Entry requirements
How to Apply for a Sri Lanka Visa Online
Every foreign visitor needs an Electronic Travel Authorization before flying to Sri Lanka — including the forty nationalities that now pay nothing for it. This is the application in plain language: who qualifies for a free visa, what the fees are, and the small mistakes that cost travellers money at the airport.
Visa rules are set by the Sri Lankan Department of Immigration & Emigration and can change without notice. This page reflects the official position on 29 July 2026. Yatours does not issue visas and never takes visa payments — apply only on the government portal linked below.
- Apply at
- eta.gov.lk (official)
- Free 30-day ETA
- 40 nationalities
- Standard tourist fee
- US$50 · US$20 South Asia
- Entry
- Double entry within 30 days
Use the government portal and nothing else
Search results for 'Sri Lanka visa' are full of look-alike sites that add a service fee on top of the government charge, and a few that simply take the money. The only official channel is eta.gov.lk, operated by the Department of Immigration & Emigration.
- The official domain is eta.gov.lk. Anything else is an intermediary, however official it looks.
- There is no separate 'processing' payment. Where a fee applies, you pay it once by card inside the official application.
- Yatours never asks for visa money. If you are travelling with us and need a confirmed itinerary or accommodation letter for your application, just ask.
Do I need a visa for Sri Lanka?
Yes, with almost no exceptions. All foreign nationals must hold an approved Electronic Travel Authorization before they arrive, and that includes the nationalities who receive it free of charge. A free visa is not the same as no visa: you still complete the application and travel with an approved ETA.
- The standard tourist ETA gives 30 days from first arrival, with a double-entry facility inside that period.
- Maldivian nationals receive 90 days under a bilateral agreement, still through the ETA system.
- Children under 12 of any nationality are issued a free ETA for stays up to 30 days.
- A transit visa for up to two days is free of charge.
Nationalities with a free 30-day tourist ETA
With effect from 25 May 2026, nationals of these forty countries receive the 30-day tourist ETA free of charge, on diplomatic, official, service or ordinary passports. Nationals of the Maldives (90 days), Seychelles and Singapore are also processed free of charge under bilateral agreements.
- Australia
- Austria
- Bahrain
- Belarus
- Belgium
- Canada
- China
- Czech Republic
- Denmark
- Finland
- France
- Germany
- India
- Indonesia
- Iran
- Israel
- Italy
- Japan
- Kazakhstan
- Kuwait
- Malaysia
- Nepal
- Netherlands
- New Zealand
- Norway
- Oman
- Pakistan
- Poland
- Qatar
- Russia
- Saudi Arabia
- South Korea
- Spain
- Sweden
- Switzerland
- Thailand
- Turkey
- United Arab Emirates
- United Kingdom
- United States
Everyone on this list must still apply for the ETA before arrival. ETA fees paid before 25 May 2026 are not refundable. If your nationality is not listed, the standard fees below apply.
Sri Lanka visa (ETA) fees
Where a fee applies it depends on your nationality group and how the application is submitted. South Asian (SAARC) nationals pay a lower rate than everyone else.
| Visa type | How submitted | South Asian nationals | All other nationalities |
|---|---|---|---|
| Tourist ETA, 30 days, double entry | Online, at an overseas mission, or at head office | US$20 | US$50 |
| Tourist visa | On arrival | US$25 | US$60 |
| Business ETA, 30 days | Online, at an overseas mission, or at head office | US$30 | US$55 |
| Transit visa, up to 2 days | Online | Free | Free |
Applying on arrival costs more and means queueing at immigration, and the official instruction is that all foreign nationals should hold an ETA before they arrive. Treat on-arrival as a fallback, not a plan. Stays of 30 to 90 days and multiple-entry business visas are charged at rates that vary by nationality — the official fee schedule lists them in full.
How to apply for a Sri Lanka ETA, step by step
The form is short and most applications are approved quickly. Nearly all the trouble comes from typing details that do not match the passport.
Have your passport and plans in front of you
You need the passport you will actually travel on, your arrival flight details, and an address in Sri Lanka for the first night. Travel on a passport with comfortable validity beyond your trip — carriers routinely refuse boarding on a passport close to expiry.
Open the official portal
Go to eta.gov.lk and choose the tourist or business ETA application. Free-visa nationalities use the same form as everybody else.
Enter every detail exactly as printed in your passport
Passport number, nationality and date of birth must match the document character for character. This is the single most common cause of trouble: a mismatch means paying for the visa again on arrival.
Pay, if a fee applies to you
Free-visa nationalities pay nothing. Everyone else pays by card at submission. The fee is charged immediately, and it is neither refundable nor transferable if the application is withdrawn or the details are wrong.
Save the approval notice
Approval normally arrives by email quickly, but do not leave it to the day before you fly. Travel with a copy on your phone and a printout in your hand luggage.
Travel on the same passport you applied with
If you present a different travel document at immigration from the one used in the application, the ETA does not cover you and you will be charged again on arrival.
What you may be asked for at immigration
An approved ETA is permission to seek entry, not a guarantee of it. Sri Lankan immigration can ask any arriving visitor for the same short list, and having it ready keeps you moving through the hall.
- A return or onward ticket, if you are arriving by air.
