(COLOMBO) – Chaos broke out at Sri Lanka’s main passenger entry port, the Bandaranaike International Airport (BIA) on Wednesday night after the local authorities had outsourced the on-arrival visa issuance process to an Indian company without prior notice.
The Indian company had charged an extra US$25, alongside the standard fee of $75 whereas the Immigration and Emigration Department had been previously managing the process smoothly.
Sources said the Indian company had assumed control of the on-arrival visa issuance process without obtaining Cabinet approval leading to serious questions as to which authority had allowed this take over.
Immigration and Emigration Controller General Harsha Illukpitiya was reported as saying that the visa issuance procedure was returned to their jurisdiction because the private company was unable to ensure a smooth operation.
The video circulating on social media depicted long queues at the airport. A Sri Lankan individual was seen blaming the Indian visa issuing officers, alleging that even his wife’s on-arrival visa was canceled.
On April 20 the Public Security Ministry Secretary Viyani Gunathilake said that the Government was planning to outsource the issuing of tourist visas to an international company that is currently dealing with the subject in some 145 countries.
He said it was aimed at facilitating more tourists in obtaining their visas to visit the island-nation through the company’s website www.srilankaevisa.lk.
He added that the company is an international organization engaged in the process of accepting visa applications and issuing visas in 145 countries and that it provides relevant instructions and procedures in the mother tongue of each country.
“This task has been allocated to this international organization for a period of 10 years”, Gunathilake said.
However in the same tone he added that the final visa approval including the fees will be decided by the Sri Lanka Immigration and Emigration Department.
Meanwhile the Sri Lanka Association of Inbound Tour Operators (SLAITO), Travel Agents Association of Sri Lanka (TAASL), Sri Lanka Associaton of Professional Conference Exhibition & Event Organizers (SLEPCEO), Association of Small and Medium Enterprises in Tourism (ASMET), IATA Agents Association of Sri Lanka (IAASL), Board of Airline Representatives (BAR) and the Sri Lanka Association of Airline Representatives (SLAAR) collectively issued a five page letter dated the 29th of April 2024 and addressed to the President of Sri Lanka Ranil Wickremesinghe indicating several factors that this new procedural change would affect the inbound tourism sector.
Earlier even the Immigration and Emigration officials protested this new move by wearing black arm bands when conducting their duties.
