Beach and rocks at Pigeon Island National Park, Trincomalee, Sri Lanka

Who needs a visa for Sri Lanka?

Southern Asia · Colombo

Photo: AntanO / Wikimedia Commons · CC BY-SA 4.0

No nationality enters Sri Lanka without paperwork. Of 198, 193 can get a visa at the border, 4 must be approved before they travel and 1 cannot travel there.

Government fee
$0
Stay permitted
30 days from arrival, double entry. It can be extended inside Sri Lanka.
Apply on the official Sri Lanka government site

This is the government's own portal. We are not paid to send you there.

Checked 18 October 2026 — read the fees and rules on eta.gov.lk

Worth knowing

  • The ETA processing fee is not refundable and cannot be transferred.
  • Children under 12 of any nationality get a free 30-day tourist ETA.
  • The official ETA site is eta.gov.lk. Agent sites charge more than the government fee for the same ETA.

Photo requirements

We have not yet read the photo rules for Sri Lanka on an official page, so we print no sizes. Photo rules we have checked, and official links for the rest

Resize a photo in your browser. It is never uploaded.

How long your passport must be valid for Sri Lanka: see passport validity by country.

What do you need?

Who needs what

eVisa (electronic visa) 1

A real visa application, made online instead of at an embassy. It is assessed, it takes days rather than minutes, and it can be refused.

Visa on arrival 193

Issued at the border rather than beforehand. Bring the fee in cash in the currency the border post accepts. It is a permission, not a guarantee.

Visa required 3

You must apply and be approved before you travel. Airlines will refuse to board you without it.

No admission 1

A government policy, not a paperwork problem. No agent or service can work around it.

Guides for Sri Lanka

About Sri Lanka

Region
Southern Asia
Capital
Colombo
Population
21,756,000 2025 · 62nd of 197
Size
65,610 km² 120th largest of 199
Density
332 per km²
Languages
Sinhala, Tamil
Currency
Sri Lankan rupee LKR
Borders
India

Capital, area, languages and currency from the open country dataset, pulled 21 September 2026. Population from the World Bank, series updated 13 July 2026. Density is calculated from the two figures above.