Find out how to apply with your children for an eTA visa for Sri Lanka and the procedure to follow.
If you are looking for an ideal family holiday destination, Sri Lanka is probably one to consider. Travelling to Sri Lanka with children is quite easy and enjoyable due to the short distances between the country's various cities and attractions. You can enjoy many family activities such as safaris, temple visits or heavenly beaches. But before you travel to Sri Lanka with your family, you may be wondering whether it is necessary to apply for an eTA visa for yourself and also for your children. On this page we will explain the procedure for obtaining a tourist eTA for children and going on a family holiday to Sri Lanka legally.
Sri Lanka eTA visa with children: key points
- All family members, including children, must have their own eTA visa
- It is possible to apply for an eTA for Sri Lanka as an individual or as a group
- A parent or guardian must apply for an eTA for a child
- The price of the NZeTA for Sri Lanka is the same for all family members.
The first question that many families who wish to travel to Sri Lanka with their children ask is whether their children should also be in possession of an eTA.
In fact, the Sri Lankan government is very clear about this, as all travellers to this country must have their own eTA visa in their name. This of course also applies to minors, regardless of their age. Children and even babies will need both a passport in their name and a valid visa.
Another requirement for family travel to Sri Lanka is the passport requirement. As with the eTA for Sri Lanka, the Sri Lankan government requires all travellers, including minors, to have their own passport.
This is important because if your children do not yet have a passport in their name, you will not be able to travel with them with just their name on your passport. It is therefore necessary to apply for a passport at the nearest town hall in order to obtain their eTA visa and to travel with peace of mind.
As mentioned above, in addition to the eTA, children must also have their own passport with them when travelling to Sri Lanka.
In some special cases, other essential documents will also be required for travel to Sri Lanka by minor children. These include cases where a child is travelling without either parent or legal guardian.
In this case, it would be necessary for the child to have an authorization to leave the country signed by one of the two legal parents, accompanied by a photocopy of the latter's identity card.
Fortunately, it is possible to apply for the whole family at once from some of the sites offering access to the eTA for Sri Lanka. All you need to do is fill in one form and add all the travellers who will be accompanying you in a few clicks.
However, this is not the case for all sites offering eTA visas for Sri Lanka. This is why we recommend that you choose carefully the website of the service provider through which you have made the application, favouring quality sites such as the one we recommend on this page.
By applying for a group eTA, you will save time as certain data such as contact details and travel details will only need to be filled in once. However, it will be necessary to fill in the identity data and passport number of each traveller individually.
As far as payment is concerned, you will also only need to make one payment for the whole family, which again saves time and makes it easier to manage your budget. Of course, you are not obliged to make this request as a group, and you can choose to make it individually for each traveller in the family.
When applying for a group eTA for the family to go to Sri Lanka, you will simply have to fill in an online form. In most cases and after paying the processing fee, you will receive the visa within a few days at most, directly by email.
Once you have received the eTA visa for the whole family, you can print it out or take it with you digitally by downloading it to your phone, tablet or computer.
In any case, it is no longer necessary to go to the Sri Lankan embassy or consulate in your country of residence to apply for a visa for your family. The whole process is done electronically and does not require any travel or sending of supporting documents.
If your application for an eTA for Sri Lanka is refused for one of the family members, this will not result in refusal for the other travellers in the group. You should receive an email notification explaining the reasons for the refusal. It is possible to apply for a review by providing additional information or correcting errors in your original application. It is also possible to contact the relevant consular authorities for further explanation of the reasons for the refusal and for advice on how to proceed.
It is important to note that reasons for refusal of eTA may vary, but may include incorrect or incomplete information in the application, criminal or irregular travel history, or health-related restrictions. It is also advisable to check the entry requirements before travelling, as these may vary depending on the health situation.
If the refusal is due to a simple mistake when filling in the eTA form for Sri Lanka, you will be able to apply again, this time only for the family member concerned and not for the whole family. Of course, you will have to pay the eTA application fee online again.
To avoid this type of problem, we strongly recommend that you use a quality service provider such as the one we recommend on this page, who will check your application form for errors before sending it to the Sri Lankan authorities. This will increase your chances of getting that electronic residence permit right the first time and for the whole family.
Adeline HARMANT
As a web writer and globetrotter with a passion for travel and tourism, I have acquired in-depth knowledge of the procedures that are essential for travellers. I help travellers to complete all the formalities required for a successful trip, particularly when it comes to obtaining a visa online. With several years' experience in this field, I'd like to offer you some valuable advice to help you discover the world with complete peace of mind.
One of the advantages of the eTA for children is that it will be completely free of charge for children under the age of 12. However, despite this free of charge, it is still necessary for parents to apply for an eTA visa for their child, regardless of age. Children over 12 will be charged the adult rate.
There are currently several sites offering to make a group application for an eTA visa for families. On our website, we have chosen to introduce you to a quality service provider who will offer you to make this application in a grouped manner with substantial time savings, by registering each member of the family in a single form. You will also be able to pay the processing fees for your application as a group.
While the process of obtaining an eTA visa for Sri Lanka usually takes only a few days, we recommend that you do this in advance to protect yourself against a possible delay in processing or refusal of the eTA for one of your family members, which would require a new application. Ideally, you should do this a few weeks before your departure date.
