(LANKAPUVATH | COLOMBO) – Sri Lanka’s national carrier SriLankan Airlines today announced that from 01st March 2022 the fully vaccinated passengers arriving in Sri Lanka from overseas need not to take PCR or Rapid Antigen Tests prior to arrival.
Following is the guideline issued by the Director General of Health Services:
Exemption of Pre-Departure COVID-19 testing (PCR/ Rapid Antigen Test) of Fully Vaccinated Travellers arriving in Sri Lanka
This is an amendment to the Letter No. DGHS/COVID-19/347/2021, dated 27.01.2022 on Quarantine measures for travellers arriving from overseas during the pandemic of COVID- 19
1. Fully Vaccinated travellers do not need to take COVID-19 tests (PCR or Rapid Antigen test) before travelling to Sri Lanka.
As different countries have different phases of vaccination, for the inbound travellers, if the “recommended doses” of the COVID-19 vaccination are completed and depart from abroad two weeks after completion of vaccination, they will be considered as “Fully Vaccinated”.
Recommended doses to consider as fully vaccinated traveller:
If the traveller is vaccinated with a 2-dose vaccine, or a recommended combination of them, traveller must have had both doses to be considered as fully vaccinated for travel to Sri Lanka
If the traveller had an approved one dose vaccine (e.g. Janssen vaccine), traveller is considered as fully vaccinated.
2. Children of eighteen years and below, who have obtained at least a single dose of a recognized vaccine, will be considered as “Fully Vaccinated” if departed from abroad two weeks after completion of vaccination.
3. Travellers with a past history of COVID-19 infection where infection was detected between 7 days to 6 months before the date of departure with at least a single dose of a two dose vaccine will be exempted from Pre departure COVID-19 test. They should carry a diagnosis card or verifiable evidence or previously positive COVID-19 test report (PCR report or Rapid Antigen Test report) as a proof of past history of illness (in English). They should depart two weeks after vaccination and also seven days after the infection.
4. Travellers with a history of COVID-19 infection more than 6 months before the date of departure with a single dose of a two dose vaccine should carry a negative pre departure COVID-19 test report as mentioned in Section 05. They should depart two weeks after vaccination.
5. All other travellers of twelve years and above arriving in Sri Lanka who are NOT Fully Vaccinated should mandatorily carry a negative COVID-19 PCR test report in English language done within 72 hours prior to embarkation OR Rapid Antigen Test report (self-swabs are disallowed) in English language done within 48 hours prior to embarkation.
All travellers who have obtained COVID-19 vaccines should carry a proof of vaccination in English throughout their travel.
All the travellers who have a past history of COVID-19 infection should depart after 7 days of onset of infection.
This guideline is effective for the travellers arriving in Sri Lanka via airports or seaports from 00:00 on 01st of March 2022.
This guideline will be revised depending on the COVID-19 situation in the country and the global situation.
Director General of Health Services as the Proper Authority for whole of Sri Lanka under the Quarantine and Prevention of Disease Ordinance No. 03 of 1897, can make directions deviating from this guideline without prior notice considering individual situations.