- Evidence of sufficient funds to cover your stay.
- Your first night's accommodation address — ideally the one on your application.
- The passport used in the ETA application.
Staying longer than 30 days
The standard tourist ETA covers 30 days from first arrival, with a double-entry facility inside that window — useful if you are pairing Sri Lanka with the Maldives or southern India. If you want longer, you extend inside the country rather than reapplying from home.
- Extensions are processed by the Department of Immigration & Emigration on payment of the applicable fee.
- Travellers who entered on a free visa can extend the same way, by paying the relevant visa fee.
- Apply before your 30 days expire, not after — overstaying carries penalties at departure.
- Tourist and business visas covering 30 to 90 days are priced by nationality on the official fee schedule.
Special cases worth knowing about
A handful of situations sit outside the standard online flow. If any of these apply to you, allow noticeably more time than a normal ETA.
- Nationals of Cameroon, Nigeria, Ivory Coast, Ghana and Afghanistan apply through a Sri Lankan sponsor, with documents submitted to the Department of Immigration & Emigration head office in Battaramulla.
- Business travel uses a separate business ETA, with single, double or multiple entry depending on the fee paid.
- Children under 12 receive a free ETA for stays up to 30 days, whatever their nationality — but the application still has to be made.
- Transit passengers who need to leave the airside area can use the free two-day transit visa.
What we can help with, and what we can't
We are a Sri Lankan tour operator, not a visa agent. What we can do is give your application the supporting detail it asks for, at no charge, for guests travelling with us.
- A confirmed day-by-day itinerary for your travel dates.
- Hotel confirmations, including a first-night address in Sri Lanka.
- A letter confirming your ground arrangements, if an overseas mission asks for one.
- Airport meet-and-greet and a private transfer once you clear immigration.
Official visa sources
Check these before you pay for anything. If a detail on this page ever disagrees with them, they are right and we are out of date.
- Official Sri Lanka ETA applicationThe only official application portal, with current alerts
- Department of Immigration & EmigrationVisa rules, extensions, notices and contact details
- Current ETA and visa fee scheduleOfficial fees by visa type, nationality group and submission method
- Free tourist visa notice for 40 countries (PDF)The published list and conditions, effective 25 May 2026
Once the visa is sorted
Private journeys to arrive into
A confirmed itinerary also gives your application the accommodation details it asks for. These are three of the routes travellers arrive for most often.
Cultural Triangle
Cultural Triangle Circuit
Ancient cities, cave temples, and the climb up Sigiriya into sky-palace air.
5 days · from USD 640
Deep South
Wild South, Safari & Sea
Dawn game drives in leopard country, then warm southern bays and whale-rich mornings.
6 days · from USD 760
Island-wide
The Grand Island Journey
Coast to hills, end to end — the complete island, unhurried, at your own rhythm.
12 days · from USD 1,680
Good to know
Frequently asked questions
Is Sri Lanka visa free?
For nationals of forty listed countries, plus the Maldives, Seychelles and Singapore, the 30-day tourist ETA has been issued free of charge since 25 May 2026. It is not visa-free entry, though: every foreign national, including those forty nationalities, must still apply for and hold an approved Electronic Travel Authorization before arriving in Sri Lanka.
How much is a Sri Lanka tourist visa?
Where a fee applies, the 30-day double-entry tourist ETA is US$50 for most nationalities and US$20 for South Asian (SAARC) nationals when submitted online, at an overseas mission or at head office. Obtaining the visa on arrival instead costs US$60 and US$25 respectively. Nationals of the forty free-visa countries pay nothing.
Which website is the official Sri Lanka visa site?
eta.gov.lk, operated by the Department of Immigration & Emigration. Many commercial sites resell the same application with a markup. If you are being charged more than the published government fee, or asked to pay a separate processing charge, you are not on the official portal.
How long does a Sri Lanka ETA take to be approved?
Straightforward tourist applications are usually approved quickly, often within a day. Even so, apply several days before you fly rather than at the airport: if a detail needs correcting, or your case falls into one of the sponsored categories, you will want the time.
How long can I stay in Sri Lanka on a tourist visa?
Thirty days from your first arrival, with a double-entry facility inside that period. Maldivian nationals receive ninety days. If you want to stay longer, apply for an extension inside Sri Lanka through the Department of Immigration & Emigration on payment of the applicable fee, before your thirty days run out.
Do children need a visa for Sri Lanka?
Yes. Children of any nationality need their own ETA, but children under twelve are issued it free of charge for stays of up to thirty days. The application still has to be submitted before travel.
Can I get a visa on arrival in Sri Lanka?
The official fee schedule still lists an on-arrival rate, but the published instruction is that all foreign nationals should obtain an ETA before arriving. On-arrival processing costs more and means queueing, so treat it as a fallback rather than a plan.
Does Yatours apply for our visas?
No. We are a tour operator, not a visa agent, and we never take visa payments. What we do provide, free of charge for guests travelling with us, is the supporting paperwork an application or an overseas mission may ask for: a confirmed itinerary, hotel confirmations and a first-night address in Sri Lanka.
Continue exploring
Visa sorted? Let's plan the journey
Send us your dates and we will come back with a private itinerary — and the accommodation confirmations your application asks for.