From August 1, 2019, citizens of the Russian Federation and other countries can obtain a visa on arrival at the airport of Sri Lanka for free. It is no longer necessary to apply for an ETA e-visa in advance for $ 35. It is assumed that this relaxation will be valid for six months. Source - Embassy of Sri Lanka in Russia.
Recall that a visa to Sri Lanka is issued for 1 month, and can be extended up to six months without leaving the country at the immigration office in Colombo. Learn more about all questions about a visa to Sri Lanka here...
Also, before traveling, you should know that there are requirements for entering Sri Lanka:
- A foreign passport valid for at least 6 months from the date of entry.
- A return ticket or a ticket to a third country, as well as a visa to a third country if required to visit it.
- Sufficient funds to cover expenses for the duration of the visit.
The latter is usually not checked, but the return ticket for departure from the country is often asked at border control.
On the internet, there is often information that a hotel must be booked for entry, and border guards at passport control require to present hotel vouchers. In fact, there is no requirement to have a booked hotel when entering Sri Lanka. Information about the hotel and the address of your stay is necessary to fill out the immigration card, so it's enough just to specify the hotel where you plan to stay and indicate its address (at least the city). In extreme cases, if you are really worried, and you do not want to book a hotel in Sri Lanka in advance, you can make a reservation, print a voucher, and then cancel the reservation.
You can find and book a hotel in Sri Lanka on these sites:
- 🛌 Search for hotels in Sri Lanka on Yandex.travel
- 🛌 Search for hotels in Sri Lanka on Trip.com (💥 our choice)
- 🛌 Search for hotels on Ostrovok.ru
No vouchers from tour operators, etc.are required to enter Sri Lanka. All such requirements are amateur travel agencies for profit on tourists.