COLOMBO, Oct. 29 -- Sri Lanka's plan to implement a visa-free entry scheme for 33 countries has been delayed pending clearance from the Attorney General's Department, due to legal complications surrounding a previous visa outsourcing deal, Foreign and Tourism Minister Vijitha Herath said on Tuesday (28).

In July 2024, the government announced it would expand the list of countries eligible for visa-free entry to 40, in a bid to boost post-crisis tourism arrivals. However, the measure has yet to take effect, and travellers from the proposed countries continue to pay the standard Electronic Travel Authorization (ETA) fees.

"We have to submit the new gazette notification to Parliament," Minister Herath said at the weekly post-Cabinet media ...