Entry Rules for Sri Lanka

If you want to visit an island but are tired of hearing about Bali, high vibrations, and blessing rituals — welcome to Sri Lanka: to taste tea, photograph Indian elephants, and swim in the ocean. This article explains how to get a visa for Sri Lanka for Russians, what documents are needed for pets, and the easiest route to fly to Colombo.

How to get there

Technically, there is direct air travel between Russia and Sri Lanka: both regular and charter flights. However, finding such non-stop tickets is very difficult — there are few flights, and seats sell out quickly. It's easiest to find tickets on Kupi.com with one layover, most often in Muscat (Oman) or Dubai (UAE). For example, Moscow — Colombo tickets with a layover in Muscat on the Kupi.com website will cost 63,000 rubles round trip. The departure point can be not only the capital. Tickets to Sri Lanka are also available: with a layover in Dubai, the flight is operated by Emirates. The cost of such a round-trip ticket is 75,000 rubles. 

How to get a visa for Sri Lanka

There are several ways to obtain a visa: self-application, through the consulate, or a travel agency. Let's list the options available to you. 

1. Self-application. To do this, you need to visit the website eta.gov.lk and submit an online visa application. You will be asked to pay a visa fee — about 4,000 rubles (the price changes depending on the dollar exchange rate). Bank cards issued in Russia are not accepted; you will need to obtain a foreign one. 

When filling out the application form, you can choose one of two types of visas: for 30 days and for 180 days. If you choose the 180-day visa, note that double entry is only allowed in the first month. This means you cannot fly to Sri Lanka, leave for Russia after two months, and return again — such a visa will be annulled (yes, the rule is strange).

2. Application through the embassy.

Another option is to contact the Embassy of Sri Lanka in Moscow. Essentially, this is the same procedure as online application, but you won't have to do anything manually, and embassy staff will fill in all the data for you. You will only need to collect a package of documents: 

• a foreign passport valid for at least six months after entry into the country;

• an application form that you will receive at the embassy. It must be filled out by hand;

• two color photographs 3.5 x 4.5 cm;

• proof of accommodation booking;

• proof of flight booking or payment. 

Embassy of Sri Lanka in the Russian Federation

Address: 115127, Moscow, Shchepkina St., 24

Contacts: +7 (495) 688-16-20; +7 (495) 688-16-51
Email: slemb.moscow@mfa.gov.lk

The visa fee at the embassy will be less than if you applied independently — around 3,000 rubles. 

3. Application through a travel agency.

If you don't want to go to the embassy or spend time on self-application, you can use the services of an intermediary. When purchasing a tour, they will also arrange your visa, but the price will be higher — approximately 5,500 rubles. 

4. Visa on arrival

If you don't have time and need to fly urgently, a 30-day visa will be issued at Colombo airport. The visa cost is $40. The procedure is as follows: you pay the visa fee before passport control, show the receipt to border guards, and they stamp your passport.

Regardless of how you obtained your visa, it can be extended for a fee. This is done online — on the website eservices.immigration.gov.lk. Travelers report that it's best to do this as early as possible. 

If you received a 30-day visa — you can extend it for another 60 days.

If you received a 180-day visa — you can extend it for another 90 days.

What documents are needed

• A foreign passport valid for another six months from the date of arrival in Sri Lanka.

• Visa. It can be obtained both in Russia and upon arrival at the airport — as described above.

• Medical insurance. This is not a mandatory requirement, but medical services for tourists in Sri Lanka are paid, so insurance will help in case of illness or injury. Especially since there is busy road traffic here and a fairly high risk of injury, for example, if you ride a motorbike. It's better to buy a policy covering accidents. 

• Migration card. It is filled out upon arrival in Sri Lanka, but you can take care of the card in advance — for this, there is the resource eservices.immigration.gov.lk. 

• Coronavirus documents. Neither PCR test results nor a certificate of vaccination against coronavirus are required for entry into Sri Lanka. 

What is needed for entry with a child

• Visa. This condition applies to children of all ages. The application procedure is the same as for adults, but if the child is under 12 years old, the visa fee will not be charged.  

• Foreign passport. Not required if the child is under 14 and there is a note in the parent's passport (such entries are made in passports valid for five years). If there is no entry, a separate passport will need to be issued. If the child is over 14, their own foreign passport will be required in any case.

• Consent to travel. This will be needed if the child is traveling alone or with an adult who is not a close relative (e.g., teacher, coach, grandmother, uncle). If the child is traveling with one parent, for example, with the mother but without the father, consent is not required, but if you want to be 100% sure, you can take extra precautions. 

• Birth certificate. We also advise taking extra precautions if you and the child have different surnames. 

How to enter Sri Lanka with an animal

1. Obtain an import permit for the pet, issued by the Department of Animal Production and Health of Sri Lanka. To do this, you need to send an import application in English and a copy of the veterinary passport to the organization — approximately one month before the departure date, but tourists have very different experiences, so we advise writing to the department by email and clarifying the exact deadlines yourself. The veterinary passport must contain all standard marks: rabies vaccination (note: this vaccination must be administered at least 30 days before departure, as the animal needs some time to develop antibodies), parasite treatment, microchipping. 

2. Receive the permit by email and print it to present at the border.

3. Get tests for internal and external parasites done at a state veterinary station (one week before the trip).

4. Obtain veterinary certificate No. 1 from the state station, indicating that the animal is healthy, treated for parasites, and the test results are in order.

5. Exchange the veterinary certificate for international certificate No. 5 at the airport's quarantine service.

6. Upon arrival in Sri Lanka, present all documents (import permit, veterinary passport, international certificate) for the animal. Most likely, you will be asked to pay a separate fee for the animal.

Transit

• Short transit (no more than 12 hours) through Sri Lanka is allowed — no visa will be needed. However, you will not be able to leave the airport.

• If the layover between flights is more than 12 hours, you will need to obtain a transit visa. The visa is processed on this portal. With a transit visa, you can leave the airport and explore the city. The maximum transit period is 48 hours; further stay in the country requires a tourist visa.

COVID-19 Requirements

All coronavirus restrictions have been lifted in Sri Lanka: PCR tests and vaccination certificates are not required for entry in 2025. The mask mandate has also been canceled.

Tips for travelers 

1. Money. Some travelers claim that the most profitable way is to go to Sri Lanka with rubles and proceed as follows: transfer money to Russian cards to locals who will give you rupees in cash. The method is strange, but tourists assure it works. Contacts of "money changers" are shared in chats and forums — it will be easiest to find such a chat on Telegram and assess how willing you are to take such a risk. A more conservative and reliable solution is to bring dollars and exchange them at the airport or exchange offices. 

2. Accommodation. You can search in Telegram chats (hundreds of offers), or you can go the proven way and book an apartment through Booking with on-site payment. There are also options on Russian websites: for example, on "Ostrovok". There you can pay for accommodation in advance — with a "Mir" card. 

3. Transfer to the hotel. Again, it's better to search either through chats where verified contacts are left, or use the services of airport taxi drivers — which will be more expensive. PickMe and Uber apps also operate in Sri Lanka.

In short, everything is straightforward and quite feasible. 

The famous Kandy — Badulla train, from which it's great to lean out for beautiful stories, tea plantations, and surfing are closer than they seem.

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