How To Get A Residence Visa To Run Your Business In Sri Lanka As A Foreigner

So, if you have been following my most recent blog posts, chances are you're either in the process of moving to Sri Lanka to register your own company, or you are at least thinking about it and are trying to get as much as info as possible on the subject.

Well whatever the case may be, if this is a plan of yours, the final step after your business is registered is going to be getting a residence/work visa to allow you to actually live and work in the country to run your new business!

The main cause for this issue is the lack of information available for people to really understand exactly how they are supposed to go about the process. The Sri Lankan immigration website is very little help, it gives a slight insight as to what documentation is required from you, but certainly doesn't give a step by step walk through of how to submit everything correctly. On top of this the lack of knowledge by the staff at the immigration offices makes things ten times harder than it really should be, (it's very troubling when you are the one explaining to the staff the steps of the process, and having them reply with 'sorry i'm not overly sure about that...')

This is understandable I will admit, because it is far far more common for Sri Lankan people to be migrating OUT of Sri Lanka to countries like Australia or the USA, as opposed to having people migrating into the country, however this is still no excuse for the countries lack of a proper process for submitting a residence visa application.

It clearly states in bold red writing 'You cannot convert a business or tourist visa into a residence visa, you MUST enter on an entry visa to be able to obtain residence.'
Is this true? No. Is this the PROPER process to get a residence visa? Truth is....no idea, you can get one legally doing so, you can get one legally if you are in the country on a tourist visa or business visa. Just depends on who you speak to, how much leg work you are willing to do, and most of all, how much you are willing to pay.

If you are going to go the entry visa route, you will need to get pre approval for your entry visa at Colombo Immigration BEFORE you can get your entry visa stamp in your home country, to then return back to Sri Lanka on your entry visa (Confused? I'm not surprised.....)
So to get this you will either have to submit all your documentation before you leave Sri Lanka, mail all the appropriate documents from your home country (yes I said mail, you cannot email it through as certain forms need to be notarized), or have someone in Sri Lanka submit the documents for you.

The required documents you will need to submit are as follows:

1. Data page copy of the applicant's passport

2.Company request letter addressed to controller general of Immigration and Emigration requesting Entry Visa

3.Applicant Request letter addressed to controller general of Immigration and Emigration requesting Entry Visa

4.Ministry recommendation for Entry Visa

5.Company Registration Documents (certify copies are enough)

Form 48 or 20

Form 65 or 2A

Memorandum and articles of Associations;

6.Original Marriage certificate( only for Dependents )

7.Birth Certificates ( only for Dependents )

If your company is run by you and only you, then the company request letter should be written and signed by your company secretary.

Once these forms have been submitted and approved, you should then be issued an entry visa, which you can then take to your home country Sri Lankan embassy, and they will give you an entry visa stamp on your passport.

Once you then enter the country on your entry visa, you can then go to the immigration in Colombo with the correctly filled out residence visa application form (which is available on the Sri Lankan immigration website) and with any luck you will be issued your residence visa.

Alternatively if you are willing to pay the money, you can get someone to organize the whole visa for you. You can enter on a usual tourist visa and they will handle the rest, but as I said, the simpler it is, the more it will cost you....