Attention, Nigerians! if you were dreaming of a spontaneous getaway to Sri Lanka, you might want to hit pause. The island nation’s Supreme Court has just poured sand into the travel plans of many, particularly Nigerians, by suspending the e-visa system. This means no more visa-on-arrival at the airport for you.
So, what for ? Well, the Supreme Court decided to scrap the agreement with VFS Global, the company previously handling the e-visa process. This has led to the e-Visa portal, https://www.srilankaevisa.lk/, being yanked offline.
What They Are saying.
VFS Global, the now-former gatekeeper of your Sri Lankan entry, announced, “We have been notified of certain interim orders issued by the Supreme Court of Sri Lanka today pertaining to the agreement under which this platform is operated. In view of these orders, the website is suspended effective 2 August at 17:00 hours Sri Lanka Standard Time.”
If you’re among those who managed to submit their visa applications before the online portal was unplugged, don’t worry, VFS Global is offering refunds. If you were one of the unlucky ones who applied on or after August 2nd, you’ll be getting your money back. Just send an email with your application reference number to travel.partner@srilankaevisa.lk, and they’ll sort you out.
Why It Matters
Sri Lanka’s Supreme Court has ordered a return to the old-school ETA portal, which was managed by Mobitel, a Sri Lankan telecom company. Apparently, they think nostalgia is the answer to visa woes.
This inconvenience isn’t unique to Nigeria. Other nations in the visa-on-arrival black book include Afghanistan, Cameroon, Côte d’Ivoire, North Korea, Ghana, Myanmar, Pakistan, and Syria. However, let’s be frank with ourselves how many Nigerians were planning a surprise trip to Sri Lanka anyway?
Bottom Line
In short, if you’re Nigerian and had hopes of a Sri Lankan adventure, you’ll need to go through this bureaucratic mess or rethink your vacation plans.
