Sri Lanka Visa

[CruisingFox27]

We are on a cruise which visits Colombo for 1 day and we'd like to book an excursion. I am trying to understand if we require a tourist ETA or a transit ETA. I have read conflicting information on this website https://www.srilanka-etaonline.com/sri-lanka-cruise-ship-eta/

Can I Get off My Sri Lanka Cruise with a Transit ETA?

The confusion often arises because the Sri Lanka transit ETA allows passengers up to 48 hours in transit. However, transit visas are meant for travelers making a stopover in the country and waiting at the airport or port.

The Sri Lanka transit ETA does not allow travelers to leave the transit area and visit the country.

 

How Long You Can Stay in Sri Lanka with ETA Transit Visa

The ETA Sri Lanka transit visa allows a stay of up to 2 days in the country, allowing the traveler to leave the transit area of the airport and travel within Sri Lanka.

 

I also found the following on TripAdvisor;

"Guests who plan to go ashore in Sri Lanka require an Electronic Travel Authorization (ETA) when visiting Colombo, Sri Lanka. The Free Intransit Visa must be processed online and obtained in advance of your cruise.

Please print your ETA confirmation and bring it with you to cruisecheck-in to speed immigration processing.

You may notice that the Transit ETA confirmation states that you may only transit and are not permitted to enter Sri Lanka. This is acceptable for cruise lines asyou are classed as "in transit" providing you enter and leave SriLanka with the ship. This will not restrict you in going ashore during the call. "

 

We are UK passport holders.

 

Could anyone who has visited offer any insight on the visa which will be sufficient?

[sddsddean]

When we were on the Celebrity Constellation in January last year we just got the Transit ETA visas online for free. Everyone on our roll call did the same and we had no problems.

 

Simon

[tring]

The use of a transit visa depends how long you are in the country as it is only valid for 48 hours.  So if your ship is docked for one or two days a transit visa is fine, if longer then no.  The wording about not being able to enter the country is effectively wrong as we understand it, but someone in Sri Lanka appears to have made a strange translation.  Apparently it means that you can not stay there longer than 48 hours and that you must be moving on to a different destination from where you arrived (i.e. actually be in transit).

 

As mentioned you still need to get the transit ETA online before you arrive there.  In theory you can get a visa when you arrive but it takes longer and I know the cruise company who run the ship we will be joining in February are insisting people get their ETA's before traveling to Sri Lanka if using their flights out or before embarkation if joining the ship before Sri Lanka.  It is no problem to get an ETA and in fact the full 30 day visa is currently free if arriving in the next couple of months.

 

We have visited Sri Lanka previously as well and the system was always the same with the transit visa being free, though there was a charge for the 30 day visa.  

Edited January 4, 2020 by tring

[cruiser man 60]

We're on an MSC cruise calling Sri Lanka for a day and I have twice telephoned them to ask if any visas are required and each time they have said no and we're covered by the ships visa so unsure what to do. May just get one anyway.

[tring]

7 hours ago, CruisingFox27 said:

We are on a cruise which visits Colombo for 1 day and we'd like to book an excursion. I am trying to understand if we require a tourist ETA or a transit ETA. I have read conflicting information on this website https://www.srilanka-etaonline.com/sri-lanka-cruise-ship-eta/

Can I Get off My Sri Lanka Cruise with a Transit ETA?

The confusion often arises because the Sri Lanka transit ETA allows passengers up to 48 hours in transit. However, transit visas are meant for travelers making a stopover in the country and waiting at the airport or port.

The Sri Lanka transit ETA does not allow travelers to leave the transit area and visit the country.

 

How Long You Can Stay in Sri Lanka with ETA Transit Visa

The ETA Sri Lanka transit visa allows a stay of up to 2 days in the country, allowing the traveler to leave the transit area of the airport and travel within Sri Lanka.

 

I also found the following on TripAdvisor;

"Guests who plan to go ashore in Sri Lanka require an Electronic Travel Authorization (ETA) when visiting Colombo, Sri Lanka. The Free Intransit Visa must be processed online and obtained in advance of your cruise.

Please print your ETA confirmation and bring it with you to cruisecheck-in to speed immigration processing.

You may notice that the Transit ETA confirmation states that you may only transit and are not permitted to enter Sri Lanka. This is acceptable for cruise lines asyou are classed as "in transit" providing you enter and leave SriLanka with the ship. This will not restrict you in going ashore during the call. "

 

We are UK passport holders.

 

Could anyone who has visited offer any insight on the visa which will be sufficient?

 

I was fairly sure I had answered a question of yours previously and a search has told me I have.  If you really do not want to take advice from others or even read the requirements yourself, you are completely free to apply for a full 30 day visa ETA, which is currently available for arrivals up to 3 months from now and payment is not currently being taken, though I think the Sri Lankan website is still saying there will be a charge - it is a very badly maintained website.

