Hello, I`m going to Sri Lanka for a charity programme and will be staying there for 3 months. anyone has an experience of visa extension?? any tips on how to do it ??

There seems to be a lot of confusion on the subject of extending a Visa in Sri Lanka. because it is difficult to find any official information on how to extend your visa in Sri Lanka. further, Most of the materials are on the internet about Old immigration office was in Colombo. Basically, in order to extend the visa in Sri Lanka, You have to visit Immigration office in Colombo. I was their couple of months ago. The immigration office is in a government office complex, 10km away from the City Center. with your preparation & right guidance, it won't be complicated and costly. you can download the application form their official website and Do a Google search for a Infographic Guide. hope this helps.

Hi Sophieg,
Thank you very much for your information. I found new visa office address as you advice. gathered some information also. I`m wondering if I can extend the visa at first few days in Colombo as i have to stay out of Colombo mostly.

Hi,
As I know it has to be possible. but you need to check if there are new regulations implemented. I stayed in a boutique guest-house near immigration office Colombo before my visa extension and they helped me a lot. also, my Colombo tour guide. Sometimes they might help you regarding this case. try & see. Thank you & have a good day!

Thank you for the tip. need to get this checked before making the hotel reservation. so, appreciate!! Some countries allow submitting document online before the extension but so far I didn't find a way.

Hello,
I`m Planing to travel to Sri Lanka for an elephant conservation programme in mid of October. I will have to come back to Colombo during the first week of Colombo. this is a one day Job or could take time?? any recommendation to do something in Colombo if there is a remained time?

Hi Where about's in Sri Lanka is your "Elephant Conservation Programme"? You can travel to Colombo from anywhere within Sri Lanka in a day,

As far as I know, there is no way of making the extension process easier by submitting the documents before hand . online appointments are available in some countries but in Sri Lanka it was not enabled when I was facing the process. as per my knowledge, the only way is to visit the immigration office personally. after submitting the documents, it takes a few hours for the process to complete and get back the passport with extended the visa. if you submit documents as early as possible, you can get it back in the early afternoon. as I figured out during the process, time taken can vary depending on your qualification for the process. filling the form correctly and giving them accurate information with necessary documents make the process easier & faster. However, I met a few people who visited the Immigration office for the second time. as we had few hours before we get the passport back we could visit a few places, see around and tasted spicy food. we visited the Sri Lankan parliament surround by a beautiful lake, a flower market and had lunch at a local restaurant. if you want to get latest updates, you can contact my Colombo tour Guide who helped me through the process. he may help you with information. hope that helps !

Ok. Great Sophie! I dropped him a mail and got a quick response with the confirmation that online visa submitting is not enabled yet. Thank you for your all information. I will update once I visit there.