E-Tourist Visa Facility

Visa, the world's largest payments network operator, and its closest rival Mastercard, in 2019 agreed to a 0.2% fee cap on non-EU debit card payments

According to the latest Passport Index by Henley and Partners 2023, Indian passport holders can travel to up to 57 countries without a visa.

The Sri Lankan Cabinet has approved the policy to issue free tourist visas to travellers from India and six other countries, Foreign Minister Ali Sabry said on Tuesday, amidst efforts to rebuild the debt-trapped island nation's tourism sector. Foreign Minister Sabry in a statement said that this would be carried out as a pilot project effective until March 31, 2024. The Cabinet approved free entry to travellers from India, China, Russia, Malaysia, Japan, Indonesia, and Thailand with immediate effect. Tourists from these countries will be able to obtain visas when visiting Sri Lanka, without a fee. India is traditionally Sri Lanka's top inbound tourism market. In the September arrival figures, India topped with over 30,000 arrivals or 26 per cent with Chinese tourists trailing at over 8,000 arrivals as the second largest group. Tourist arrivals to the island had slumped since the 2019 Easter Sunday bombings that left 270 persons, including 11 Indians, dead and over 500 injured. S

The decisions were taken at a meeting of a group of ministers under the chairmanship of Health Minister Harsh Vardhan in the national capital

Union Home Ministry officials said the popular e-Visa scheme was availed by 19 lakh tourists in 2017 and it is expected that more than 25 lakh tourists will avail the facility in 2018.

Till now, the scheme has been extended to 150 countries at 16 Indian airports.