to another destination.

4. Gratis Visa-  The holder of a Diplomatic or Official Passport or a passport with a valid Diplomatic or Official endorsement will not be required to pay any fees for the visa.

How do you apply for a VISA to travel to Sri Lanka?

The Department of Immigration and Emigration offers visa services online. Go to http://www.eta.gov.lk/slvisa for access to the Electronic Travel Authorization system. Service is available in many languages. The visa fee is US$30 for most countries, for many SAARC countries it is US$15, for Maldives and Singapore nationalities it’s free The Visa application process is quite simple and can be done quickly. Some countries burden travellers up with an extremely prolonged way of processing a visa, but fortunately, Sri Lankan visas come without much trouble.

The only countries required to visit the consulate are Guinea, Liberia, Mali, Sierra Leone, Cameroon and Nigeria. All other nationals will apply online and receive their visas for Sri Lanka via email.

Can you Apply for a visa on arrival?

Yes! A visa can still be obtained on arrival at BIA Colombo for $5 extra, but having an ETA visa means a quicker exit from the immigration process. Tourist visas have a lifetime of 30 days, after which you need to update it. Visa for Sri Lanka ETA is issued only for Short Visits to Sri Lanka for Business purposes, Tourism and Transit purposes.

Do other private websites offer visas?

Yes, there are other private web sites offering visa processing services, and you have to pay a substantial service charge in addition to the visa fee. It is best to avoid them. Travellers on short holidays can easily obtain a one month visa. This type of visa is further extendable if you plan to stay longer. You have to apply for extensions at Department’s Head Office in Colombo at 41 Ananda Rajakaruna Mawatha, Punchi Borella Colombo 10.

If you want to stay more than 30 days with visa in Sri Lanka, you may apply for an extension once you are already in the country. The permit may be extended up to 90 days from the date of arrival at the first instance and further 90 days at the second instance.

The requirements for a Sri Lanka Visa is that you can only apply up to 60 days (2 months) before your departure date.

Application for an extension should be submitted to the Visa Section of the Department of Immigration in Sri Lanka (head office) by visiting the Department or through an Authorized Agent.

How does the Sri Lanka Electronic Travel Authority work?

ETAs are issued electronically by the Sri Lanka Department of Immigration. Travellers, travel agents, airlines and specialist service providers like us around the world can use the ETA system to process an Electronic Travel Authority. The information contained in the applicant’s passport is entered into the ETA system- The ETA system works with departmental systems to check the applicant’s details. Following these checks, the service provider is advised of the outcome of the ETA application.

When an ETA is granted, it is linked electronically to the applicant’s passport. If a denied message is received instead, the service provider refers the applicant to the nearest Sri Lanka embassy or mission.

The Sri Lanka ETA is electronically linked to the passport and is accessible to the Department of Immigration.

The ETA authority recommends a printout of a copy of the Sri Lanka ETA in case there is a problem with the computer terminals at the immigration office upon arrival.

Also, Read Sri Lanka Travel-An experience like none.

What do you do when you want to work in Sri-Lanka?

Get in touch with the local embassy. They will help you create a visa for yourself in the instance of you looking to work in the country.

What are the visa costs?

The visa for Sri Lanka ETA is valid for 30 days from the date of arrival in Sri Lanka. You are permitted two entries into the country with the same ETA.

The cost of the ETA is $30 + $20 Service Fee per person for all countries except SAARC countries. For SAARC countries the ETA cost is $15 per passenger + $20 Service Fee. You can pay using your master card or any other.

Do I need a Sri Lanka visa if I have a Diplomatic Passport?

Diplomatic passport holders from Socialist Republic of Vietnam, Cuba, Indonesia, Union of Myanmar, Islamic Republic of Pakistan, Chile, PRC, Federative Republic of Brazil, Republic of Seychelles, UAE, Kingdom of Thailand, Republic of Kenya, Belarus, Republic of Iran, Maldives and Singapore are exempted from the ETA processing fee.

Diplomatic and official passport holders should not apply Tourist/Business ETA for their official visits or to engage in any official assignments in Sri Lanka.

Who can all be exempt from getting a visa in Sri Lanka?

No. You are exempt from the Visa service to Sri Lanka ETA in the following cases:

• Crew members of flight/ship
• Following category is exempt from ETA Processing Fee
• Children under 12 years of age
• Transit permitted ONLY for 48 hours

If I already possess a valid Sri Lankan ETA, can I apply for a fresh ETA again?

No. The Sri Lanka ETA is valid for six (6) months, and a fresh ETA cannot be obtained using the same passport until that ETA expires. If you lose the passport which contains the valid ETA you may apply for a fresh ETA by paying the relevant fee again.

