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Electronic Visa (ETA) can be obtained prior to arrival Electronic Travel Authorisation System, Costs USD30, SAARC countries pay USD15. For VOA at the airport most OECD nationalities will have to pay for a USD35 visitor's visa prior to going through passport control at the airport. You can pay this using a credit card. Visa is valid for two entries within a 30 day period. If you are transiting, you may leave the airport for up to 24 hours without a visa but the immigration officials would try to persuade you to get one, unless you have a hotel voucher supplied by Sri Lankan Airlines.

Visa rules

An electronic travel authorization, ETA, can be applied for by citizens of all countries except Singapore and Maldives before entering. This electronic authorisaion is valid for 3 months, starting from the day it has been approved. It allows for two entries which means you can enter the country twice during the three months' time. In each entry, your maximum length of stay is 30 days. A visitor wishing to stay more than 30 days in Sri Lanka may apply for an extension. The short visit visa may be extended up to 90 days from the date of arrival at the first instance and further 90 days at the second instance.

In the event of a rejection, the system will send a referral notification to the applicant and he/she needs to contact the nearest Sri Lanka Overseas Mission for necessary assistance. If your country doesn’t have a Sri Lanka Overseas Mission please contact the 24 hour emigration hotline on 0094 719 967 888. However, The Department maintains a no refund policy on your visa application fees.

An ETA can also be applied for at Colombo airport. If a referral notice is given, you will be deported.

Visa charges are $15 for SAARC countries (Bangladesh, Bhutan, India, Maldives, Nepal and Pakistan) and $30 for others.

IMPORTANT: As of February 2015, immigration authorities at Colombo airport are very demanding with respect to the accuracy of the passport number on your electronic travel authorization obtained online. A single digit mistake is taken as a reason to force you to buy a new visa and refer you to some obscure government office in Colombo for refunds of your online payments. Be careful about the digit 1 (one) vs. the capital letter I and the digit 0 (zero) vs. the capital letter O. The number should exactly match the machine-readable section of your passport, and not anything else (for example, Russian passports have a non-alphanumeric number sign that should be completely excluded).

Extensions can be made at the Department of Immigration (011-532 9300; 41 Ananda Rajakaruna Mw, Col 10; M-F 09:00-16:30), in Punchi Borella, Colombo. Open 08:30 to 15:30. (14:30 as of 01/16) The department sets the cost in US dollars, but you pay in rupees. A visa extension gives you a full three months in the country and you can apply for your extension almost as soon as you arrive (the 30-day visa given upon entry is included in the three months). A further three-month extension is possible, but you must again pay the extension fee plus another LKR10,000. Extensions beyond this are at the discretion of the department, and incur a LKR15,000 fee plus the extension fee.

See above for fees for the first 90-day extension. (The fee varies greatly. US$20-30 for many most countries listed, US$54 for UK passport holders, US$100 for US passport, and US$200! for Tanzanian passport holders. 01/16)

The whole process takes 1hr++. Rule #1 applies .. Get There Early. Beat the Colombo gridlock which starts around 7:30am. For directions just ask for "Passport Office". You can download the visa-extension form from the website you got your ETA or get one on arrival. Go to the 3rd-floor office. It is open from 08:00. Show your filled-out form (plus photo glued on) at the desk closest to the door and you'll be given a number token. Keep this throughout the process. Interviews commence at 08:30 in the booths marked with numbers and letters. Someone comes out periodically and calls the next token numbers to be processed. The interviewer will take your documents. Return to your seat (if you're lucky) and wait for your number to display on the screen above the counter nearby. Show your token and get your documents back. Take these to the payment counter opposite, pay fee hand over documents and get fee receipt. Once again wait for your number to show on the same screen as before. Then you wait 30 minutes or so while your passport works its way through the system and is returned to you. Check the visa is correct.

You will need your passport, and maybe onward ticket a credit card or foreign exchange receipts.

Tourist visas for India can be obtained at the High Commission of India (242 1605; info.colombo@mea.gov.in; 36-38 Galle Rd, Col 3). The cost of a six-month visa depends on your nationality, and you’ll need to supply two photos. It takes at least five days to process a tourist visa, but only one day if you are a foreign resident in Sri Lanka. Lines tend to be very long. You can also obtain an Indian visa in Kandy at the Assistant High Commission of India (081-222 4563; ahciknd@mailandnews.com; Box 47, 31 Rajapihilla Mawatha). Kandy makes a good alternative to Colombo because it’s not as busy.