Sri Lanka announces visa-free access to Indians, nationals from 34 other countries from Oct 31

Colombo: The Sri Lankan government has announced visa-free access to citizens from 35 countries, including India, the UK and the US to the island nation for six months, media reports said on Wednesday.

The Cabinet made the decision which will be in effect from October 1, 2024, the Daily Mirror newspaper reported quoting Adviser to the Ministry of Tourism, Harin Fernando.

The policy is for six months, Fernando said.

Countries on the list include India, the UK, China, the US, Germany, the Netherlands, Belgium, Spain, Australia, Denmark, Poland, Kazakhstan, Saudi Arabia, the UAE, Nepal, Indonesia, Russia, and Thailand.

Other countries include Malaysia, Japan, France, Canada, the Czech Republic, Italy, Switzerland, Austria, Israel, Belarus, Iran, Sweden, South Korea, Qatar, Oman, Bahrain and New Zealand.

Earlier, controversy surrounded increased fees for on-arrival visas in Sri Lanka, which were being handled by a foreign company.

Visitors from India, China, Russia, Japan, Malaysia, Thailand, and Indonesia received tourist visas free of charge to Sri Lanka.