Us Visa For Sri Lanka
Are you an Indian? Are you planning to visit Sri Lanka for the first time? This is the right place for you where you can find all the information related to getting Sri Lanka tourist visa on arrival. Find out what documents are required to get a visa, how much time it takes to get a visa and how much it costs.
If you’re looking for a US visa for Sri Lanka, you’re in the right place. We understand that the decision to move can be challenging and often confusing. To help you with your search, we analyzed 12 top US engagement websites (USCIS-approved) to find out what they have in common and formulated a guide based on these findings.
If you are facing a problem for visit to Sri Lanka then you can apply for the ETA and enjoy the trip to this country with your friends or family. Sri Lanka is a beautiful place to visit but it’s not in list of easiest countries to enter from another country without visa. There’s a lot of information on the Internet about how to get a Sri Lanka visa and most of that information is not accurate.
Us Visa For Sri Lanka
If you are a citizen of Sri Lanka, you can apply for a U.S. visa at any American embassy or consulate abroad.
The U.S. Embassy in Colombo and the U.S. Consulate General in Jaffna are not authorized to issue visas to Sri Lankans who reside in the Northern Province, except for applicants who are citizens of India and require an A1/G1 visa for the purpose of traveling to the United States for medical treatment or to obtain urgent medical care unavailable in Sri Lanka; see “Medical Treatment” below.
Applicants should submit a completed DS-160 nonimmigrant visa application form (online) with supporting documentation and payment as directed by the Department of State’s website at https://travel.state.gov/content/visas/english/visit/visa-free-countries-and-territories#sri_lanka_egypt_malawi_and_sudan_greece_and_ireland
Sri Lanka is an island country in the Indian Ocean. It’s located along the southern tip of India, with which it shares a common language and culture. The capital city, Colombo, is one of the largest cities in South Asia. Sri Lanka also has a long history of being a popular tourist destination for people from around the world, including China and India.
In 2017 alone, over 1 million tourists visited Sri Lanka from China alone—and that number is expected to grow even more as more people discover this beautiful country. With so many tourists visiting Sri Lanka every year, it’s no surprise that there are so many visa options available for those who want to visit. Here are some of the most common ones:
Tourist Visa – This visa allows you to stay in Sri Lanka for up to 30 days (though it can be extended if you need more time). You’ll need a passport valid for at least 6 months from the date of entry into Sri Lanka along with proof of financial stability while you’re there (like an ATM card or credit card) along with other documents required by immigration officers before they issue their approval letter that allows you access into their country on a temporary basis.
Current US Visa Appointment wait times in Sri Lanka
US Visa Appointment wait times last updated on : November 03, 2022 (GMT)
The below US Visa Appointment wait times for Sri Lanka are daily updated from US State Department visa wait times website.
- The below listed wait times given at consulates does not include time for administrative processing (221g)
- The US Visa appointment wait times can change weekly based on workload and staff availability
- To qualify for emergency appointments, you need to meet urgency criteria such as medical emergency, school start dates, funerals, etc.
Payment Information
Although fees are listed in U.S. dollars, payment must be made using local currency. Sri Lankan residents can pay their fees at any DFCC bank location in Sri Lanka. More information about payment options is here. To find a DFCC branch, click here. Only diplomatic passport holders are exempt from paying fees. Residents from the Maldives can pay their fees by bank draft in Sri Lankan rupees drawn on a Sri Lankan bank made out to “UNITED STATES DISBURSING OFFICER, SYMBOL 8768“. Visa fee payments made in US Dollar bank drafts should be drawn on a bank in the United States (US Dollar bank drafts drawn on banks outside the United States will not be accepted). Residents from the Maldives will be able to schedule their nonimmigrant visa appointments on this website without a bank receipt.
Restrictions
Your visa application fee is non-refundable and you cannot transfer it to another person. You will receive a receipt after paying the application fee. All nonimmigrant visa application fee (also known as the MRV fee) payments made on or after October 1, 2022, are valid for 365 days from the date a receipt is issued for payment of the MRV fee. Applicants must schedule an interview appointment or submit an interview waiver application during this 365-day period. Please note applicants must only schedule their interview or submit their waiver application within the 365-day period. There is no requirement the interview must occur during the 365-day period. All receipts for payment of MRV fees issued before October 1, 2022, were extended until September 30, 2023, and remain valid until this date.
Visa Types and Application Fee Amounts
The application fees are shown below and apply to one visa application. The application fee for the most common nonimmigrant visa types is US$160. This includes tourist, business, student, and exchange visas. Most petition-based visas, such as work and religious visas, are US$190. K visas cost US$265 and the fee amount for E visas is US$205 The tables below are a more comprehensive list of visa types and fee amounts.
