How to extend your Visa in Sri Lanka


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Do you feel like not leaving this beautiful island and exploring it bit more? Having more surfing, having more sun bathing? Then, the first thing comes to your mind is how I extend Visa in Sri Lanka.
How to extend your Visa in Sri Lanka
If you wish to extend your stay in Sri Lanka, an extension to your visa should be applied. Extension may or may not be granted depending upon the reason for the extension, and whether the Department of Immigration and Emigration is convinced that the applicant does intend to return to his/her country after the stay in Sri Lanka (Do not worry much on it though). If you seek an extension to your tourist visa, maximum duration for extension you can ask for is six months. We strongly advice applicants to apply visa extension well before expiry date to avoid penalties and inconvenience.

First things first: (Assume that you have proper tourist VISA)
You must have obtained a visit visa, either tourist visit visa or business purpose visa, online before your arrival. The person who obtained short term visit visa should obtain Electronic Travel Authorization ( ETA) before entering the country. No foreigner should enter into Sri Lanka until he/she obtains ETA.


Three possible ways to extend VISA in Sri Lanka

There are a few ways in which you can stay in Sri Lanka longer than the standard 30 day visa.

- Sri Lanka VISA from embassy of your home country
You can apply for a 3 month visa at the Sri Lankan Embassy in your home country (if you have one). This is a pretty straightforward procedure and best is to call the Sri Lankan mission abroad closest to you for more information.

- Extend VISA from agents
If you have money or are short of time, you can go to one the Extension agencies which are certified, legal entities, that can arrange your visa with less hassle (they do all the work for you). You just need to hand in your passport and fill out some forms at the start of the day, and then you can collect it again at 17:00 pm usually on the same day. The example centers would be Immigration Services Centre , Island Visa Services Aitken Spence Travel office. If you are in Matara or Galle area Aitken Spence has a office in Matara and they do the visa extension on behalf of you.

- Extend VISA from Department of Immigration and Emigration Sri Lanka
Tourist can extend for an additional 2 months to a total of 3 months. After this you extend again for 3 months giving you a total of 6 months. So for the 6 months in total, you will have to visit the office of the Department of Immigration and Emigration twice. We recommend that this is cost effective.



Extend VISA from Department of Immigration and Emigration Sri Lanka

If you want to extend your visa yourself you will have to make your way to the office of the Department of Immigration and Emigration in Battaramulla, Colombo. This is the official government office where you can get your visa extended in Sri Lanka. The office is open Monday to Friday from 08:30 am - 16:30 pm with an hour long break for lunch in the middle. And office will close in public holidays (See Sri Lankan calendar for public holidays). Immigration office works on a first come first served basis. So basically the earlier you get there, the closer your passport will be to the front of the line.
Department of Immigration and Emigration Sri Lanka - Battaramulla
Department of Immigration and Emigration Sri Lanka - Battaramulla

Documents that you need to extend your Sri Lankan VISA

You need to have below documents/things in your hand. Before stepping to the office.

• Duly filled an application form
• 1 Passport photo
• Your Passport
• Return ticket (optional)
• Cash / credit card for visa extension fee
• Pen for fill the documents
• Water bottle / some snack (probably you will stay at least 2-3 hours)
**Proof of onward flight‘ and ‘sufficient funds’, however in our experience they never really ask for this.proof of onward flight‘ and ‘sufficient funds’, however they never really ask for this.


Sri Lanka VISA extension photo Size

Sri Lanka Visa Extension Photo Size : 35mm ( width ) x 45mm (height). Head must be between 70% -80% from the bottom of the chin to the top of the head. The background should be white. Photos must be in high-resolution colour taken in the last 6 months. You need to take the photo with a neutral expression. Wearing Glasses and head-wear are not permitted except religious or medical reason. Local camera studio people know the photo size you just need to say 'i need passport photo'. Otherwise there are some shops nearby the Immigration office also for take photo for you. There is a photo booth in the Immigration office itself. So if you need you can take photos from the Immigration office itself for 250 LKR (nearly 2 USD).
Passport image size in Sri Lanka
Passport image size in Sri Lanka

Things to remember:
It will be a lot easier if you get prepared before going to the office. You can download Sri Lanka Visa Extension Application Form, print it and fill it properly. Take the photo and paste it on the appropriate place of the application. But, don’t worry if you couldn’t. You can take the application from there and fill. There is a photo counter too in the office itself. And in the street where the office is located, there are a lot of shops which can help you with this process. The same shops where you can get a passport-size photograph and a print-out of the visa extension document. The people outside these shops will try to convince you that they can do the visa extension for you faster and that it takes a very long time, however they are just trying to make an extra buck and it takes just as long as you would do it yourself but is more expensive. Be patient this whole process takes time. Office will stop processing applications at 13:30 PM. If you’re traveling to Colombo from elsewhere on the island just for a visa renewal, consider coming the day before and spending the night so you can get to the office soon after they open at 08:30 AM


Sri Lanka tourist VISA extension fee

Sri Lanka tourist VISA extension fee is depend on travelers country. Please check your Sri Lankan VISA extension cost from here : Country and Visa Extension Fee


Location of Department of Immigration and Emigration Sri Lanka

Getting in to Department of Immigration and Emigration office is a easy task. (see the above google map)



Visit Immigration and Emigration office

Visit Immigration and Emigration office by taxi:
You can take a straight taxi to Immigration and Emigration office from the Colombo fort. Travelers can use local cab services like Kangaroo Cabs, Uber, Pick Me, Sonit they have own mobile apps and online booking (check on Google play store and Apple store).

