Sri Lanka offers six investment-based categories of qualification for residency, each with its own investment requirements and visa durations:

1. Bank Deposit (“Golden Paradise Visa”)
2. Bank Deposit-to-Investment (“Resident Guest Scheme – Investor”)
3. Direct Investment
4. Condominium Investment
5. Government Bond Investment
6. Public Equity Investment

1. Bank Deposit (“Golden Paradise Visa”)

To qualify under this category, applicants must deposit at least US$200,000 in any commercial bank recognized by the Central Bank of Sri Lanka. Investors may withdraw half of this amount upon completion of the first year of residency on an Investor Visa.

This visa has a validity of 10 years, and the main applicant may include a spouse and dependents. 

2. Bank Deposit-to-Investment (“Resident Guest Scheme – Investor”)

To qualify under this category, applicants must deposit US$250,000 or the equivalent in another foreign currency in a Resident Guest Foreign Currency Account (RGFCA), as well as an additional US$35,000 per dependent. The deposit will pay interest corresponding to rates set by the Central Bank during the first two years.

This visa has a validity of two years but is renewable indefinitely.

Within two years of making the deposit, the applicant must invest this amount in an approved investment project. These may include new ventures approved by the Board of Investment, existing or new Sri Lankan companies, shares listed on the Colombo Stock Exchange.

Additionally, the applicant should “remit regularly sufficient funds for the upkeep of himself and his dependents.”

Note that this Resident Guest Scheme Bank Deposit-to-Investment option is the only qualifying category that can lead to Sri Lankan citizenship, which the applicant becomes eligible for after five years of residency in Sri Lanka.

2. Direct Investment

To qualify under this category, applicants must invest in a Sri Lankan business either

– US$300,000 to get a visa valid for 5 years; or
– US$500,000 to get a visa valid for 10 years.

The applicant may include a spouse, dependents, as well as domestic staff. 

3. Condominium Investment

This particular category comes with the additional option to apply as a company, as well as an individual.

To qualify under this category, individuals must invest 

– US$75,000 in a condominium in a suburban area to get an extendable visa with 5-year validity; or
– US$150,000 in a condominium in an urban area to get an extendable visa with 5-year validity; or
– US$200,000 in a condominium in an urban area to get a non-extendable visa with 10-year validity.

In each case, the applicant can include a spouse and any dependents.

To qualify up to 4 Directors with their spouses and dependents, a company must invest in

– Two or more urban area condominium units, each valued above US$75,000 and no less than US$500,000 altogether; or
– Two or more suburban area condominiums, each valued above US$75,000 and no less than US$500,000 altogether;
– One urban area condominium, valued above US$500,000.

In both cases, company-based Investor Visas have a validity of 5 years and are not extendable.

4. Government Bond Investment

To qualify under this category, applicants must invest in Treasury Bonds, Bills, or Sri Lanka Development Bonds the amounts of

– US$250,000 for a non-extendable visa with 5-year validity; or
– US$400,000 for a non-extendable visa with 10-year validity.

In either case, the applicant may include a spouse, dependents, and domestic staff.

5. Public Equity Investment

To qualify under this option, applicants must invest, in the Sri Lanka stock market, amounts of

– US$100,000 for a non-extendable visa with a 5-year validity; or
– $200,000 for a non-extendable visa with a 10-year validity.

In either case, the applicant may include a spouse, dependents, and staff.

Program benefits

• Short processing time
• Minimal physical presence requirements;
• Low taxes;
• Low cost of living;
• Warm climate.

Generally, Sri Lanka issues only temporary residency visas; no permanent residency is available. 

Citizenship by registration, moreover, is only available to investors in the Resident Guest Scheme category. Applicants in this category are eligible for citizenship after five years.

Applications for this program may be directed to:

Sri Lanka Department of Immigration and Emigration

Legislation upon which this program is based: