How to pay for a Sri Lanka visa with a Russian Mir card if I am traveling as a tourist?

Good news: in 2026, Russians do not need a visa to travel to Sri Lanka, or more precisely, it is provided free of charge. Therefore, you will not have to look for ways to pay with a Mir card, since there is simply no need to pay for an entry permit. For Russian citizens, a simplified procedure applies: the visa is issued free of charge, and payment on the official website simply does not arise.

To be precise, for tourists from Russia and 40 other countries, a free electronic visa (ETA) valid for up to 30 days is available. The only thing you need to do before departure is fill out the electronic form in advance on the official website eta.gov.lk. It is important to know that without a confirmed electronic visa, you may simply not be allowed to board the flight, so do not leave this until the last moment.

But if you are traveling not with a Russian passport, but, for example, with the passport of another country that is not on the visa-free list, then you will indeed need to pay the fee. And here there is a nuance: Mir cards are not accepted on the ETA website, and Mastercard and Visa cards from Russian banks are under sanctions. In this case, you can try to pay with a virtual card from a non-sanctioned payment system or with a UnionPay card issued by a Russian bank. If the payment still does not go through, there is a fallback option: apply for a visa on arrival at Colombo airport and pay in cash. True, this will cost 60 dollars instead of 50 dollars when applying online, but at least you will not have to worry about payment methods.

Also note that for Russian citizens, no currency is required on the payment website, but upon entry it is important to have a passport valid for at least 6 months from the date of entry and a return ticket. These requirements are checked most often.

You can learn more in our reliable and honest guide in the article Do you need a visa for Sri Lanka? Current entry rules. We described in detail how to fill out the ETA form, what documents are needed, and how to go through control at the airport upon arrival.

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