Sri Lanka to make obtaining visas easier for visitors

Sri Lanka is planning to simplify the country’s visa issuance methodology to make it easier for tourists and businesses to visit the country.
The Cabinet of Ministers this week approved a proposal furnished by the Minister of Public Security Tiran Alles to further simplify visa methodologies implemented at present.
According to the Immigration and Emigration Act No. 20 of 1948 and the regulations issued under that, the Department of Immigration and Emigration issues three categories of visa, namely visit visa, resident visa and transit visa. 

The Cabinet Office noted that considering the complexity in the visa issued under visit visa and resident visa categories, measures have been taken to review Sri Lanka’s visa methodology with visa methodologies of countries that attract more tourists.
The current visa system in Sri Lanka is complex and outdated. It has been criticised by businesses and tourists alike, who say that it is too difficult to navigate and that it takes too long to get a visa.