Planing our holiday season for 2017/2018, we decided to travel to Sri Lanka, a country in continent, neither me nor my partner, never have been before. This should be one of the most epic trips and many cool photo stories to be developed on this blog.
For traveling to Sri Lanka (Colombo) we bought Qatar Airways round trip tickets - Tbilisi (Georgia) - Doha (Qatar) - Colombo (Sri Lanka), it was a bargain deal and I must admit - I'm keen to try out flying with Qatar Airways, as I have heard only the best about it.
Now, returning to the subject - Visitors to Sri Lanka visiting for tourism purposes must obtain an Electronic Travel Authorization (ETA) prior to arrival or on arrival to Sri Lanka. Holders of ETA from all countries except the 3 exempt countries (Maldives, Seychelles, Singapore) obtain a visa on arrival that is valid for 30 days. The Business purpose ETA can be obtained only from Sri Lankan diplomatic missions and head office of the Department of Immigration and Emigration. All visitors must hold a passport valid for 6 months. Nationals of Afghanistan, Iran, Iraq, Nigeria, Pakistan, Somalia and Syria must hold return or onward tickets. Visitors are strongly urged to use the online system to avoid lengthy delays at the port of entry. See: Visa policy of Sri Lanka
Apply for ETA on official website: http://www.eta.gov.lk/slvisa/visainfo/center.jsp?locale=en_US
Visa policy of Sri Lanka
The fee for online application is $20 per individual and can be paid using American Express, Master or Visa cards
The ETA is initially limited to 30 days validity from the date of arrival although it may be extended for up to six (06) months.
The process and application form is quite similar to the United States ESTA Visa Waiver Program, see: Travel To The United States Without Visa - Visa Waiver Program / ESTA
