Indian eVisa for Sri Lankan Citizens
Sri Lankan citizens who plan to visit India can apply for the Indian eVisa, which is an electronic visa introduced by the government of India in November 2014, solely for a short-term stay. At present 171 countries around the world are provided this facility and Sri Lanka is one of the countries to take advantage of this benefit.
The main aim of this Indian eVisa was to make entry into the country hassle-free for reasons related to short-stays like tourism, business, attending international conferences or getting medical treatment.
Since, this is an electronic visa, meaning you have to apply for the visa online, from the comforts of your home without having to visit the immigration office. Applicants will have to submit the documents online, and do not have to visit the immigration office to collect the visa, which will be delivered to you online.
What are the various types of Indian eVisa that Sri Lanka passport holders can Apply?
Sri Lankan citizens before filling the Indian eVisa, must know that there are different categories of eVisa available, which they are eligible to apply based on their requirement. Here is a list of the different eVisas, which the government of India has initiated based on the requirement of the foreign travelers:
Indian eTourist Visa for Sri Lankan Citizens
The Indian eTourist visa for Sri Lankan citizens is solely for tourism purposes, which means they can use it for exploring the natural wonders and historical places of India, wildlife exploration, hiking and trekking in the Himalayas, wellness retreats like yoga and meditation, visiting family members and friends, etc.
To make things easy for the foreign travelers, the Indian eTourist visa is further divided into 3-types based on the duration required by the tourists.
Subcategories of the Indian eTourist Visa that the Sri Lankan citizens can choose to apply:
Indian eTourist Visa for 30 days:
This eTourist Visa for Sri Lankan citizens is available for a validity period of 30-days, offering two-entries. The stay is limited to 29-days, which means that this eVisa expires one-day before the validity period, and you have to leave the country latest by 29th day.
Indian eTourist Visa for 1 year:
This eTourist Visa for Sri Lankan citizens is available for a validity period of one-year, offering unlimited-entries, and the stay allowed is 180-days maximum, each time you visit, which cannot be extended.
Indian eTourist Visa for 5 years:
This eTourist Visa for Sri Lankan citizens is available for a validity period of 5-years, offering unlimited-entries, and the stay allowed is 180-days maximum, each time you visit, which cannot be extended.
Indian eBusiness Visa for Sri Lankan Citizens
The Indian eBusiness visa for Sri Lankan citizens is solely for business purposes only, and is available for a validity period of one-year, offering two-entries, and the stay allowed is 180-days maximum. The 180-days offered can be accumulated all at once, or the business travelers can split it into two-halves.
Top reasons the citizens of Sri Lanka can you use the Indian eBusiness Visa for:
- Attend business meetings, opening of a new branch office
- Business tours to expand the business
- Selling of goods and services
- Buying of goods and services
- Take part in trade fairs, expos, business exhibition
- Leading a project, guiding the employees.
- Taking interviews to hire new employees.
Indian eMedica Visa for Sri Lankan Citizens
The Indian eMedical visa for Sri Lankan citizens is solely for medical purposes only, and is available for a validity period of 2 months, offering three-entries, and the stay allowed is 60-days maximum. Also, the second and third entry is possible only after completing the 60-days of the first entry.
Indian eMedical Attendant Visa for Sri Lankan Citizens
The Indian eMedical Attendant visa for Sri Lankan citizens is solely for accompanying a patient for medical purposes only and only two persons can apply per one eMedical visa. This eVisa is available for a validity period of 2 months, offering three-entries, and the stay allowed is 60-days maximum. Also, the second and third entry is possible only after completing the 60-days of the first entry. The stay period and the rules and regulations are similar to that of the eMedical visa.
Indian e-Conference Visa for Sri Lankan Citizens
The Indian eConference visa for Sri Lankan citizens is solely for conference purposes only, and is available for a validity period of 30-days, offering single-entry, and the stay allowed is limited to 30-days, depending on the duration of conference, if it ends today, you will have to leave the next day.
What if the citizens of Sri Lanka have to travel India for work or study?
If the Sri Lankan citizens have to visit India for work or study, then they cannot apply for the Indian eVisa which is a short-term electronic visa. For longer stays related to work or study, the travelers will have to apply for the regular visa which is the traditional visa and will have to visit the embassy to apply for the work visa or study visa.