Any additional info I need to be aware of for the Sri Lanka ETA?

All Sri Lankan ETA holders should be able to prove/adhere to the following if they wish to apply online:

• Round trip ticket to show at the port of entry in Sri Lanka (only if you are travelling by air).
• Proof of sufficient funds to cover your expenses in Sri Lanka.
• All holders of ETA, should NOT engage in any form of employment, paid or unpaid, or in any trade or business other than specified in the ETA, during the period of his/her stay in Sri Lanka
• You have to certify that the information provided by you is true and correct.

What Documents are Requirement for Journalist Visa?

1. Duly filled ETA Business Application Form

2. Journalist attestation form

3. Passport copy (for Indian nationals – front and last pages, for other journalists (nationalities different than Indian) – data page and Indian visa page)

4. Two recent passport-size colour photographs

5. a detailed commissioning letter from respective media organisation which includes the tentative programme with dates, places and if it contains interviews the persons to be interviewed and questions etc.

6. Equipment list for electronic media along with a carnet or bank guarantee for customs purpose Form

7. Letter undertaking that the equipment are re-exported at the end of the visit

8. Copy of return air ticket or flight itinerary

Related documents will be sent to the Ministry of External Affairs in Colombo to obtain approval for issuance of journalist visa. Once the approval is granted, the applicant will be intimated to submit visa fee of 3000 SLR (for journalists from SAARC countries) or 3600 SLR (for other nationals) along with the original passport.

Important contact details of the Department of Immigration and Emigration in Colombo, Sri Lanka?

Department of Immigration and Emigration 41, Ananda Rajakaruna Mawatha, Colombo 10, Sri Lanka Hotline: 1962 Phone: 94-11-5329000 Hunting Line Fax: 94-11-2674621 E-Mail: controller [at] immigration.gov.lk Web Site: www.immigration.gov.lk

FOREIGN EMBASSIES

With excellent international relations and diplomatic ties, Sri Lanka is home to almost 50 Foreign Embassies and Embassies. In case of adverse situations like loss of passport or money, fatal sickness, births, deaths and case of arrest, a traveller can reach out to the embassy of their choice and get alterations in their visa. Next destination visas can also be applied for by visiting the respective Embassy or High Commission in Sri Lanka. It is the diplomatic mission of each country to provide notarial services, authentication and academic credentials to its citizens for use in Sri Lanka for a nominal fee. They are also responsible for assisting with obtaining police clearance for foreign nationals, who are permanent residents of Sri Lanka.

The Embassy page Of Sri Lanka lists all diplomatic ties and consular missions in the country. It highlights very well the representations of the country in diplomatic and consular objectives. Currently, Sri Lanka maintains 51 foreign embassies abroad as well as 87 consulates and two other representations. The Sri Lankan capital Colombo hosts 43 foreign embassies, and in addition, there are 59 consulates and one other representation in Sri Lanka.

The Sri Lankan Embassy lays out opportunities for Internships, Volunteer programs, Study abroad in Sri Lanka, teaching programmes, and opportunities to enrol in schools in Sri Lanka.

Throughout the year, Projects Abroad provides a wide array of internship programs in various fields for prospective people. It can open up avenues for you to intern and work with the most professional high-level companies that are stationed in there. The portal also lists down chances for you to participate in a well-rounded, culturally immersive experience in community work. Again, there are many ways to engage with teaching institutes wherein you can register yourself and take teaching up as a profession.

IVHQ, the world’s most trusted and affordable volunteer abroad organisation places around 18,000 volunteers abroad annually and have over ten years’ experience in providing safe, impactful and affordable volunteer abroad programs. This is laid out in the Sri Lankan Embassy page very well

Moreover, regular updates on the embassy page help you familiarise with what new ventures and projects are undertaken by the government of Sri Lanka, in which you can be a part. Language training programs in multiple languages also open up multiple areas of study and thought. Sri Lankan Embassy facilitates a wide range of opportunities for globetrotters to take up.

Applying for visas for travel can be a cumbersome process. However, the way to get a visa is pretty organized if you follow the rules that getting a visa entails. Keep yourself familiarised with the embassy website for any governmental changes. Always lookout for the earliest ways of procuring a visa. Keep checking with the authorities for updates. This is something one must always do. It always helps bring progress in processes that involve creating a visa. One must always be ready with the hard copies of documents for last-minute checking and to avoid any airport troubles. Then there is also a need for added responsibility to check with the airport authorities before flying. This helps in making sure that all kinds of documents go handy with you.

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