On 7 May 2026, the Sri Lankan Parliament gave the go-ahead for the introduction of a visa-free scheme for 40 nationalities. It is not yet known when the new measure will come into effect.
There have been plans to introduce a visa-free scheme for some time
At the end of March, the Sri Lankan Cabinet has already adopted a proposal to offer a free ETA. The second stage of the legislative process in the Sri Lankan parliament has now taken place. Following the parliament’s decision, the Sri Lankan authorities are permitted to issue a free ETA to travellers from 40 countries. The scheme may last for a maximum of one year. Until the new measure comes into force, travellers can only obtain the Sri Lanka ETA for a fee. You can read more about the price.
Which nationalities are eligible for a visa-free entry?
Travellers from the following countries may soon be able to obtain a free ETA for Sri Lanka:
Australia, Bahrain, Belgium, Canada, China, Denmark, Germany, Finland, France, India, Indonesia, Iran, Israel, Italy, Japan, Kazakhstan, Kuwait, Malaysia, Nepal, The Netherlands, New Zealand, Norway, Oman, Austria, Pakistan, Poland, Qatar, Russia, Saudi Arabia, Spain, Thailand, the Czech Republic, Turkey, the United Arab Emirates, the United Kingdom, the United States, Belarus, South Korea, Sweden, Switzerland.
Applying for an ETA for Sri Lanka will remain mandatory in future, including for Dutch and Belgian nationals. You can easily apply for your ETA in Dutch via this website.
What is the ETA for Sri Lanka?
The abbreviation ETA stands for ‘Electronic Travel Authorisation’. The ETA is a travel authorisation that allows travellers to visit Sri Lanka for a holiday, business trip or transit. Each stay may last for a maximum of 30 days. Dutch, Belgian and other European travellers are eligible for the Sri Lanka ETA. The application process is conducted entirely online. On e-Visa.ie You can easily apply for the visa (ETA) in Dutch. To do so, please fill in an application form and pay the visa fees. The processing time for the Sri Lanka ETA is on average 4 days. Spoedaanvragen worden gemiddeld al binnen 30 minutes approved.
The Sri Lanka ETA is valid for 180 days. This means that, from the date of issue, you have 180 days to arrive in Sri Lanka. It is therefore not a problem if you decide to arrive on a different date to the one you specified on the form. The maximum stay of 30 days begins from the date of your arrival. During your stay, you may leave Sri Lanka once and re-enter on the same visa. You also have the option of extending the duration of your stay on the visa (ETA) from 30 to 90 days whilst you are in the country. To do this, you can contact the Sri Lankan Immigration Department in Colombo.
The reasons for introducing the free ETA
Sri Lanka’s Minister of Public Security and Parliamentary Affairs, Ananda Wijepala, has announced that the introduction of the visa-free scheme for Sri Lanka will result in a loss of approximately EUR 63.72 million (USD 75 million) in revenue. At the same time, the authorities expect the number of tourists to rise by 247,000 as a result of the new measure. According to official estimates, this will generate approximately EUR 269.35 million in additional revenue for the Sri Lankan economy.
Until the US-Israeli attack on Iran in late February, the first few months of the year had been fairly positive for Sri Lanka’s tourism sector. However, the outbreak of war dealt a severe blow to the sector. The government hopes that this planned measure will help to mitigate the impact on the economy. The Sri Lankan government is expected to announce further details regarding the free ETA shortly.