Sri Lanka abolishes visa fees for Pakistanis

ISLAMABAD: Sri Lanka has announced a major facility for Pakistani citizens and has announced the complete abolition of visa fees.

Sri Lankan Consul General Sanjeeva Patiwala, while talking to the media, said that the Sri Lankan government has abolished visa fees for Pakistanis, and a decision on online visa applications is usually made within 48 hours.

He said that about 30,000 Pakistani tourists are expected to visit Sri Lanka during the year 2026, while last year this number was around 20,000.

He said that after the abolition of visa fees, not only has tourism activities increased but Pakistani couples are also heading to Sri Lanka for their wedding ceremonies, which is further strengthening the people-to-people ties between the two countries.

The Consul General, while highlighting educational cooperation, said that Pakistan has provided scholarships to 100 Sri Lankan students at Allama Iqbal Open University, which is an important example of promoting educational relations between the two countries.

He added that although a free trade agreement was signed between Pakistan and Sri Lanka in 2005, there are still some trade barriers that need to be removed so that the volume of bilateral trade can be further increased.

Sanjeeva Patiwala said that the defense relations between Pakistan and Sri Lanka are also of great importance and both countries are keen to further expand cooperation in various fields. Economic experts say that the abolition of visa fees is likely to give new impetus to tourism, trade and cultural ties, which will further strengthen the relations between the two friendly countries.