Do I Need a Visa to Enter Sri Lanka? (Updated September 2026)

Last updated 21 September 2026

Sri Lanka still asks every visitor to apply online before they fly, but since May 2026 most of our travellers pay nothing for it. This guide was checked against the UK Foreign Office advice and Sri Lanka's official ETA portal in September 2026.

Do I need a visa for Sri Lanka?

An ETA is required: every foreign visitor needs an Electronic Travel Authorization (ETA), Sri Lanka's online tourist visa, before arriving. That includes British, Irish, EU, US, Canadian, Australian and New Zealand passport holders.

Free for 40 countries since 25 May 2026: the tourist ETA is now issued free of charge to citizens of the UK, the United States, Canada, Australia and New Zealand, and of Austria, Belgium, the Czech Republic, Denmark, Finland, France, Germany, Italy, the Netherlands, Poland, Spain and Sweden, as well as Norway and Switzerland. Fees paid before that date are not refunded.

Not on the free list: EU passports not named above, including Ireland, Portugal and Greece, still pay the standard ETA fee shown on the portal. The application is the same.

Transit: you need no visa if you are connecting by air and your onward flight leaves within 24 hours of arrival. Check your transit time with your airline.

Stay: 30 days, with double entry allowed within those 30 days, counted from your first arrival.
Passport: valid for at least 6 months after the day you arrive.
Extending: apply online through the Department of Immigration and Emigration before your 30 days are up. An extension is paid, even if your ETA was free.
Overstaying: can mean detention, a fine, deportation at your own cost and a ban on coming back.

Entry requirements

A passport valid for at least 6 months from arrival.
Your approved ETA, on your phone or printed.
An arrival card: fill it in online in the three days before you fly, through the Department of Immigration's e-services site, or on paper when you land.
A yellow fever certificate if you are arriving from a country with a risk of transmission.

Getting your Sri Lanka ETA

Every traveller needs one, whichever passport they hold, and it is applied for online before you travel. For most of our travellers the only difference since May 2026 is that there is nothing to pay.

Use the official portal: eta.gov.lk, run by Sri Lanka's Department of Immigration and Emigration. Copycat sites charge a fee for an ETA that is free on the official one.
Choose the tourist ETA: fill in your passport and travel details.
Pay, if you have to: nothing for the 40 countries on the free list; everyone else pays the standard fee on the portal by card.
Apply before you fly: do it a week or two ahead, so there is time if anything is queried.
Keep the approval with you: on your phone or printed, with your passport, when you land.

The quickest way to see the exact rules for your passport is to check your requirements with Sherpa, which keeps track of the latest entry changes for you.

Our Sri Lanka trips

Here are the 10 trips we run in Sri Lanka.

See all Sri Lanka trips

Travelling within Sri Lanka

With your ETA approved, the whole island is open with no further permits: Colombo, Kandy, Sigiriya, Ella and the tea country, Yala and the south coast beaches. Every one of our Sri Lanka group and private trips fits inside the 30 days: the 15-day Backpacking Sri Lanka, the 12-day Express Adventure, the 12-day Sri Lanka Experience, the 8-day and 5-day private tours, and the 24-day India & Sri Lanka trip, which also needs an Indian visa (see our India visa guide). Volunteers joining turtle conservation, teaching or construction placements for longer than 30 days will need to extend. Before you go, read our Sri Lanka weather guide and vaccines guide.

Official sources

Check the latest visa requirements:

UK Foreign Office: Sri Lanka entry requirements
Sri Lanka ETA (official application portal)
Department of Immigration and Emigration, Sri Lanka
Contact the Sri Lanka embassy or consulate in your country

Sri Lanka visa FAQs

Do UK citizens need a visa for Sri Lanka?

Yes, an Electronic Travel Authorization (ETA), applied for online before you travel. Since 25 May 2026 it is free for British citizens and gives 30 days in Sri Lanka with double entry.

Is the Sri Lanka ETA free?

For citizens of 40 countries, yes, since 25 May 2026. They include the UK, US, Canada, Australia, New Zealand, Norway, Switzerland and 12 EU countries: Austria, Belgium, the Czech Republic, Denmark, Finland, France, Germany, Italy, the Netherlands, Poland, Spain and Sweden. Other nationalities, including Irish and Portuguese travellers, pay the standard fee shown on eta.gov.lk.

How long can I stay in Sri Lanka on an ETA?

30 days from your first arrival, and you can leave and come back once within those 30 days. To stay longer, apply online for an extension through the Department of Immigration and Emigration before the 30 days run out; the extension is charged even when the ETA was free.

Do I need an arrival card for Sri Lanka?

Yes. You can fill it in online in the three days before your flight, through the Department of Immigration's e-services site, or on paper when you land.

Can I get a visa on arrival in Sri Lanka?

Do not plan on it. The UK Foreign Office says to apply for the ETA online before you travel, and for most of our travellers it is free when you do.

Do I need a Sri Lanka ETA for a transit?

Not if you are transiting by air and your connecting flight leaves within 24 hours of arriving. Check the timing with your airline.

Handy tools for your trip

Flights: compare fares for your Sri Lanka flights on Skyscanner.
Money: dodge bad exchange rates with a Wise travel card.
Travel insurance: cover your backpacking trip with Nomad Insurance from SafetyWing.

A free ETA, an arrival card filled in on your phone and you are through Colombo airport and on your way to the hill country. Check out our Sri Lanka backpacking tours.

Your next trip starts here