BIA Katunayake Airport Arrival Guide

After disembarking at Bandaranaike International Airport (CMB), follow the signs to Immigration. Ensure your Sri Lanka Electronic Travel Authorization (ETA / e-Visa) is downloaded or printed. Foreign passport holders proceed through the tourist passport control counters.

Pass through the arrival duty-free electronic and beverage shopping hall into the baggage reclaim carousels. Locate your flight number on the overhead digital displays and collect your checked luggage. Free luggage trolleys are provided at the carousels.

Proceed through the Green Channel (Nothing to Declare) or Red Channel into the main public Arrival Lobby (Exit Concourse). This is an air-conditioned hall housing bank counters, tourist information, and telecom provider kiosks.

In the Arrival Lobby, you will find 24/7 commercial bank exchange counters (Commercial Bank, Sampath Bank, Bank of Ceylon) offering fair exchange rates for USD, EUR, GBP, and AUD. Opposite the banks are official telecom kiosks for Dialog, Mobitel, and Airtel offering tourist eSIMs and physical SIM cards with generous data allowances (e.g. 50GB for ~$10 USD).

Walk toward the glass arrival passenger exit gate. Your Yasiru Cabs driver will be waiting patiently in the designated arrival pickup zone holding a prominent, professional name board with your name clearly printed. They will greet you, assist with all your heavy bags, and guide you directly to your waiting vehicle.

Board your clean, climate-controlled sedan or KDH passenger van. Our driver routes directly onto the E03 Katunayake Expressway or Outer Circular Highway, avoiding city congestion and delivering you smoothly to your hotel in Colombo (35 mins), Kandy (3 hours), Galle (2 hours), or Mirissa (2.5 hours).