Most visitors to Sri Lanka must obtain an Electronic Travel Authorization (ETA).
All visitors must hold a passport valid for at least 6 months.
Visa policy map
Visa exemption Non-ordinary passports Holders of diplomatic, official, service or special passports of the following countries may enter Sri Lanka without a visa for the following period:
90 days D O S Sp
90 days within any 180 days D O SD O S
60 days, 90 days within any 1 year D O S Sp
30 days D Sp D O S D O D O S D O S D O S D O D O PA S D D O S D O D O S D O S D S D S D O S D S Sp D O D O S D O D O S D O S Sp D O S D O S
30 days within any 60 days D O S
D - Diplomatic passports O - Official passports PA - Passports for public affairs S - Service passports Sp - Special passports
Holders of a United Nations Passport, regardless of nationality, may enter Sri Lanka without a visa for a maximum stay of up to 90 days. Holders of a Interpol Passport, regardless of nationality, may enter Sri Lanka without a visa for a maximum stay of up to 90 days.
Electronic Travel Authorization (ETA)
Citizens of the following countries are eligible to independently obtain a free Electronic Travel Authorization (ETA) to enter Sri Lanka for the following period:
90 days
30 days 1
11
1 - For Chinese citizens with People's Republic of China passports, Hong Kong Special Administrative Region passports or Macao Special Administrative Region passports only. When applying for an ETA, visitors with these passports should select China as nationality because Hong Kong / Macau is not available as a nationality option.
Citizens of other countries, except those mentioned in the "Sponsor required" section, may independently apply for an Electronic Travel Authorization (ETA) valid for 30 days, for a fee.
Sponsor required Citizens of the following countries can not apply for ETA independently. They must obtain a visa through a Sri Lankan sponsor:
The following documents should be submitted to the Head office of the Department of Immigration and Emigration Head Office, Battaramulla, through the Sri Lankan sponsor for consideration of the visa application:
Request letter from the Sri Lankan sponsor Affidavit from the Sri Lankan sponsor signed before a Justice of the Peace or lawyer Certified copy of the national identity card or passport photocopy of the Sri Lankan sponsor Applicant's police clearance report (not required for citizens of Kosovo and Taiwan) Applicant's passport photocopy Proof of accommodation
Mandatory yellow fever vaccination Citizens of the following countries must present a yellow fever vaccination certificate upon arrival in order to enter Sri Lanka:
History In 2012, Sri Lanka launched an Electronic Travel Authorisation (ETA) system, created and operated by Mobitel, a state-owned enterprise.
On 17 April 2024, Sri Lanka replaced its previous Electronic Travel Authorisation system with a new e-Visa system, operated by VFS Global.
On 2 August 2024, the Supreme Court of Sri Lanka issued an interim order, which suspended the e-Visa system operated by VFS Global and ordered the restoration of the previous ETA system operated by Mobitel.
On 4 August 2024, Ada Derana reported that the Ministry of Public Security would make a final decision the next day, and noted that the suspension of the e-Visa system meant that tourists needed to obtain their visas on arrival.
On 5 August 2024, the Department of Immigration and Emigration notified the Sri Lankan diplomatic missions around the world of the discontinuation of the e-Visa system. According to Minister of Public Security Tiran Alles, the old ETA system has yet to be reinstated due to changes made to the Department of Immigration and Emigration's computer system.
On 2 September 2024, Sri Lanka decided to implement visa-free access for citizens of 38 countries, including India, China, Thailand, the UK, the USA, and Indonesia. Although it was initially planned to be implemented on 1 October 2024, the decision was advanced due to the inconvenience caused to tourists at the visa-on-arrival counters, where overcrowding was a significant issue.
The ETA system is experiencing constant problems. The most recently reported issue occurred on 4 March 2026. Until the note is removed from the IATA Timatic system, travelers can still obtain a visa on arrival.
Visitor statistics
See also
Visa requirements for Sri Lankan citizens Tourism in Sri Lanka Foreign relations of Sri Lanka Sri Lankan passport
References
External links Ministry of Foreign Affairs Department of Immigration and Emigration Official Sri Lanka ETA