Travelers looking to explore Sri Lanka must now apply for a visa upon arrival as the electronic visa system (e-Visa) has been temporarily suspended.
Effective as of August 2, 2024, visitors will have to go through a new process, with the exception of Nigerians who are required to submit their visa applications directly at the Department of Immigration’s headquarters.
This information was disclosed in an announcement posted on the official government e-visa issuance portal, www.srilankaevisa.lk, VisaNews on Monday.
According to the announcement, VFS Global, the company overseeing the e-Visa system, has been informed of certain interim orders issued by the Supreme Court of Sri Lanka regarding the operational agreement of this platform.
“In light of these orders, the website has been suspended starting from August 2 at 17:00 hours Sri Lanka Standard Time.”
The Supreme Court of Sri Lanka issued an interim order last Friday, invalidating the agreement with VFS Global following allegations of procedural violations, corruption, and breaches of public trust.
VFS Global was the company handling the e-Visa system.
Consequently, the e-Visa portal is currently offline.
VFS Global assured that applicants who submitted their applications post-suspension will receive refunds.
“Those who applied on or after August 2 after 17:00 hours Sri Lanka Standard Time will be refunded. Please provide your application reference number at [email protected],” the company assured.
In response to the court’s decision, Sri Lanka aims to revert to the previous Electronic Travel Authorisation system managed by Mobitel, a Sri Lankan telecommunications company.
The Sri Lanka Association of Inbound Tour Operators confirmed that the ETA system is anticipated to be up and running again “within the week.”
The suspension of the e-Visa system will persist until a ruling is made on the petition.
The Secretary of the Ministry of Public Security, Viyani Gunathilaka, verified that discussions are ongoing with officials from the Department of Immigration and Emigration to swiftly address the situation.
Countries impacted by this change, mandating them to secure a visa prior to arrival, encompass Afghanistan, Cameroon, Côte d’Ivoire, North Korea, Ghana, Myanmar, Nigeria, Pakistan, and Syria.
This development follows Sri Lanka’s April decision to replace the ETA system with an e-Visa process overseen by a consortium that includes VFS Global, GBS Technology, and IVS Global Services.