Travel advice for Sri Lanka.

Here you will find important tips and useful information for Sri Lanka.

No results tj Tajikistan ph Philippines mn Mongolia mo Macau ck Cook Islands vn Viet Nam tm Turkmenistan gb-eng England gb-nir Northern Ireland gb-sct Scotland nz New Zealand nc New Caledonia fj Fiji pf French Polynesia au Australia uz Uzbekistan th Thailand tw Taiwan lk Sri Lanka sg Singapore np Nepal kw Kuwait mv Maldives la Laos kr South Korea kg Kyrgyzstan kz Kazakhstan kh Cambodia jp Japan hk Hong Kong in India ge Georgia cn China mm Myanmar my Malaysia bd Bangladesh id Indonesia az Azerbaijan am Armenia ae United Arab Emirates sy Syria sa Saudi Arabia pk Pakistan om Oman lb Lebanon qa Katar / Qatar jo Jordan ye Yemen il Israel ir Iran bh Bahrain cf Central African Republic ug Uganda tn Tunesia td Chad tg Togo sd Sudan za South Africa so Somalia zw Zimbabwe sc Seychelles sn Senegal tz Tanzania zm Zambia re Réunion ng Nigeria ne Niger na Namibia mz Mozambique mu Mauritius mr Mauritania ma Morocco ml Mali mw Malawi mg Madagascar ly Libya lr Liberia ls Lesotho cd Congo Dem. Rep. cg Congo (Brazzaville) km Comoros ke Kenya cv Cape Verde cm Cameroon gw Guinea-Bissau gn Guinea gh Ghana gm Gambia ga Gabon ci Ivory Coast dj Djibouti bf Burkina Faso bw Botswana bj Benin ao Angola dz Algeria et Ethiopia eg Egypt ve Venezuela uy Uruguay sr Suriname pe Peru py Paraguay co Colombia gy Guyana ec Ecuador cl Chile br Brazil bo Bolivia ar Argentina pa Panama ni Nicaragua hn Honduras gt Guatemala sv El Salvador cr Costa Rica bz Belize tt Trinidad and Tobago pr Puerto Rico mq Martinique cu Cuba jm Jamaica ht Haiti gp Guadeloupe gd Grenada ky Cayman Islands bm Bermuda bb Barbados bs Bahamas aw Aruba Lesser Antilles mx Mexico ca Canada us USA cy Cyprus hu Hungary ua Ukraine cz Czech Republic si Slovenia sk Slovak Republic rs Serbia ch Switzerland / Liechtenstein ru Russia ro Romania pl Poland no Norway nl Netherlands me Montenegro mc Monaco md Moldova mk Macedonia lu Luxembourg lt Lithuania lv Latvia xk Kosovo it Italy is Iceland ie Ireland gr Greece mt Malta fr France fi Finland ee Estonia dk Denmark bg Bulgaria ba Bosnia and Herzegovina be Belgium by Belarus pt Portugal es Spain al Albanie de Germany tr Turkey do Dominican Republic se Sweden at Austria hr Croatia

Travel money:

Prepaid Travel credit card

in Swiss francs (CHF)

  • For ATM cash withdrawals

  • For cashless payments in shops, restaurants, hotels, and online

ATM Search

Banknotes

in US Dollar (USD)

    Local currency / ISO Code

    Sri Lanka rupee LKR

    Further Information

    Credit cards

     

    • Payment by credit card is relatively common. For more detailed information, please contact the credit card issuer.

    • Use credit card with caution. Unauthorized use is widespread.

    ATM Search

    Find out more about Travel

    Useful tips from our experts:

    Transfer money worldwide with Send.

    Send is the convenient and reliable money transfer service: you can send money quickly and securely to your relatives and friends abroad using your smartphone.

    More about Send

    Currency
    LKR

    Send money from
    Bank account, Mobile phone

    Practical Information:

    Other information

    Travelers are advised to carry with them their passport or a photocopy thereof (must include page with visa).

    Security

    • Travelers who wish to travel to this country are advised to inquire about current traveler safety prior to departure.

    • Avoid demonstrations and large crowds.

    • Do not carry valuables (watches, jewelry, expensive cameras, etc.) on you.

    • Avoid nighttime driving.

    Special legal regulations

    • Photographing persons wearing an uniform, military installations and public buildings (airports, bridges etc.) is prohibited.

    • Severe penalties for violations of drug laws (up to life imprisonment/death penalty).

    Time difference with Switzerland

    + 5 h / + 4 h during our summer time

    National language

    Official language

    Sinhala and Tamil

    Language capabilities

    English

    Country code for calling Switzerland

    00 41 (disregard '0' preceding Swiss area codes)

    Voltage

    230/240 volt / adapter required

    Travel documents for Swiss citizens

    Passport still valid 6 months or more after end of stay with visa, return or onward travel ticket and proof of sufficient funds for stays up to 30 days.

    Swiss Embassy / Consulate

    Colombo, 63 Gregory's Road
    Tel. +94 11 269 51 17

    Opening hours

    Banks

    9.00 - 13.00/15.00 h (Mon - Fri)

    Stores

    9.00 - 17.30 h (Mon - Fri)
    9.00 - 13.00 h (Sat)

    Driving
    • Left-hand driving.

    • International driver's licence required for car rentals.

    • Local driver's license ("Recognition Permit") required (available at: Automobile Association of Ceylon and Department of Motor Traffic).

    • Minimum age for car rentals: 25 (varies by rental company).

    • Car rental with driver recommended.

    • Blood alcohol limit: 0.5 ‰.

    Health situation
    • Do not drink tap water.

    • Mosquito protection advised.

    • Year-round risk of malaria and dengue fever in all parts of the country. No risk of malaria in Colombo, Galle, Kalutara, Nuwara and Eliya.

    • Vaccination against diphtheria, tetanus, hepatitis A, polio and measles recommended.

    Cultural characteristics

    Please observe local customs for dress code and conduct.

    Capital

    Colombo

    Ideal for your journey: the Travel card.

    Travel is the secure prepaid card for use away from home – without any annual fees. In the event of loss, the card including the balance will be replaced worldwide.

    Find out more about Travel

    Important

    While every precaution has been taken to verify the information provided, Swiss Bankers Prepaid Services Ltd does not guarantee the accuracy or completeness of Country Information. Swiss Bankers therefore shall not be held liable for any damage or loss sustained in connection with any errors or omissions contained therein.

    Suggest a change