On-arrival visa fee permitted in 5 currencies at Colombo airport

Tourists seeking an on-arrival visa at the Bandaranaike International Airport can now pay the visa fee in five popular foreign currencies instead of only in US dollars earlier, the Ministry of Tourism Development and Christian Affairs announced on Wednesday.

It didn’t say what the other currencies were but the most frequently used currencies in hotels and other places permitted to accept foreign cash are the Sterling Pound, Euro, Swiss Franc among others.
“There were numerous requests from tourists to enable them to pay the visa fee in their currencies as paying in US dollars was a hassle since they had to exchange their currencies to carry out the payment. This gave somewhat of a negative first impression to tourists at the entry point to the country. We took note of these requests and brought it to the attention of the Controller of Immigration and Emigration, who has now provided a solution,” said Minister of Tourism Development John Amaratunga. - ENDS -