Sri Lanka Visa

All about the Sri Lanka Visa (ETA) for Tourism, Business and Transit.

Over 97% visas approved in less than a day

The majority of foreign citizens are required to obtain a Sri Lanka visa before traveling. In the case of passport holders from a large number of countries, the Sri Lanka visa application can be completed online before traveling, allowing the applicant to receive a Sri Lanka ETA directly via email. By applying for an online Sri Lanka visa, travelers can avoid lengthy waits for a visa on arrival at border entry points.

What Is the Sri Lanka Visa?

Eligible foreign citizens visiting the country for short stays can apply for the Sri Lanka ETA through a simple online form. This Electronic Travel Authorization, similar to the United States ESTA system, was introduced in 2012 in order to expedite the process of getting a visa for Sri Lanka.

The Sri Lanka visa online is valid for a stay of up to 30 days for either tourism or business purposes, or up to 2 days for transit purposes. Once in the country and before the ETA expires, travelers have the option to renew the validity for up to an additional 6-month stay.

Travelers coming to Sri Lanka for a short stay who are not from countries eligible for the ETA are required to apply at a Sri Lankan Embassy or Consulate before their trip. This could be a Sri Lanka tourist visa, a Sri Lanka business visa, or another visa type depending on the purpose and duration of their stay.

sri lanka visa

Who Needs a Visa for Sri Lanka?

Citizens of all countries traveling to Sri Lanka are required to get a Sri Lanka visa before their trip, with the exception of 3 visa-exempt countries (the Maldives, the Seychelles, and Singapore). Citizens of 21 countries are obliged to get a visa in advance from a Sri Lankan Embassy or Consulate in their country of residence, including Egypt, Syria, and Uganda.

All other foreign passport holders have the option to get a Sri Lanka visa on arrival or apply for the Sri Lanka online visa before travel for tourism or business purposes. However, the latter is strongly advised in order to avoid long processing times upon arrival in Sri Lanka.

Passport holders from all of the following countries are eligible to apply for the Sri Lanka visa online:

sri lanka visa policy

United Kingdom
Germany
Japan
France
Bangladesh
India
United States
Norway
Denmark
United Arab Emirates
Italy
Pakistan
Netherlands
Australia
Canada
China
Russian Federation
Afghanistan
Aland Islands
Albania
Algeria
American Samoa
Andorra
Angola
Anguilla
Antarctica
Antigua and Barbuda
Argentina
Armenia
Aruba
Austria
Azerbaijan
Bahamas
Bahrain
Barbados
Belarus
Belgium
Belize
Benin
Bermuda
Bhutan
Bolivia
Bonaire, St Eustatius & Saba
Bosnia and Herzegovina
Botswana
Brazil
British Indian Ocean Territory
Brunei Darussalam
Bulgaria
Burkina Faso
Burundi
Cambodia
Cape Verde
Cayman Islands
Central African Republic
Chad
Chile
Christmas Island
Cocos (Keeling) Islands
Colombia
Comoros
Congo
Cook Islands
Costa Rica
Croatia
Cuba
Curacao
Czech Republic
Djibouti
Dominica
Dominican Republic
Ecuador
Egypt
El Salvador
Equatorial Guinea
Eritrea
Estonia
Ethiopia
Falkland Islands (Malvinas)
Faroe Islands
Federated States of Micronesia
Fiji
Finland
French Guiana
French Polynesia
Gabon
Gambia
Georgia
Gibraltar
Greece
Greenland
Grenada
Guadeloupe
Guam
Guatemala
Guernsey
Guinea
Guinea-Bissau
Guyana
Haiti
Honduras
Hong Kong
Hungary
Iceland
Indonesia
Iraq
Ireland
Iran
Isle of Man
Israel
Jamaica
Jersey
Jordan
Kazakhstan
Kenya
Kiribati
Kuwait
Kyrgyzstan
Laos
Latvia
Lebanon
Lesotho
Liberia
Libya
Liechtenstein
Lithuania
Luxembourg
Macau
Macedonia
Madagascar
Malawi
Malaysia
Mali
Malta
Marshall Islands
Martinique
Mauritania
Mauritius
Mayotte
Mexico
Monaco
Mongolia
Montenegro
Montserrat
Morocco
Mozambique
Myanmar
Namibia
Nauru
Nepal
New Caledonia
New Zealand
Nicaragua
Niger
Niue
Norfolk Island
Northern Mariana Islands
Oman
Palau
Palestinian Territory
Panama
Papua New Guinea
Paraguay
Peru
Philippines
Pitcairn Islands
Poland
Portugal
Puerto Rico
Qatar
Cyprus
South Korea
Republic of Moldova
Reunion
Romania
Rwanda
Saint Barthelemy
Saint Helena
St Kitts & Nevis
Saint Lucia
Saint Martin
St Pierre & Miquelon
St Vincent & the Grenadines
Samoa
San Marino
Sao Tome & Principe
Saudi Arabia
Senegal
Serbia
Seychelles
Sierra Leone
Sint Maarten (Dutch part)
Slovakia
Slovenia
Solomon Islands
Somalia
South Africa
South Georgia & the South Sandwich Islands
South Sudan
Spain
Sudan
Suriname
Svalbard & Jan Mayen
Swaziland
Sweden
Switzerland
Taiwan
Tajikistan
Thailand
The Democratic Republic of the Congo
Timor-Leste
Togo
Tokelau
Tonga
Trinidad & Tobago
Tunisia
Turkey
Turkmenistan
Turks & Caicos Islands
Tuvalu
Uganda
Ukraine
United Republic of Tanzania
Uruguay
Uzbekistan
Vanuatu
Vatican City
Venezuela
Vietnam
Virgin Islands, British
Wallis & Futuna
Yemen
Zambia
Zimbabwe

