Sri Lanka soon to scrap visa on arrival system
[October 14 2011]

<P>From January 1, 2012 all tourists and business travelers traveling to Sri Lanka will need to apply for a visa in advance, via a new online Electronic Travel Authorization (ETA) system. The aim is to allow the government to more efficiently track people overstaying their welcome, so to speak.

<P>On the new website, <http://www.eta.gov.lk>www.eta.gov.lk, visitors will pay a non-refundable processing fee of US$50 for tourists, $60 for business travelers or $25 for transit passengers.

<P>Tourists may then receive a double-entry 30-day permit, and business travelers a multiple-entry visa; transit passengers will be allowed to remain in Sri Lanka for up to seven days.

<P>Only travlers from Singapore or The Maldives will be exempt because they are the only two nations who provide Sri Lankans with on-arrival visas.

<P>Currently Indian citizens are granted a visa-on-arrival in 33 countries and territories, including Malaysia, Hong Kong and Thailand.

<P>Similarly, being able to plan an impromptu beach holiday to nearby Sri Lanka used to be one of those privileges Indian passport holders valued. Especially when the possibility of obtaining a Schengen or United States visa is never certain these days.

<P>In 2010 more than 120,000 Indians visited Sri Lanka. - CNNGo.com