Obligatory Documents that Sri Lankan Citizens will need to Apply for the Indian eVisa
Sri Lankan citizens apply for the Indian eVisa for short stays must know that they need to furnish certain documents in order to be eligible to apply for the Indian eVisa, make sure to gather the below mentioned documents in advance:
- Valid Sri Lanka passport
- Scanned passport copy (only the biodata pages that has your name, passport number, address and your passport photo)
- Scanned passport-size photo (ensure that the uploaded photo meet the requirements)
- Email address for getting mails Indian eVisa notification and the approved eVisa.
- Credit/ debit card for making Indian eVisa application fees
- Documents in support of the Indian eVisa type you are going to apply
Sri Lankan Citizens who are planning to Apply for the Indian eVisa? Check out the Steps first
Sri Lanka passport holders must know that only those who fulfill the criterias, and have the obligatory documents, are granted to apply for the Indian eVisa. In order to fill the form, only a few details are required, and the above mentioned documents to upload.
Step 1: If you qualify to apply, you simply need to visit the Indian eVisa site, choose the apply now option, you will be directed to the form, where you need to answer some questions.
Step 2: You will need to fill in information like your full name, surname, place of birth, date of birth, citizenship, permanent residence address, mobile number, email address, identification mark if any, passport number, passport issuing date and expiry date, passport issuing country, etc.
Step 3: Questions like your marital status, religions, your gender, qualification and occupation, must be answered as well.
Step 4: You must answer secret questions like if you have any serious health issues, have you ever been convicted in the past, any criminal records, legal issues, imprisoned, etc.
Step 5: Upload your scanned passport biodata page and passport-size photo, adhering to the guidelines.
Step 6: Make sure that you have filled every required information in the form, after checking it once again, make the fee payment and submit the form.
Step 7: You will receive mail that your application has been submitted. The last step is to wait for receiving the final status of the Indian eVisa application.
Sri Lankan Citizens who have applied for the Indian eVisa, want to know what is the general time-required to be processed?
The main motive of the Indian eVisa department is to issue the visa in a timely manner, so the general waiting time to receive the Indian eVisa is 3-4 working days. Those whose applications are okay, sometimes they may receive the approved Indian eVisa within 2 working days.
The final approval of the Indian eVisa depends upon the verification process by the immigration officials. If you qualify the criterions and have submitted genuine documents your application is sure to be accepted.
There is a delay in receiving the approved Indian eVisa, why is it so?
Delays in receiving the Indian eVisa might be due to reasons like public holidays, inaccurate information, incomplete completion of the form, wrong spelling, wrong passport number entered etc.
What if my Indian eVisa application is rejected, what might be the reason?
Rejections of your application form might be due to reasons like details not matching, lack of genuine documents, wrong details provided etc. If you are worried about rejection, why not check the tips to avoid rejection.
How well in-advance, should an applicant apply for the Indian eVisa?
Sri Lankan citizens who have plans to visit India for short stays should apply for the Indian eVisa at least 7 days in advance, as it takes around 3-4 working days to be processed.
The immigration department has in fact opened the window for Indian eVisa application, 120 days in advance. So anybody willing to visit India can apply for the Indian eVisa 120-days in advance from the comforts of your home.
Sri Lankan citizens who have received the approved Indian eVisa, what documents to carry?
Upon your arrival in India, foreign travelers will be allowed to exit the airport, only after they have been thoroughly checked and their identity is verified. So in order to exit the airport you will have to be prepared with the following documents to show at the immigration and customs checkpoints:
- Valid Sri Lanka passport
- Approved Indian eVisa
- Passenger Arrival Card, which contains basic personal info and requests you to declare certain restricted items.
- Documents according to the Indian eVisa type you have applied to visit India
- Yellow Fever Vaccination Certificate, that is a newly tested report, needs to be presented in case you are coming from an infected region.
What if a Sri Lanka citizen with the Indian eVisa has overstayed, will he be punished?
Make sure you leave the country within the time-period allotted to you, extending your stay or overstaying would be considered a serious offense for which you will be fined and penalties will be imposed on you. The fines and penalties vary depending upon the eVisa type and for how many days you have overstayed in the country.
Penalties and Fines Imposed for Exceeding stays with the Indian eVisa
- Foreign travelers who have been granted a duration of 91 days to 2 years, but exceeded, it would lead to a $400 fine.
- Foreign travelers who have been granted a duration of 90 days stay, but exceeded, it would lead to a $300 fine.
- Foreign travelers who have been granted a duration of 2 years, but exceeded, it would lead to a $500 fine.
Note: Fines and penalties keep on changing according to the rules set by the immigration department.