The single biggest question we get asked is not about hotels or flights, it is about visas. A Sri Lankan passport opens more doors than most people assume, but the paperwork differs enormously between destinations, and the lead time matters more than anything else.
The easiest group is the electronic ones. Vietnam, Myanmar and India all issue e-visas that we file on your behalf, usually approved within a week. Malaysia asks for an electronic travel registration rather than a visa. Thailand currently allows visa-exempt entry on eligible arrivals, though this changes without much notice, so we confirm the position in writing at the time of booking.
The middle group needs a proper application but no interview: the UAE, for example, where we lodge the file and the approval comes back electronically in a fortnight.
The hardest group is Schengen, Japan and China. All three want bank statements, employment confirmation and a biometric appointment in Colombo, and all three can decline an application regardless of how good the file is. Start these eight weeks out, not four.
Whatever the destination, the documents are broadly the same: a passport with at least six months' validity, recent photographs to the correct specification, proof of funds, and evidence that you intend to come home. We keep a checklist per country and work through it with you.
