All you need to know about Sri Lanka visa

Do I need a visa for Sri Lanka, and what visa type do I need? If you are travelling to Sri Lanka for a holiday or for a business trip, you will always need a visa. Children are also required to have their own visa to enter the country. The only exception to the visa requirement applies to residents of Sri Lanka, the Maldives, Singapore, and the Seychelles.

Tourists and business travellers staying in Sri Lanka for up to 30 days can use a simple visa that you can apply for online. This e-visa is also known as the Electronic Travel Authorization or the 'ETA'. It allows you to travel to Sri Lanka for a holiday, a cruise, a family visit, or a business trip. It also permits you to take part in a conference or make a stop over.

Do you want to stay in Sri Lanka longer than 30 days? You can make an appointment at the Sri Lanka embassy to apply for a physical visa with a longer validity period. Another option is to apply online for a visa allowing you to stay 30 days in Sri Lanka. During your stay in the country, you can extend your stay from 30 days to a maximum of 270. You can do this at the Immigration Services Centre (330 Galle Road, Colombo 00300, Sri Lanka, +94-727-591-591).

Sri Lanka visa requirements

Please read the following visa rules and regulations carefully before applying for your visa (ETA) online:

• You can apply for your visa even before booking your trip. After receiving the visa, you can to travel to Sri Lanka 90 days before or after the arrival date that you filled in the application form (information about the validity period).
• You can stay in Sri Lanka for 30 days. During that period, you can leave the country once and enter again with the same visa. Your second departure date must be included within the 30 days following your first arrival date.
• Your passport must still be valid for at least 6 months on the day of arrival in Sri Lanka. Please note that this must be the same passport you used for your visa application.
• You must be able to present a booking confirmation of your return trip or transit to another country upon arrival. This will prove your intention to leave Sri Lanka again within 30 days.
• Immigration officials may randomly ask you to prove that you have sufficient financial resources to pay for your trip. Make sure you can show your bank balance digitally.
• If you are a diplomat, journalist, professional photographer or media producer, you cannot apply for your visa online. You must apply for a special visa at the Embassy of Sri Lanka, even if you are only travelling as a tourist.
• When you travel using the online ETA, you are not allowed to engage in journalistic or political activities. Taking professional photos or videos is also not allowed. Attending conferences is allowed, but not if these are journalistic or political conferences.

Getting started with your visa application

If you meet the visa requirements listed above, you can apply for your Sri Lanka visa using the online application form on this website. You only need to have your passport at hand.

In order to receive the right type of visa, you will need to specify in the application form if you are travelling for tourism or for business. You will need no more than 15 minutes to fill in the application form. You can also make a group application. This allows you to apply simultaneously for visas for all your fellow travellers. To do this, you only need to clic on the button 'Add a traveller", at the bottom of the form. Read more tips on filling in the application form.

Cost of the Sri Lanka visa

After completing the application form, you can pay for the Sri Lanka visa. The tourist visa costs € 79,95 per person, consisting of consular fees, service fees and taxes. Once your payment is received, your application will be checked for common entry errors. Business visas are subject to an additional fee. Once everything is in order, your application will be submitted to the Immigration Department in Sri Lanka for review.

Delivery time and urgent delivery

On average, the Sri Lanka visa is granted within 4 days. You will receive an email, allowing you to view and download your visa. If you will be travelling within 6 days, you will only be able to submit your application through e-Visa.ie if you select 'urgent applicaton'. A surcharge of € 17,50 per person applies for this service. Urgent applications are approved within 30 minutes on average. Please note, this is an average delivery time and not a maximum delivery time.

Apply for your Sri Lanka visa directly

You can apply for your Sri Lanka visa right now. If you still have questions, please read the frequently asked questions and answers.