Things You Need to Know Before Visiting Sri Lanka during the Pandemic – Pandemic-related Travel Guidelines for Tourists

Those who are travelling to Sri Lanka, including children above the age of 2, must carry a negative COVID-19 PCR test report that is printed in the English language. The test should be performed within 72 hours of their departure from the home country. This regulation is in place unless one has been fully vaccinated and a period of two weeks has passed since the second dose of the vaccine was administered.

Travellers who had been infected with the COVID-19 virus three months prior to their arrival in Sri Lanka must subject themselves to a COVID-19 Rapid Antigen Test and have a negative result to enter the country. This test must be performed within 48 hours before their flight to Sri Lanka while all such travellers must also carry proof of their COVID-19 diagnosis and their Positive Rapid Antigen Test as well as the PCR report. These reports are considered proof of the traveller's medical history with regard to the virus.

Tourists are also instructed to present a Health Declaration Form from their native countries and present the same to the Health Office at the Bandaranaike International Airport upon arriving on the island. Separate health declaration forms must be presented for each child that is accompanying travellers on the trip, regardless of their age.

Those who test positive for COVID-19 in the Rapid Antigen Test performed at the airport will need to spend time at a local quarantine centre or at a quarantine hotel of their choice that comes under the purview of the Sri Lankan government. Most tourists make reservations at government-approved quarantine hotels just in case so that they can stay at a location of their own choosing should they test positive upon arrival. Note that Amaya Hills and other similar hotels with restaurants in Kandy or elsewhere in Sri Lanka should be reserved in addition to your choice of quarantine accommodation.

Tourists who are fully vaccinated and have been inoculated for no less than 14 days prior to their trip to Sri Lanka does not need to undergo any PCR test or quarantining period after landing in Sri Lanka. But it is necessary to carry a negative COVID-19 report completed 72 hours before they arrive in the country or a Rapid Antigen Test performed no less than 48 hours prior. If any vaccinated travellers experience symptoms of COVID-19 such as fever, a sore throat, or difficulty in breathing during their holiday in Sri Lanka, they must first go over to a Ministry of Health approved lab for a PCR test. They must then forward their report to the Medical Officer of Health in the area in which they are based so that medical treatment and a quarantine location can be assigned.