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Sri Lanka · e-visa

IVS-GBS and VFS electronic-visa services agreement

Suspended Status as of 2 August 2024 · Funding type: Passenger or user fee

Sri Lanka signed its outsourced electronic-visa agreement in December 2023. The National Audit Office records operation from April 2024 and the August interim suspension 1. VFS says it supplied technology and administrative services, with visa decisions retained by immigration 2. The Controller General defended replacement of the earlier system on technical and document-verification grounds 3. IVS-GBS disputed the audit process and said it would provide explanations 4. No final merits judgment, audit withdrawal or verified resumption of this contract is established here. The suspension date is historical, not a claim that Sri Lanka has no online visa service.

Key terms

Read the guide to API and PNR passenger data.

Buyer
Controller General of Immigration and Emigration 1
Vendor
GBS Technology Services & IVS Global-FZCO and VF Worldwide Holding Ltd
Vendor based in
Not confirmed
Signed
21 December 2023 1
Duration
Ten years, with a six-year extension option 1
Value
Not published
Funding
passenger fee
Fee model
VFS describes a user-paid model with a USD 18.50 service charge across visa categories, plus payment charges and local taxes 2.
Procurement route
unsolicited proposal
System ownership
Not published
Data terms
VFS describes cloud hosting and deletion under a purging policy, without a retention interval 2. The Controller General asserted GDPR-based deletion after visa approval 3. These are stated arrangements, not an independent compliance finding.

Timeline

  1. Signed or started: 21 December 2023 1
  2. 2 August 2024: Supreme Court interim orders suspended the outsourced visa system and directed use of the previous system. The audit records the cases as pending, not final judgments 1.
  3. 2 August 2024: Recorded status is Suspended.
  4. 3 October 2025: National Audit Office found procurement and revenue-control deficiencies and USD 33,080 excess charges to 827 SAARC applicants. It recommended competitive selection, revenue accountability and recovery of collected taxes 1.
  5. 30 October 2025: IVS-GBS said it had not been given an opportunity to explain the audit observations, intended to respond to the auditor and reserved detailed submissions for the appropriate forum. This is a company response, not an audit reversal 4.

Sources

  1. Sri Lanka National Audit Office: Online visa special audit, SPR/2025/03 (3 October 2025)
  2. VFS Global, company statement: Sri Lanka e-visa, original release hosted by Sri Lanka Mirror (6 May 2024)
  3. Controller General I.S.H.J. Ilukpitiya: Full official statement reproduced by Daily FT (7 May 2024)
  4. IVS-GBS, company statement reproduced by Lanka Business News: Response to special audit (30 October 2025)

Fields marked "Not published" or "Not confirmed" could not be established from an official or reliable source. If you hold a document that fills a gap or corrects an entry, write to editor@bordercontracts.org. Last checked 19 October 2026.

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