I have a T-1 Indian Tourist Visa for US Citizens. It is valid for 10 years, but I can only stay in India for 180 days at a time. I have just returned from Sri Lanka where my passport was restamped so I can stay for another 180 days. Before I went I was uncertain what to expect on this trip. If you’re in a similar situation, you’ll be happy to note that I survived 🤗 and here’s how it went for me…
To complete your visa run you only need to get a visa for the country you’ll visit, cross the border into that country, get your passport stamped and then return.
What places are best to renew your visa?
I chose Sri Lanka because the roundtrip plane tickets were $162 from the nearest international airport. I also researched Kathmandu, Bangkok, the Maldives, Manila, and Dubai. These flights ranged from $200 to $400 at the time and while I would love to visit these places one day, my primary concern was convenience. Considering the low cost to fly to Colombo and that it’s only a one and a half hour flight it was my first choice.
What do I need for a Sri Lanka visa run?
Sri Lankan Visa: US citizens will need a Sri Lanka travel visa and you can get one of these online. Two weeks before I left, I got my visa and it took about 20 minutes to complete the application and cost me $36 US. I received a notice that my application had been accepted with 24 hours and the visa is valid for 30 days and I had to use it within 6 months. I did not print the email confirmation I just had a screenshot of it on my phone. I never had to use it though. The immigration officer must have pulled it up on her end as she added it into my passport when I arrived.
Sri Lankan Hotel: About three months in advance I booked two rooms using Booking.com. I found one with ocean views, a pool and a restaurant for $148 US. I found another more budget option for $94 that also had a pool and restaurant. The main things I was looking for was free wifi, a restaurant on site, and a swimming pool.
Less than one month before I was scheduled to arrive, Colombo was rocked by a terrorist attack. As I did some research I saw that the budget hotel I had booked was less than 3 km from one of the sites, so I canceled that reservation and went with the more expensive option. I seriously considered canceling it but it still looked like the risk was low, so I went ahead.
Sri Lankan Taxi: A few days before my trip, I ordered a taxi after Googling “Colombo Airport Taxi.” I found a site that had 29 Google reviews with a 4-star rating so I booked a taxi without paying any money or giving my credit card. It would cost me $3000 LKR or about $16 US and there was going to be a man waiting for me in the arrival lobby with a sign that had my name on it.
How much did my entire visa run cost?
Now that I’m back in India I’ve added up my total costs, here they are:
- Taxi from my home to the nearest international airport (a 4-hour trip): $50 US or 3500 INR
- 4 Coffees and breakfast at the airport: $11.57 US or 800 INR
- 1 Five-minute session in a massage chair at the airport: $1.42 US or 100 INR
- Roundtrip Plane Tickets from Chennai to Colombo on Sri Lankan Airlines: $162 or 11,408 INR
- Sri Lanka ETA Visa: $36 US
- Taxi from Colombo Airport to Hotel (30-minute trip): $16 US or 2800 LKR
- Hotel for 4 nights, including 10% service charge and 14% taxes: $174 US or 30685 LKR
- Food for 4 days from the on-site restaurant, including 10% service charge: $76 or 13338 LKR
- Taxi from Hotel to Colombo airport: Free, provided by the hotel
- Lunch at the airport: $18 US or 3165 LKR
- Taxi from Chennai Airport to my home: (a 4-hour trip): $50 US or 3500 INR
–>Total cost of my trip was $595 US or 41855 INR or 104607 LKR***
***I also gained 7 lbs 🐷
What can you expect on your visa trip to Sri Lanka?
Here’s the play-by-play: I woke up at 1:30 am so I could catch my flight at 10 am. My bag was already backed with my MacBook Pro, 1 merino wool t-shirt, 1 pair of polyester swim shorts, 1 pair of hiking socks, 2 pairs of travel underwear, my passport, my mobile phone, and 2 electricity converters.
