News report | | 09-01-2025 | ±2 minutes reading time

British and Irish citizens, as most travellers, need an ETA to travel to Sri Lanka, but Indian citizens can apply for their ETA for free. The Sri Lankan authorities have announced that other countries will soon be eligible for a free ETA, although it is not yet known which ones.

Free Sri Lanka visa for Indians

During a state visit to India in December 2024, the Sri Lankan Foreign Minister, Vijitha Herath, made public that in 2025, Sri Lanka will issue free visas to travellers of certain nationalities. Herath anounced that India is one of the countries that will continue to benefit from the free visa. Sri Lanka wants to improve bilateral relations with India by offering a free visa to its citizens. The country hopes that India, in turn, will also ease visa requirements for Sri Lankans.

Free visa for other nationalities

The minister has also said that other 39 countries will be eligible for this free visa. However, it has not yet been announced which are those countries. Although it has been confirmed that, as of 2025, Indians will not have to pay for their visa, the remaining 38 countries benefiting from this measure have not yet been disclosed. Minister Herath has announced that Sri Lanka's parliament will release further information on the new visa requirements in January.

Current visa exemptions for Sri Lanka

Currently, travelers holding passports of seven countries (China, India, Indonesia, Russia, Thailand, Malaysia and Japan) are already eligible for the free visa (ETA) to Sri Lanka. This is not a visa waiver though, since these travelers must actually apply for an ETA Sri Lanka. However they do not have to pay for their application. Travelers who can benefit of this free visa may stay in Sri Lanka for a maximum of 30 days and enter in the country two times at the most.

Boost for tourism in Sri Lanka

Offering free visas to travelers is just one of the measures included in a broader plan stablished by Sri Lankan authorities in order to encourage tourism in the country. After the Easter 2019 attacks in Sri Lanka and entry restrictions during the coronavirus pandemic, the amount of international tourists in Sri Lanka dropped dramatically. Sri Lankan authorities hope to bring the amount of tourists back to pre-2019 levels. Thanks to the withdrawal of visa fees, more travelers should be encouraged to visit the island.

Apply for the ETA Sri Lanka online

It is still not known if Europeans will soon also be able to benefit of the free visa. For now, British and Irish citizens must apply for an ETA or visa to travel to Sri Lanka. This can be done online in a quick and simple way, by means of a digital application form. Travelers must fill in the ETA online application form and pay the costs. After a few days, their ETA will be approved and sent to them by email. Thus, it is not necessary to provide any documents or passport at the embassy.
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