 

This is the government site which deals with ETA applications:-  http://www.eta.gov.lk/slvisa/visainfo/center.jsp

ETA's  can be applied for up to 3 months in advance of your arrival date and are valid to stay for up to 6 months from when you apply for them.  You will find other sites which do charge as they are agencies who do the application for you, not that you gain anything as you would still have to give them your details. 

 

I see on the previous thread you used there was someone mentioning about applying too early and the visa not being valid on arrival.  This was nonsense as the system asks for your arrival date, so the only way that could happen is if someone entered the wrong arrival date.

Edited January 4, 2020 by tring

[tring]

24 minutes ago, cruiser man 60 said:

We're on an MSC cruise calling Sri Lanka for a day and I have twice telephoned them to ask if any visas are required and each time they have said no and we're covered by the ships visa so unsure what to do. May just get one anyway.

 

Sounds to me that MSC staff do not know what they are talking about.  For some countries a ship can make an application for a number of passengers, but this is not the case for Sri Lanka unless there has been a very recent change.  It is possible to make the ETA application on arrival, which MSC may be happy about, but it will take longer and it is not unusual for other cruise companies to insist that passengers have an ETA prior to embarkation so disembarkation goes smoothly in the port.

 

I have only done one MSC cruise and remember the complete frustration we felt even in the first hour after embarkation as all staff (including reception) had no idea what they were talking about and everyone gave different answers to the same problem and told us to contact other people.  One of the issues was that we did not have our drinks pack so we had to try and persist, but even after a mere hour we had got so frustrated that we removed tips from our bill and later just gave something to our cabin steward who was very good.  Our waiter spent more time making obscene models with serviettes, messing about and chatting with his colleagues  than actually getting on and doing his work.

 

Sorry about my rant about MSC, I accept it is not really relevant in this instance, though the experience would affect my ability to believe any information given out from MSC.  I do though quite accept that others may have had different experiences.

 

Obviously visa's are dependent on requirements for different nationalities and some will have more trouble - people of Pakistani origin can have problems for instance and may not be eligible for ETA's. So always worth checking with your government website.

 

Happy holiday.

 

Edited January 4, 2020 by tring

[cruiser man 60]

Thanks, I will get the transit visa online before we travel.

Just need to confirm if a 24 hour transit without visa is ok for an 9 hour stop in mainland China, again MSC advise no visas required although no U.K. Passengers can get that in writing although they have for French and Australia cruisers!!

[tring]

25 minutes ago, cruiser man 60 said:

Thanks, I will get the transit visa online before we travel.

Just need to confirm if a 24 hour transit without visa is ok for an 9 hour stop in mainland China, again MSC advise no visas required although no U.K. Passengers can get that in writing although they have for French and Australia cruisers!!

 

May be worth going to the forums on  CC's sister site, Trip Advisor as people there are usually more into the requirements for specific countries.  Worth mentioning your nationality though as things can be different and can also vary by method of arrival (air vs sea).  Could be easier to find the official websites on those forums though.  If you cannot find the TA forums, let me know and I will post a link.

 

We have not been there in the last few years, but I think I saw mention of a change over that time - could just be going mad though 🙂 

[cruiser man 60]

Thanks , will do that. The visa situation is the one thing that causes me to worry.

[CruisingFox27]

I had previously asked a question regarding Sri Lanka visas which you may well have answered tring, I always appreciate the contribution of CC posters and always do my own separate research. You weren't obliged to reply if you thought I'd disregarded your previous response or not bothered to conduct my own alternative research. I have and as I have quoted above, that has raised further questions.

 

I'm aware an ETA is required but this question specifically related to the exact type of ETA - tourist or transit, which will be sufficient. A recent discussion on our roll call has highlighted there are different types of ETA and discussions on which is adequate.

 

The experience and responses of others who have replied is much appreciated my myself and the others on our roll call.

 

@cruiser man 60 My research (I do actually do some 😀) indicated that if you are adhering to the A - B - C rule of arrival and departure countries, a 24/144hr TWOV is applicable. The following website has a lot of information https://www.travelchinaguide.com/tour/visa/free-transit-144-hours.htm

 

I checked our route is eligible (Dubai - Shanghai - Japan) and they advised the following:

You are eligible for 144 hour visa free transit. Leaving China by cruise ship is definitely allowed and acceptable under 144 hour TWOV. You should just take care that your itinerary fulfills the following two conditions:

- Your flight from Dubai to Shanghai is not allowed to have any additional stop within mainland China
- Your cruise is not allowed to have its first port of call, immediately after Shanghai, in mainland China port

 

If you have a poc in China, the previous poc and following poc countries need to be different.

We sail from Shanghai and will require the 144hr version but the rules are the same for the 24hr version.

 

 

[kool kruiser]

We are visiting Colombo for an overnight stop on a forthcoming Silversea cruise. I have just obtained online, with great ease, 30 day ETA visas, at no charge. Suggest, CruisingFox27, that this may be the way for you to go.