Sri Lanka does not intend to extend free visas for Russians – Kommersant

Sri Lanka will not extend the program to provide free entry visas to citizens of seven countries, including Russia. About this publication Daily Mirror said the country’s Minister of Public Security Tiran Alles. He also noted that Ukrainians and Russians who have been in Sri Lanka since 2022 need to extend their visas or leave.

A free visa regime for tourists from Russia, China, India, Indonesia, Thailand, Malaysia and Japan was piloted to restore the tourism industry from November 2023. It will expire on March 31st. Tiran Alles noted that the program cannot be extended.

Citizens of Ukraine and Russia who have been in Sri Lanka since February 2022 must pay for a visa extension ($50 for 30 days) or leave, Mr. Alles said. At the same time, he recognized the position of the migration service, which in February ordered Russians and Ukrainians to leave the country by March 7, to be incorrect. Mr. Alles noted that foreigners should have been given a period to extend their visa.

According to the Sri Lanka Tourism Development Authority, between 300 and 400 Russians and Ukrainians have been living on the island since February 2022. AFP wrote that over the past two years, more than 288 thousand Russians and about 20 thousand Ukrainians visited Sri Lanka.

In February, the Commissioner General of the Sri Lanka Migration Service, Harsha Ilukpitiya, said the government would no longer extend long-term tourist visas for Russians and Ukrainians. Later this information refuted at the office of Sri Lankan President Ranil Wickramasinghe. Meanwhile, Sri Lanka has become one of the most popular travel destinations among Russians in March.

Read more in the Kommersant FM article. “Holidays stretch out the rest.”

Lusine Balasyan