Visit Immigration and Emigration office by public transport like bus:
If you are thinking of going by bus, It is more cheaper than getting tuk tuk or taking taxi. Remember if you are asking locals to use your best Sri Lankan accent when saying “passport office”. It will take at least 30 mints to 1 hour time to reach the Immigration and Emigration office location. This time depends on the traffic in the roads.

- If you are coming from Galle road (south coast)
If you are coming from down south (south coast). You need to get down from Liberty plaza bus stop. And the take Kollupitiya - Kaduwela route number 177 bus from the Liberty bus stop. Ask tickets for “passport office”.

- If you are coming from Colombo fort
If you are coming from Colombo fort take Moratuwa - Pettah route number 101 | 100 bus from Fort bus stop towards Liberty bus stop. Ask tickets for Liberty. After reaching Liberty then take Kollupitiya - Kaduwela route number 177 bus from the Liberty bus stop. Ask tickets for “passport office”.

If you are coming from expressway (Galle/Matara)
If you are coming from expressway (from Matara or Galle) first you need to get down from Kottawa bus stand which is the main bus station after the expressway exit. After reaching Kottawa bus stand then take Kottawa - Borella route number 174 bus from the Kottawa bus stand. Ask tickets for “passport office”.

Kollupitiya - Kaduwela 177 bus
Kollupitiya - Kaduwela 177 bus
Kottawa bus station to take 174 bus
Kottawa bus station to take 174 bus


How to extend VISA steps to follow

Once you get in to the right location and go to the 4th floor of that building and Once you’ve found the right place, it all becomes pretty self explanatory. If not follow below steps.

Step 1. Come to the office of the Department of Immigration and Emigration in super early (sharp @ 08:30 AM).
**The actual office where you can extend your visa is not the one you enter. The first door you walk through will be full of local persons, which is the section for local inquiries. Just ask anyone in uniform for Sri Lanka tourist visa extension and they’ll point you in the right direction That’s where you take the elevator to the 4th floor and turn right towards the first counter.
First floor of Department of Immigration and Emigration
First floor of Department of Immigration and Emigration

Step 2. On the 4th floor turn right towards a room with a section C on it and a sign that says Welcome To The Visa Division. Handover your completed application and passport to the person sitting at the desk right after you enter this area. They will give you a number token and ask you to sit in Wing C nearby and wait for that number to be called.
4th Floor in Immigration and Emigration office
4th Floor in Immigration and Emigration office

Step 3. Take a seat at Wing C and keep an eye out at the screen for your number to be shown. You can monitor at the bottom of the screen are the numbers that are due to be called.
Token display area in Immigration and Emigration office
Token display area in Immigration and Emigration office

Step 4. Once your number is called, hand over your token to the clerk behind this desk who will scan it and then tell you to proceed to Area B for Visa Application Acceptance. Which is located in another area, walk straight along the hallway to a door labeled B called Visa Application Acceptance Unit and walk in.

Step 5. In this room, there will be screens on the wall where you will see your number appear. Once again, don’t get distracted and forget to watch for your number. No announcements will be made, and numbers don’t always appear on the screen in consecutive order. Take a seat and wait for your number to be called. When you see your number, head into one of the four small offices (labeled A to D) indicated for your number.

Step 6. Go into the office and hand over your documents and passport to the visa officer who will inspect them. Interview with an immigration officer is not a mess. Don’t be nervous, it’s not as intense as it sounds.

Step 7. Head back to Area C, where you started, and wait at the Payment counters which are located behind the desk that issues number tokens in step 3, on the right side. Again wait for your number to appear on the screen or to be called.

Step 8. Once your number called, hand over your token number. The person behind the desk is going to quote you a price in Rupees after a conversion from USD. You can either pay in cash in Rupees or hand them a Visa or MasterCard and be charged in USD.

Step 9. After you make the payment, get your receipt and head over to the waiting area behind Wing C in step 3. Once your number is called, head to the counters at the front and hand over your number, sign the sheet, and get your passport back. Always check whether the visa extension sticker is in your passport with a new expiry date. That is it! you have been extend your VISA.

Step10. Now take a bus towards Colombo fort (Pettah). Otherwise stays in Colombo for a day and enjoy a city ride.


Useful Locations Immigration and Emigration office

Photo booth in the office to take passport photo Immigration and Emigration office Sri Lanka
Photo booth in the office to take passport photo
Food court for quick snack Immigration and Emigration office Sri Lanka
Food court for quick snack


Overstaying your visa in Sri Lanka (Don't)

Overstaying your visa is breach of visa conditions that may lead to refusal of the extension, detention and deportation from Sri Lanka. Penalty for overstaying visas have been increased. Those overstaying visas more than one day will be charged US$ 500. We have heard that a max 7 day overstay is acceptable, but that costs a fine of several thousands of rupees and the costs of the actual visa extension.


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