Bhutan or Sri Lanka
Two countries side by side across the same rows as the full comparison. A dash means the value is missing: fields are not filled with guesses. about the data
| Bhutan | Sri Lanka | |
|---|---|---|
| Salary in IT | — | — |
| Citizenship | 20 years | — |
| Partner can work | no | no |
| Parents | no | — |
| Pets | difficult | difficult |
| Pet limit | no limit | no limit |
| Quarantine | 20 days | 30 days |
| Residence permit fee | — | — |
| Rent, 2 bedrooms | $ 196 · estimate | $ 563 · estimate |
| Basket | $ 16,2 | $ 28,7 |
| Life expectancy | 73.26 | 77.67 |
| Homicides/100k | 2.47 | 2.51 |
| Natural hazards, 0–10 | 2.8 | 3.9 |
How the two sets of routes differ
Long-stay routes in this reference: Bhutan — 13, Sri Lanka — 24. Types present in both: work, study, family, investment and talent. Sri Lanka adds: remote work, repatriation and retirement.
Fees, thresholds and deadlines
Bhutan: the fee is 40 USD wherever it is published. Routes with a published decision deadline: 8; the shortest is 5 days. Sri Lanka: fees range from 100 to 1,000 USD. Routes with no fee: 1. Routes stating an income threshold: 8; the lowest is 1,500 USD a year.
Beyond the first permit
Citizenship: Bhutan after 20 years; the other country publishes no term. Sri Lanka allows a second citizenship, Bhutan does not.
Bhutan in brief
Bhutan is the most closed case for long-term relocation in this guide. Grounds for staying are limited to a narrow list: a tourist visa through a licensed tour operator with a mandatory daily Sustainable Development Fee (US$100 per day plus a one-off US$40 visa fee for most foreigners; a separate "entry permit"/visa-on-arrival arrangement with a reduced fee applies to citizens of India, Bangladesh and the Maldives), work permits tied rigidly to a specific employer and position (up to one year for skilled workers, up to three years for highly skilled workers), and student and business visas. There is no separate permanent resident status between a temporary permit and citizenship. Naturalisation is governed by the Bhutan Citizenship Act 1985: 15 years of residence for those with a Bhutanese parent or for civil servants, 20 years in all other cases, plus an exam in the Dzongkha language and knowledge of the country's culture; the government expressly retains the right to reject an application without giving reasons. Dual citizenship is not permitted — acquiring another citizenship automatically terminates Bhutanese citizenship. Marriage to a Bhutanese citizen gives the foreign spouse a residence status (Special Residence Permit or Immigration Card depending on the date of marriage) but does not speed up naturalisation. Land and real estate are reserved by the Land Act of Bhutan 2007 for citizens, the institution of the monarchy, the state and recognised Bhutanese organisations — foreigners, including spouses of Bhutanese citizens, are not on this list and may only rent housing. The country lies in a zone of high seismic hazard in the Himalayas.
Sri Lanka in brief
Sri Lanka is an island state in the Indian Ocean; the country's de jure capital is Sri Jayawardenepura Kotte, where parliament sits, but the neighbouring city of Colombo remains the economic, business and diplomatic centre. The Department of Immigration and Emigration operates 16 residence visa categories: among those in force are the Employment Category Residence Visa (including projects approved by the Board of Investment, BOI), the investor visa (from USD 100,000 for 5 years, or from USD 200,000 for 10 years) and the newly introduced digital nomad visa with an income threshold from USD 2,000 a month; the Resident Guest Scheme and My Dream Home programmes are closed to new applicants and allow only renewal by existing holders. No separate route to permanent residence or to citizenship by length of residence for a foreigner without Sri Lankan origin has been found in the authority's published materials, other than marriage to a Sri Lankan citizen (Permanent Residence Visa, category (b)); dual citizenship is available on application, but it is addressed to persons who already held or currently hold Sri Lankan citizenship. Bringing in dogs and cats requires a veterinary certificate and the statutory minimum 30-day quarantine. On the INFORM scale the country's tsunami risk is rated at 8.0 out of 10 — relevant for the coastal cities of the southern and eastern coasts, which were affected by the 2004 disaster.
Other comparisons
Bhutan or… Taiwan · South Korea · Japan · Thailand · Kazakhstan · Lebanon · Uzbekistan · Malaysia
Sri Lanka or… Azerbaijan · Philippines · Bangladesh · Kuwait · Iraq · Mongolia · Oman · People's Republic of China
More on each: Bhutan · Sri Lanka. Build your own comparison — up to four countries
This material is for reference and is not legal, tax or immigration advice. Visa rules, tax thresholds and prices change. Before deciding anything, check the official sources and consult a licensed professional in the relevant country.