Sri Lanka made its tourist ETA free for a long list of countries, but you still need one. The official portal calls the same document a visa in one sentence and an authorization in the next. What visa-free, visa on arrival, e-visa and ETA each mean explains how to read those names.
Everyone needs one
All foreign nationals must obtain an ETA before arriving in Sri Lanka, including nationals of the countries that pay nothing for it.
Free for 40 countries, from 25 May 2026
With effect from 25 May 2026, nationals of 40 listed countries can obtain a tourist ETA free of charge for 30 days. It covers Diplomatic, Official, Service and Ordinary passport holders, not only standard tourist passports.
We do not reprint the list. It changes, and the official page is the only copy to trust on the day you book. The source link below goes straight to it.
What the free ETA gives you
You get 30 days with double entry, counted from the date of your first arrival. A side trip to the Maldives or southern India and back works on the same authorization, which not every free entry scheme in the region allows.
Staying longer
Visitors who want more than 30 days can apply for a visa extension and pay the applicable fee. Apply before the 30 days run out.
Two situations that work differently
The standard portal does not tell you what to do in either case. VisaHQ handles the sponsor route and the bilateral cases the portal skips.
- Maldivian nationals receive a 90-day free tourist visa through the ETA system under a bilateral agreement.
- Nationals of a small number of countries, including Cameroon, Nigeria, Ivory Coast, Ghana, Afghanistan, Kosovo and Syria, and travellers holding Taiwan-China documents, cannot use the standard route. They must apply through a Sri Lankan sponsor. Start much earlier than a normal ETA would need.
The ETA and its extensions are also the only long-stay route left open to a retiree arriving now, because the scheme built for them no longer takes new applicants. See why Sri Lanka’s retirement visa is closed to newcomers.
Check how your nationality is treated, including the exceptions above (affiliate link)