Colombo: Sri Lanka Grants Visa-Free Entry to Citizens of 35 Countries, Including India, UK, and US.
The Sri Lankan government has introduced a new visa-free policy for citizens from 35 countries, including India, the UK, and the US. This initiative, which will last for six months, is set to begin on October 1, 2024. The decision was confirmed by Harin Fernando, Adviser to the Ministry of Tourism, as reported by the Daily Mirror on Wednesday.
Fernando emphasized that the visa exemption will be in place for six months.
The list of countries eligible for visa-free entry includes India, the UK, China, the US, Germany, the Netherlands, Belgium, Spain, Australia, Denmark, Poland, Kazakhstan, Saudi Arabia, the UAE, Nepal, Indonesia, Russia, and Thailand.
Other nations included in the policy are Malaysia, Japan, France, Canada, the Czech Republic, Italy, Switzerland, Austria, Israel, Belarus, Iran, Sweden, South Korea, Qatar, Oman, Bahrain, and New Zealand.
Previously, there was controversy over increased fees for on-arrival visas in Sri Lanka, which were managed by a foreign company. However, this new policy marks a significant shift, offering visa-free entry to a broad range of countries.
Tourists from India, China, Russia, Japan, Malaysia, Thailand, and Indonesia were already eligible for free tourist visas to Sri Lanka under earlier regulations.
