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Entry conditions relaxed for travellers from India

13 Aug 2021

  • Non-tourist Indians with resident visa/Lankan passport permitted entry
BY Dinitha Rathnayake Travellers from India who are not tourists but hold a resident visa in Sri Lanka and are Sri Lankan passport holders are allowed to travel to Sri Lanka. According to the Tourism Ministry, they would have to stay for a 14-day quarantine period in Army-run quarantine centres, after entering the country. Meanwhile, Director General of Health Services (DGHS) Dr. Asela Gunawardena has issued revised quarantine measures for travellers arriving in Sri Lanka from overseas during the Covid-19 pandemic. Dr. Gunawardena stated that his previous communiqué – DGHS/Covid-19/347/2021 – dated 15 July 2021, titled “Quarantine Measures for Travellers Arriving from Overseas During the Pandemic of Covid-19”, was accordingly cancelled. The recent communiqué, published on 11 August, states that all fully vaccinated Sri Lankans and dual citizens and their foreign national spouses and children with a travel history (including transit) in the past 14 days to India, are not required to obtain prior approval from the Foreign Affairs Ministry or the Civil Aviation Authority (CAA) in order to disembark in Sri Lanka. However, they will be subjected to a PCR test upon arrival in the island and they will be quarantined at a government-operated facility until they get a negative test result. If they have a residence in Sri Lanka, they could be released to further quarantine there. They will be released from quarantine with a negative result of a PCR test conducted on day 10 upon arrival. In the meantime, all foreign nationals (including valid visa holders) and dual citizens (if using the foreign passport for arrival) with a 14-day travel history or transit history to India will be permitted to disembark in Sri Lanka after obtaining the approval of the Foreign Affairs Ministry (entry.permission@mfa.gov.lk) followed by the CAA’s (caaslpax@caa.lk). According to the new amendments, fully vaccinated travellers, who have not arrived from or transited in India or any other travel-restricted country – African countries, namely South Africa, Angola, Botswana, Lesotho, Mozambique, Namibia, Swaziland, Zambia, and Zimbabwe – and are released from quarantine with an on-arrival (day one) negative PCR report, do not have to undergo a PCR test on day seven. However, unvaccinated children, aged between two and 18 years, who are released with fully vaccinated parents, should undergo a day seven PCR test.


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