My taxi picked me up at 2 am. We arrived at Chennai airport at 5:45 am. I had 4 hours and 15 minutes before my flight. My phone was out of network so I had to turn on data roaming. I wasn’t charged for any of that data that was used. I went through security, got a 5-minute massage in a chair that reminded me of a pilot’s chair. I will get a 15-minute massage the next time I travel as it helped to leave my work behind.
As I waited for my flight, I took screenshots of my itinerary, my hotel reservation with address, my taxi reservation confirmation email, and my Sri Lankan visa. I did not have physical copies of these items.
My flight was about 1.5 hours. When I entered the Colombo airport, I headed towards the Arrivals Lobby. I went through immigration in less than 5 minutes without any trouble. I was looking for an ATM so I could pay for the taxi. I found a bank of ATMs in the Arrivals Lobby and I withdrew 10000 LKR or $56 US.
I went looking for my taxi and three taxi drivers approached me to ask if I needed a taxi. I refused but could not find the man who was ‘waiting for a sign with my name on it in the Arrivals Lobby.’ I asked one of the airport staff and she suggested I call them from the Post Office window which is just outside the Arrivals Lobby.
I called my taxi driver (the number was on the taxi reservation confirmation email). He said he would call the driver and hung up. I waited for about 5 minutes, then realized I hadn’t paid anything for the taxi reservation. Maybe I could get a taxi here for less so I went to the nearby Taxi Paging Board. I showed them my address and the woman quoted me a price of 11000 LKR. That was about $61 US and the taxi I had was quoted at $16 dollars so I went back to the phone to wait. However, after 5 minutes a man from the taxi service approached me and said the woman was mistaken and it was only 2500 LKR for a taxi. This was less than my reservation so it was a no brainer to go with them.
My taxi driver wasn’t sure where my hotel was but with the help of “the Google” we found it and off we went. In less than 30 minutes, we had arrived.
“Mr. Benjamin?” I was greeted by the hotel staff and shown to my room. To my crushing dismay, I saw the pool was drained. “No pool?” No, he shook his head. I settled for fresh juice, kung pao chicken delivered to my room and a 2-hour nap.
Over the next 3 days, I was able to use a nearby pool that was much nicer. So I spent my days by the pool, watching Hollywood movies on the cable tv, taking naps, and ordering food from room service. I was the only tourist that I saw most of the time and the service was excellent.
On my final day, the hotel manager drove me back to the airport and we spoke about what was happening in Sri Lanka. He didn’t understand I-S-I-S, the organization claiming responsibility for the recent unrest. “They are millionaires. They have big homes. They have cars, BMWs… But they blow up themselves and their kids. They blow up pregnant women. I don’t understand…” I didn’t understand either and as I read up on the situation from my home in India tears came to my eyes as I considered this terrible situation. I had experienced nothing but friendly warm people.
In the airport, I tried to confirm my return taxi in India but social media was blocked. Using a VPN app, Ultrasurf (suggested by an airport staff) I was able to confirm with my driver back home. Then I settled into an $18 Burger King Whopper, fries, and a Pepsi before catching a flight home.
Were there any problems?
The only issue was a minor one: Going through immigration in Chennai on my return. The agent held my passport and then walked back to ask his supervisor to ask a question two times. His first line of inquiry was to suggest that I had overstayed the 180 days I was allowed to stay in India. “You’ve stayed 190 days?” I pointed to the November 29, 2018 arrival date and the May 13, 2019 departure date and said, “That’s like 170 days.”
He went back to see his supervisor and then returned 10 minutes later. He then asked why I had left Chennai and was back, what was I doing? “I’m traveling in India.” With that, grunted a reluctant satisfaction, stamped my passport, and slammed it down in front of me. He didn’t say anything so I took it and walked through the gate. The expats in my town had said getting through the immigration at Chennai’s airport was tough and some had been detained. I had waited for 15-minutes but I did think twice about returning through Chennai.
- Overall, I returned fat and happy. On the taxi ride home, I planned my next vacation in 171 days and booked reservations at the hotel with the beautiful pool.