Currently, Sri Lanka is facing a huge financial crisis. Its citizens are protesting against government and presidential policies. However, many travellers are still going to Sri Lanka. Read more about the situation in Sri Lanka and how it is still possible to go on holiday with a Sri Lanka visa.

Government Protests

The country has been in financial crisis since the pandemic began, due to the decline in tourism. The crisis also turned political as residents began protesting against the government and President Rajapaksaʼs policies. Earlier this year, the protests became increasingly violent. This prompted the government to declare a state of emergency in April. In April of this year, the Sri Lankan government declared a state of emergency in response to the increasingly violent protests. The protesters demanded the resignation of the president, and in turn, he ordered the army to shoot protesters.

Things became heated in July, when protesters invaded the presidential residence. President Rajapaksa tried to flee the country, but before he could board the plane, he was stopped by customs. His departure was seen as an attempt to evade arrest since he tried to enter another country without a visa, despite having no legal immunity to do so. After many attempts, he finally was able to flee to the Maldives and to Singapore. The residents of these countries were not happy about this, but both governments urged their citizens to remain calm. On July 15, Rajapaksa officially stepped down. The new Sri Lankan government is now tasked with devising a plan that will restore calm and win the peopleʼs support.

Tourism in Sri Lanka

There have been a string of setbacks that have caused Sri Lankaʼs tourism sector to struggle to stay afloat. Between the attacks on Easter Sunday in 2019 and the Covid-19 pandemic, Sri Lankaʼs tourism sector has grown only marginally. As a result, the economy has still not been able to recover and Sri Lanka is still facing an economic crisis. One unintended consequence is that a trip to Sri Lanka has become very attractive to some travellers because many tourist activities are currently very well priced. The British government has revised their travel advice and lifted their ban on all but essential travel to Sri Lanka at this time. If you still want to travel to Sri Lanka, prepare extra well by learning about the current situation in the country and particular places you should avoid because of riots and demonstrations or other unsafe situations. If you have prepared everything well and know what you should or should not do, do not forget to apply for a Sri Lanka visa. Without a visa, you will not be able to enter the country.

Travel throughout Sri Lanka by train.

Apply for a Sri Lanka visa

You can apply for the Sri Lanka visa using the application form on this website. The average processing time is about 4 days. When you apply, you must fill in an expected arrival date. However, the arrival date in Sri Lanka can be estimated on the form, it does not have to be the exact date. In fact, you can arrive in Sri Lanka up to 90 days earlier or up to 90 days later than the entered expected arrival date. The 30-day validity period starts from the moment you arrive in Sri Lanka, and you can apply for an extension of up to 90 days once after arrival. Of course, there are numerous conditions attached to the visa. Please read those carefully as well before applying for the visa or booking your airline ticket.

Please note: this news article about the visa for Sri Lanka is more than one year old. It might contain outdated information and advice, and no rights can therefore be derived from this article. Are you going on a trip soon and do you wish to do know what rules currently apply? Read all about the up-to-date information about the visa for Sri Lanka.