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eta.gov.lk keeps 500ing - can I just buy the visa at CMB?

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F
Farid Qureshi•263 rep•2

Tried eta.gov.lk twice this week, one 500 error, one timeout. Flight is Sunday. Old blogs say visa on arrival exists. Is that still a thing in 2026 or will they send me back?

8
visa

4 Answers from travellers

✓Accepted Answer

Do not plan on buying it at the desk. Notices since last October say pre-arrival ETA is mandatory, on-arrival was stopped. The May free-visa note repeats the same thing. If the site 500s, retry, call the 24/7 number on the portal (0094 71 99 67 888), or try around 6am Colombo time. Do not board hoping to sort it airside.

11
N
Nuwan Kodagoda•2140 rep•1

Site was flaky for me too. Worked at 6am. Save the approval PDF, not only the "we got your form" page.

10
B
Bridie McAllister•473 rep•2

The leftover fee table on the site still shows some on-arrival prices. Treat that as stale. I would not rely on it.

6
H
Himaya Rathnayake•1410 rep•1

Trying at 6am. If it dies again I will call that number.

2
F
Farid Qureshi•263 rep•2

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