14 August 2020 08:11 am
Chinese nationals are no longer required to know English to apply for Sri Lankan tourist visas as a result of a newly signed agreement between the Sri Lankan Immigration Department and China travel specialist Travelzen International Travel Service (Shanghai) Co. Ltd.
As per the Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) which was signed yesterday at the Department of Immigration and Emigration, the Chinese are allowed to apply for visas in their mother tongue which is Mandarin.
The MoU signatories were the Controller General of Department of Immigration & Emigration Sarath Rupasiri and the President of the South-East Asian branch of the Travelzen International Kamal Ratwatte and its CEO Sudesh Colonne.
The Department of Immigration and Emigration has been using the Electronic Travel Authorisation System for pre-screening and granting of approval for foreign visitors to visit Sri Lanka since 2012.
However, a considerable number of Chinese nationals are reportedly facing issues in applying for Sri Lankan tourist visas as the Electronic Travel Authorisation System is presently functioning only in the English language. (Piyumi Fonseka)