Updated guide on Sri Lanka latest travel restrictions

Welcome back to the tropical island that is basking under the sun as beautiful as ever! If you, our adventure-seekers are yearning to know about the latest Sri Lanka travel restrictions, worry not; as we are going to guide slowly you through all the hassle. By the end of this informative article, you will understand the latest updates about Sri Lanka travel restrictions like who can and cannot visit Sri Lanka, and requirements related to pre-boarding and upon arrival to Sri Lanka so that even amidst Sri Lana travel restrictions, you can spend your holiday with a peace of mind.

Who can visit Sri Lanka?

As per reports of Sri Lanka travel restrictions, your Sri Lanka holiday is still at your fingertips if you are not a traveler from Sri Lanka travel ban countries namely Angola, Botswana, Eswatini, South Africa, Mozambique, Zambia, Lesotho, Namibia, Zimbabwe, and all South American countries. 

That being said, we at Olanka Travels are happy to have claimed the Safe Travels Stamp from the World Travel & Tourism Council (WTTC). We believe that the ideal Sri Lanka tour even with Sri Lanka travel restrictions is safe but never fails to offer an unparalleled experience! 

All that you are required to do before boarding

Visa process

Our adventurers must apply for a visa online through www.eta.gov.lk. Although there are certain Sri Lanka travel restrictions, if you are fully vaccinated, there will be less hassle. However, if you are not fully vaccinated, you still get to enjoy your holiday though mingled with Sri Lanka travel restrictions.

From 2022.01.01 onwards, all our travelers are required to individually fill the Online Health Declaration Form and upload all the relevant documents before boarding.

According to reports regarding Sri Lanka travel restrictions, all travelers except the fully vaccinated travelers should pay a mandatory local COVID-19 insurance of 12USD with one month cover of 50,000USD and pre-pay the mandatory PCR test (40USD per PCR test) either through visitsrilanka.gov.lk or SLTD. You will then receive a ‘Tourism Reference Number’ which you will include when applying for the visa. 

Now if you are fully vaccinated, as per Sri Lanka travel restrictions and regulations, you do not require to have local COVID-19 insurance or a PCR test. However, you are expected to ensure travel insurance that covers health and all other expenses related to COVID-19. If you are traveling with non-vaccinated children/ not-fully vaccinated children, you should make certain that the comprehensive travel insurance is sufficiently extended for them. 

Procedure for vaccinated and non-vaccinated travelers 

With quite a bit of Sri Lanka travel restrictions, you might wonder who is considered a fully vaccinated traveler. Well, travelers above 18 years of age who are vaccinated with the recommended doses of COVID-19 and have completed 14 days with a negative COVID-19 PCR report received within 72 hours of embarkation are considered fully vaccinated travelers. Sri Lanka travel restriction reports further declare children of 12 to 18 years will be considered fully vaccinated if they have at least a single dose of a vaccine approved from their country of origin within two weeks of departure.

Travel restrictions in Sri Lanka also include that travelers of 12 years and above should carry a negative COVID-19 test report (English) issued within 72 hours of embarkation. If during the last three months from departure, travelers were infected by COVID-19, they should provide a negative COVID-19 Rapid Antigen Test report done within 48 hours prior to embarkation. 

Documents you should have at the airport

According to Sri Lanka travel restrictions and regulations, all travelers are expected to have their negative COVID-19 PCR report in English language, taken within 72 hours before embarkation. 

You should produce an original vaccination certificate. (If your original vaccinated certificate is not in English, make sure to produce a certified copy of the English translation.) 

Sri Lanka travel restrictions and regulations also declare that you should produce your completed health declaration form. (Applicable to all travelers including children.) 

Procedure upon arrival to Sri Lanka 

Vaccinated or not, there is no minimum number of days required to stay in Sri Lanka. Believe us, even with the circulating Sri Lanka travel restrictions, you would wish otherwise upon your arrival!

PCR process

According to the Sri Lanka travel restrictions and regulations, if you are fully vaccinated and excited to spend your Sri Lanka holiday immediately, worry not, because, you will not need to undergo PCR testing on arrival. 

If you are fully vaccinated but departed from abroad before completing 14 days after vaccination, you should undergo an on-arrival PCR test and quarantine at a Safe & Secure certified Level 1 hotel until the 14 days of the post-vaccination period is completed – typical Sri Lanka travel restrictions. But worry no more, quarantined or not, remember that you are in a tropical paradise. All vaccinated travelers can enjoy their Sri Lanka holiday to their heart’s content with a promising travel package even amidst Sri Lanka travel restrictions!

As on the reports of Sri Lanka travel restrictions, non-vaccinated children below 12 years of age are not required to face a PCR test upon arrival. However, non-vaccinated children from 12 to 18 years should undergo on-arrival PCR testing. 

Non-vaccinated travelers should undergo a PCR test on the first day of arrival to Sri Lanka and you should stay in a ‘Safe & Secure’ hotel for 14 days if you plan to stay in this beautiful island that long. Though you are subjected to a certain amount of Sri Lanka travel restrictions, if you get assistance from a certified travel agency to plan your stay, we are certain that you will have a wonderful vacation in this paradise island! 

Even with the Sri Lanka travel restrictions imposed, non-vaccinated travelers will have an authentic Sri Lankan holiday experience. We in Sri Lanka believe that being safe doesn’t have to be boring. You can enjoy your stay at as many Safe & Secure Level 1 hotels as you wish, and visit as many approved tourist sites within a bio bubble! Isn’t that an absolute treat? In Sri Lanka, it doesn’t matter whether there are Sri Lanka travel restrictions or not because we are known over the world for our unparalleled hospitality and wonderful travel destinations. Visit us; and as gratitude, we will take care of you while you fall in love with our little island. And at Olanka Travels, we can assure you one thing; your tropical travel dream can never be limited with Sri Lanka travel restrictions!

