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Sri Lanka has a long standing democratic tradition
and therefore respects the freedom of speech and expression.
In keeping with this spirit, media persons are welcome to visit
Sri Lanka. The Ministry of Foreign Affairs will facilitate all
accredited visiting media personnel, as required, during their assignment
in Sri Lanka.
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News Reporting
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a) All journalists/media personnel coming to Sri Lanka
need to obtain visa from the relevant Sri Lanka Mission
prior to their arrival in Colombo. Media accreditation will
not be recommended for media personnel who obtain tourist
visas on arrival at the airport, which is intended only for
tourism purposes.
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b) A list of equipment carried by TV media should
be sent to the Public Communications Division
of the Foreign Ministry of Sri Lanka, through the relevant
Sri Lanka Embassy in advance, to facilitate clearance at
airport customs. The list should be accompanied by a letter
of undertaking from the relevant media organisation that the
equipment would be carried out of the country upon the departure
of the media personnel.
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c) All foreign media working in Sri Lanka are
required to obtain media accreditation from
the Government Information Department, issued upon
recommendation from the Foreign Ministry. All
visiting media are therefore requested to contact
the Public Communications Division of the Ministry
of Foreign Affairs upon arrival in Colombo
regarding media accreditation.
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Filming documentaries/feature films
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a) Filming of all other documentaries and feature films,
other than tourism promotional films and wildlife related
documentaries, require prior approval by the National
Film Corporation (NFC).
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b) Media teams are required to complete the NFC agreement,
available with Sri Lanka Embassies, and submit it along with
the synopsis of the documentary, itinerary of the media team
while in Sri Lanka as well as locations of filming.
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Tourism Promotional Documentaries |
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a) Media teams coming to film tourism promotional documentaries,
or taking part in Sri Lanka Tourist Board (SLTB) familiarisation
tours, are required to fill the “SLTB Selection Criteria for
Journalists/TV crews for FAM tours” form, which is available
at all Sri Lanka Embassies.
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c) The SLTB requires at least 30 working days
for processing the relevant documents prior
to the scheduled commencement of the project.
Such media teams should also have a ground handling
team who will be coordinating the project in Sri Lanka.
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Filming in Wild Life Protected Areas |
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This requires prior approval from the Department
of Wildlife Conservation. The duly completed
“Application for filming in wildlife protected areas”,
available at all Sri Lanka Embassies,
must be completed and handed over to the
relevant Sri Lanka Embassy. The Department
of Wildlife Conservation requires at least two
weeks to process the relevant documents before
the scheduled commencement of the project. |
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