Travel to Sri Lanka with the Online Visa

Sri Lanka is a unique destination in South Asia: a tropical island with a rich cultural history and a huge range of both natural and man-made wonders to explore. In order to enjoy a stay in this diverse paradise, it’s first necessary for eligible passport holders to meet the Sri Lanka visa requirements before applying for the ETA eVisa.

These involve having a passport valid for 6 months upon entry to the country. A copy of the passport information page, a valid credit or debit card to pay the Sri Lanka e-Visa fee, and a current email address at which to receive the electronic visa for Sri Lanka are also all required.

To complete the visa for Sri Lanka online form, applicants are required to fill in a range of personal information as well as the travel itinerary for the trip. The entire application will only take minutes to complete, and upon approval, a copy of the Sri Lanka e-Visa should be printed and kept by the applicant to later present for entry at the Sri Lankan border.

More About the Sri Lanka Visa

Once the form is submitted, it only takes around 24 hours to process the Sri Lanka online visa, with the applicant notified of the outcome by email either way. Although travelers can apply for the visa for Sri Lanka at any time, it’s advised to leave at least a couple of days between submitting an application and the date of travel to Sri Lanka.

The Sri Lanka online visa has a total validity of 6 months from the date of approval. If the applicant applies well before the intended departure date, the approved visa for Sri Lanka will be sent prior to the trip taking into consideration the arrival date.

Advantages to Applying for Your Sri Lanka ETA Now

Online application available 24/7/365.
Review of application by visa experts before submission to the Sri Lankan Government.
Correction of incorrect/missing information by visa experts e.g.: crosscheck passport data with our advanced API technology.
Privacy protection and secure form.
Verification and validation of additional information by experts.
Photo and documents editing. We accept all formats (PDF, JPG, PNG) and size of documents up to 8MB.
Email support and assistance 24/7/365 by visa experts in a range of languages: English, Simplified Chinese, Traditional Chinese, French, Italian, German, Spanish, Portuguese, Russian, Japanese, Korean, Arabic, and several more.
Approved Insurance Policy. A full refund if your eVisa application is denied.
Multiple Methods of Payment used worldwide: Visa, Mastercard, Amex, JCB, Maestro, Discover, Diners Club, Alipay, and Unionpay.

Apply for Sri Lanka