| Current Consular Exchange Rate: | 380.00 LKR = 1 USD |
| Current Rate Valid Through: | 08/11/2022 |
| Fee Amount (USD$) | Fee Amount (LKR) | Visa Type | Description |
|---|---|---|---|
| $160 | 60800.00 | B | Business/Tourist |
| $160 | 60800.00 | C-1 | Transit |
| $160 | 60800.00 | D | Ship/Airline Crew |
| $160 | 60800.00 | F | Student (academic) |
| $160 | 60800.00 | I | Journalist and Media |
| $160 | 60800.00 | J | Exchange Visitors |
| $160 | 60800.00 | M | Student (vocational) |
| $160 | 60800.00 | T | Victim of Human Trafficking |
| $160 | 60800.00 | TN/TD | NAFTA Professionals |
| $160 | 60800.00 | U | Victim of Criminal Activity |
| $190 | 72200.00 | H | Temporary/Seasonal Workers and Employment, Trainees |
| $190 | 72200.00 | L | Intracompany Transferees |
| $190 | 72200.00 | O | Persons with Extraordinary Ability |
| $190 | 72200.00 | P | Athletes. Artists & Entertainers |
| $190 | 72200.00 | Q | International Cultural Exchange |
| $190 | 72200.00 | R | Religious Worker |
| $265 | 100700.00 | K | Fiancé(e) or Spouse of U.S. Citizen |
| $205 | 77900.00 | E | Treaty Trader/Investor, Australian Professional Specialty |
| Visa Type | Description | Fee Amount (USD$) | Fee Amount (LKR) |
|---|---|---|---|
| B | Business/Tourist | $160 | 60800.00 |
| C-1 | Transit | $160 | 60800.00 |
| D | Ship/Airline Crew | $160 | 60800.00 |
| E | Treaty Trader/Investor, Australian Professional Specialty | $205 | 77900.00 |
| F | Student (academic) | $160 | 60800.00 |
| H | Temporary/Seasonal Workers and Employment, Trainees | $190 | 72200.00 |
| I | Journalist and Media | $160 | 60800.00 |
| J | Exchange Visitor | $160 | 60800.00 |
| K | Fiancé(e) or Spouse of U.S. Citizen | $265 | 100700.00 |
| L | Intracompany Transferees | $190 | 72200.00 |
| M | Student (vocational) | $160 | 60800.00 |
| O | Persons with Extraordinary Ability | $190 | 72200.00 |
| P | Athletes. Artists & Entertainers | $190 | 72200.00 |
| Q | International Cultural Exchange | $190 | 72200.00 |
| R | Religious Worker | $190 | 72200.00 |
| T | Victim of Human Trafficking | $160 | 60800.00 |
| U | Victim of Criminal Activity | $160 | 60800.00 |
| TN/TD | NAFTA Professionals | $160 | 60800.00 |
Visa Types and Conditions with No Fee Required
- Applicants for A, G, C-2, C-3, NATO, and diplomatic visas (as defined in 22 CFR 41.26)
- Applicants holding J visas and who are participating in certain official U.S. Government-sponsored educational and cultural exchanges
- Replacement of a machine-readable visa when the original visa was not properly affixed or the visa needs to be reissued through no fault of the applicant
- Applicants exempted by international agreement, including members and staff of an observer mission to United Nations Headquarters recognized by the UN General Assembly, and their immediate families
- Applicants traveling to provide certain charitable services
- U.S. Government employees traveling on official business
- A parent, sibling, spouse or child of a U.S. Government employee killed in the line of duty who is traveling to attend the employee’s funeral and/or burial; or a parent, sibling, spouse, son or daughter of a U.S. Government employee critically injured in the line of duty for visitation during emergency treatment and convalescence
Other Fees
In some cases, additional visa fees are paid directly to the National Visa Center, to the U.S. Embassy or Consulate, or to the Department of Homeland Security.
- Nonimmigrant Visa Issuance (“Reciprocity”) Fees
Applicants from certain countries may be required to pay a visa issuance fee after their application is approved. These fees are based on “reciprocity” (what another country charges a U.S. citizen for a similar-type of visa). The United States strives to eliminate visa issuance fees whenever possible, however, when a foreign government imposes these fees on U.S. citizens for certain types of visas, the United States will impose a “reciprocal” fee on citizens of that country for similar types of visas. The Department of State’s website has more information about visa issuance fees and can help you determine if an issuance fee applies to your nationality. - SEVIS Fees
The Student and Exchange Visitor Information System (SEVIS) is an Internet-based system that tracks F, M and J visa participants (and their family members) from the time they receive their initial documentation (either an I-20 or a DS-2019) until they graduate/leave school or conclude/leave program.If you are the principal applicant for an F, M or J visa you should check with your U.S. school to make sure your information has been entered into SEVIS. You will need to pay a separate SEVIS fee in addition to the visa application fee. Nonimmigrant students with Form I-20 pay a US$350.00 SEVIS fee. Most exchange visitors with Form DS-2019 pay a US$220.00 SEVIS fee. Proof of payment is required before your student or exchange visitor visa will be issued and payment cannot be made at the U.S. Embassy or Consulate. Instructions for paying the SEVIS fee can be found here. - SEVIS Fee Exception
Applicants participating in a U.S. Government sponsored program (programs whose codes begin with G-1, G-2, G-3, or G-7) are not required to pay the SEVIS fee. - Blanket L Fees (Fraud Prevention and Detection Fee)First-time principal applicants who are covered under a blanket petition for L status must pay a Fraud Prevention and Detection fee of US $500. This fee should be paid to the cashier at the Consular Section on the day of the interview. If a subsequent L-1 visa application is based on a new Form I-129S, the Fraud Prevention and Detection fee must be collected again.
Conclusion
The last and the final step towards getting your visa is obtaining a Sri Lankan criminal record certificate. The document gets verified at the Commissioner of Police in Sri Lanka in order to possess the visa. So either you go there on your own or ask one of the companies that provide this service to you.