A tourist family visiting Sri Lanka has criticized the difficulties they faced while trying to extend their visa, describing the experience as “the most painful experience ever.”
The family, known as ‘The Hutchinsons’ on TikTok, arrived in Sri Lanka under the visa-free scheme and attempted to extend their stay at the Department of Immigration and Emigration in Battaramulla.
They reported that their online visa extension submission failed to generate the expected payment email, forcing them to visit the immigration office in person.
According to the tourists, the office was crowded with long queues and lacked clear guidance or help desks. “There’s literally two large queues… everyone is avoiding eye contact, heads down, we can’t tell who works and who doesn’t,” one family member said. They described a confusing process where passports were taken by staff without clear communication, adding to their stress.
After spending three hours at the office, the Hutchinsons finally received their visa extension. “That was the most painful experience ever,” they said.
One family member shared on TikTok, “Wow, what a tough day at the immigration office in Colombo, Sri Lanka! This definitely wasn’t worth the hassle for an extra week here. Anyway, all sorted and time to enjoy Christmas.”