Sri Lanka updated travel restrictions in December 2021

Sri Lanka travel restriction is a must known topic for all the travellers out there who are planning to visit Sri Lanka. The beautiful island is open to the world again with strict covid-19 travel protocols to ensure the safety of the country and of the travellers. 

The country does not demand a minimum length of stay, so you are free to fit Sri Lanka into your travel plans easily. Sri Lanka has been able to acquire the World Travel & Tourism Council’s (WTTC) Safe Travels Stamp, which is given for countries with good Covid-19 safety protocols in place across the country, which gives travellers confidence to travel Sri Lanka without any hesitation.  

If you, too, have long waiting plans to visit Sri Lanka, here’s what you need to know and follow when travelling to Sri Lanka.

Who is a fully vaccinated traveller?

Before we dive into all the information on travel restrictions and covid-19 travel protocols in Sri Lanka, it’s important to clarify who is a fully vaccinated traveller to understand Sri Lanka covid-19 travel protocols that are applied to your category. 

Anyone who has received all the vaccine doses 14 days before the departure to Sri Lanka is considered a fully vaccinated traveller. However, for children between the age of 12-18, receiving one dose of the Pfizer vaccine 14 days prior to departure is enough to fall under the category of fully vaccinated. 

Updated travel restrictions in Sri Lanka.

Following are the updated Sri Lanka travel restrictions for travellers as of 26th November 2021.

The approval process to enter Sri Lanka.

Prior to boarding the flight, visa applications must be submitted online with the online health declaration form, which you can find here. The on-arrival visa is no longer available. Here, you will have to provide the following documents as well.

  • Vaccination record,
  • pre-departure covid-19 negative test report 
  • Data page of the passport etc.

During the visa application procedure, you will be required to pay for necessary PCR tests (40 USD for each PCR test) and insurance (12 USD) with a one-month cover of 50,000 USD. If you are not fully vaccinated, you must pre-book a Level 1 ‘Safe & Secure’ hotel for the first 14 days of your stay for quarantine purposes.

Documentation requirements: Vaccinated travellers.

You need to provide the original certification of vaccination as proof. If the document is not in English, a certified translated copy of the original document of the information that is not in English in the original document is needed. It should clearly mention the name of the vaccine and the date of vaccination. Electronic vaccination certificates can also be provided as verifiable evidence of vaccination.  

Pre-departure requirements

All travellers 2 years old and above should take a PCR test within 72 hours prior to departure as proof that you are covid-19 negative. The original report or certified translation of the document/test report (if the document is not in English) is required.

Any traveller with a history of Covid-19 infection within the past 3 months must submit a negative Covid 19 Rapid Antigen test report in English done within 48 hours before their departure.

Process upon arrival

Upon arrival, you will be required to complete a health declaration form which you can find on check-in counters and when onboarding the flight and hand it over to the health officer at the airport. A separate form must be filled for each adult and each child. Along with the form, proof of vaccination, a negative PCR test report done within 72 hours prior to departure (for fully vaccinated travellers) or a negative Rapid Antigen test report done within 48 hours (for non-vaccinated travellers) before the departure must be provided.

During your stay

Non-vaccinated travellers have to spend a 14 day quarantine period in a Level 1 ‘Safe & Secure’ hotel and obtain a “Discharge Document” prior to leaving quarantine before continuing with their travels. Others can stay in any hotel. Such hotels facilitate biosecure travel bubbles for travellers to ensure a secure stay with access to all the facilities. You can freely travel in Sri Lanka and visit approved cultural and heritage sites

  • Sinharaja Forest Reserve
  • Yala National Park
  • Udawalawe National Park Safari
  • Eth Athurusevana
  • Kaudulla national park
  • Wilpaththu national park
  • Mirissa whale watching
  • Pinnawala Open zoo
  • Pinnawala Elephant orphanage
  • Ridigama safari park
  • Sigiriya lion rock fortress
  • Anuradhapura
  • Polonnaruwa
  • Royal botanical garden in Peradeniya
  • Laksala- Kandy
  • Laksala Pinnawala
  • Temple of the Tooth in Kandy

Travel restricted / high-risk countries

Almost everyone is welcomed in Sri Lanka, regardless of which part of the world you are from. However, travellers from the following countries and travellers with a travel history to those countries are not eligible to enter Sri Lanka until further notice.

  • South Africa
  • Botswana
  • Lesotho
  • Namibia
  • Eswatini (Swaziland)
  • Zimbabwe

Exit requirements

To board your flight out of Sri Lanka, you must provide documentation of a negative PCR test completed no more than 96 hours before the flight’s departure time.

Sri Lanka Country specific information  

Sri Lanka has 580k confirmed cases of Covid -19 (December 2021), including the B.1.1.7 variant. However, the authorities have been managing the situation very well, imposing necessary safety protocols and procedures for the locals and for foreigners entering the countries. This has enabled the country to release covid restrictions within the country, such as quarantine curfews and travel restrictions within the country, enabling locals to go back to their normal way of life. The country has been open for tourists since …

  • Covid-19 testing

PRC and Rapid antigen tests are available in Sri Lanka, which you can obtain from any private hospital. Results will be provided within 24 hours.

  • Covid-19 vaccination information.

63% of the country has been vaccinated with Oxford Astra-Zeneca, Covishied (Serum Institute of India), Sinopharm, Gamaleya (Sputnik V) or Pfizer. 

Sri Lanka is now safe to travel to. So why wait? Plan your Sri Lanka tour with Olanka travels and explore Sri Lanka safely.