Sri Lanka | Old ETA system now available

The Sri Lankan government has reinitiated its previous electronic travel authorization (ETA) visa system.

Key Points:

• As BAL previously reported, the Supreme Court of Sri Lanka issued an interim order suspending the new eVisa platform, which was implemented in April 2024.
• The Department of Immigration and Emigration has now reopened the old ETA system as a temporary measure for tourist and business visas.

Additional Information: The Supreme Court’s decision to suspend the eVisa considered fundamental rights petitions that challenged potential procedural violations and negative impacts to the Sri Lankan tourism sector. Travelers who have applied and obtained an eVisa from the new system will not be affected and will be able to utilize their visas if they applied before 5 p.m. IST on Aug. 2. BAL will continue following updates on the new eVisa platform and will provide more information as it becomes available.

This alert has been provided by the BAL Global Practice Group.

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