Student visa valid up to duration of the course is granted to foreign students coming to Sri Lanka to pursue a course of regular and fulltime academic studies in a recognized institution. Students under 16 years of age can apply visa for Parents / guardians to remain in the country. 

Students MUST have Entry Visa before traveling to Sri Lanka. Approval for entry visa for students is processed only in Colombo by the Department of Immigration. Sri Lanka Diplomatic Missions are not issuing Entry Visa for students unless prior entry visa approval is given by the Immigration Department in Colombo.

Students under no circumstances use Online visa system (ETA) or tourist / business visa to travel to Sri Lanka. Change of visa types is NOT permitted in Sri Lanka. 

 There is three - step application procedure 

• Obtaining Entry visa approval from the Department of Immigration in Colombo
• Collecting Entry Visa endorsement from the nearest Sri Lanka Diplomatic mission and travel to Sri Lanka
• After arrival in Sri Lanka, collect student visa endorsement on passport at the Department of Immigration in Colombo Immigration Visitor Service Center in Colombo.

You can now apply Student Entry Visa at our Immigration Visitor Service Center in Colombo. Visitor Services Center has been fully approved and authorized by the Department of Immigration.

Applying at our Immigration Visitor Service Center is highly recommended if you are planning to invite foreign nationals to Sri Lanka. We also offer additional services such as document collection from door steps and delivering back Visa. We also offer special discounted rates for our clients seeking Visa extensions. 

• Foreigner intending to study in Sri Lanka should first contact the education provider and seek admission to a study programme
• Education provider should apply to the Department of Immigration for entry visa approval 
• The Department of Immigration notify the nearest Sri Lanka Diplomatic Mission of the entry visa approval 
• Foreigner reports to the nearest Sri Lanka Diplomatic Mission to obtains the Entry Visa endorsed on the passport 
• Foreigner arrives in Sri Lanka. At the port of entry, immigration may grant entry for specified period.
• Upon entering Sri Lanka, before the expiry of the visa given at the port of entry, the passport of the foreigner should be referred to the Department of Immigration for stamping student visa on it.

Applicable government visa fee and tax for this visa type is Rs: 20,000.00 per year. For students enrolled in government Universities visa fee and tax is Rs: 10,000.00 per year

Approval for entry visa can be applied at:

• Department of Immigration and Emigration - Colombo. Click Here
• Immigration Visitor Services Center in Colombo - Click Here

Immigration Visitor Services Center in Colombo

Approval for entry visa can be applied more conveniently at our Immigration Visitor Services Center in Colombo or please call our helpdesk on +94 11 2 375 972 or email your request to info@immigrationlanka.com. Our specially trained dedicated team will be ready to assist you in every step in the application process including application preparation, advising on document requirement, fee calculation, submitting application to the Department of Immigration, collection and dispatch of entry visa approval to clients and finally to obtain the visa endorsement on the passport after arrival. For greater convenience of our clients, we also offer many other optional value added services including door to door services. Our service fee depends on each case and could only be determined after all information is available to us. However, as part of our policy to provide transparent and responsible service, our service fee will be clearly notified before we accept application.