After living in Sri Lanka for over two years and visiting the Department of Immigration and Emigration in Battaramulla, Colombo, many times, I thought it would be helpful to detail the entire tourist visa extension process with photos and easy step-by-step tips on how to get your extension granted seamlessly. That way you can spend more time relaxing, exploring and seeking out the best places to eat in Madiha, Jaffna and beyond.
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| Sri Lanka's beaches are going to make you want to extend your tourist visa right away |
Holiday makers and tourists visiting Sri Lanka will most likely be travelling on a tourist visa, which can be applied for here online before travelling to the country. It's an easy process with visas being granted in just a few days. Travellers can also get the visa on arrival at Colombo Bandaranaike International Airport. Despite claims that the visa fee would be waived in October 2025, that's yet to happen. The visa costs $50 (£38) for most nationalities and $20 (£15) for SAARC countries. Travellers from China, India, Indonesia, Russia, Thailand, Malaysia and Japan can obtain a visa without a cost.
How to extend a tourist visa in Sri Lanka
If you're planning on staying in Sri Lanka for more than 30 days, it's possible to initially extend your visa for up to 60 days. This can be done here online while in Sri Lanka. You'll need to fill in your details, upload a scan of your passport, and a passport-size photo, both sized at less than 100kb. If successful, you will get a payment link to pay to follow a few days later. Once payment is processed, you will be granted the 60-day extension, and it will be connected to your passport automatically.
How much is the fee for a visa extension in Sri Lanka?
Even if you're only staying an extra week, you'll still have to pay the $100 (£76) 60-day extension fee; there’s no way of paying less. And unfortunately, the online link doesn't work much of the time, meaning you're going to need to go to the Department of Immigration and Emigration in Battaramulla, Colombo, in person. Or if you want to go straight to the office without applying online, you can do that too. Here's how it works once you get to Battaramulla.
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| The Department of Immigration and Emigration, Battaramulla |
You're going to want to clear at least half a day for this process, as it can be long. Official boards state at least four hours; I've done it in two, but that was definitely a one-off. Once you arrive near the immigration offices, you're going to want to head to the 4th floor of the Department of Immigration and Emigration building.
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| The entrance of the Department of Immigration and Emigration |
Once there, go to the 4th floor, head to zone C, and go to the token issuing counter with a filled-in form and passport photo. This counter will issue you with a paper ticket with a number at the top.
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| Token issuing counter |
If you don't have passport photos, don't worry, you can get them on the 4th floor. And if you can’t be bothered or are too confused to fill in your own form, there’s also a counter for that. It’s around 250-350 Sri Lankan rupees (less than $1/£1).
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| Passport photo desk and form-filling desk |
Next, go to zone B, wait until your number is called. Once called, go into the office with your passport and a filled-in form, hand it over to the officer, and answer any questions. Usually, they will ask how long you want the extension for. This part of the process, from getting the token to handing over my form and passport, took me one hour and 40 minutes.
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| Zone B waiting room |
Next, go back to C and head to the payment area. Wait here until your number is flashed on the screen and then head to the counter to pay. This part took me one hour and 30 minutes, and when I arrived, neither of the card machines was working, so I had to go and get cash out. There's an ATM on the first floor, one outside the bank and one inside if there's a queue. The 60-day extension costs $100 (£76), and you have to pay this full fee even if you're only staying a week or two longer.
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| The paying area |
Once paid, stay in the same room but head to the seating area labelled ‘visa issuing counters’, and eventually someone will arrive with a stack of passports and shout your number. This section took me 50 minutes.
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| The collection area |
Finally, you will be issued your 60-day extension, which will be a small sticker in your passport with a round stamp. You can repeat this process once more, with the following visa extended up to 90 days, meaning the total duration possible in Sri Lanka on a tourist visa is six months.
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