Sri Lanka ETA: How to Apply, Cost, Processing and Validity (2026)

Checked 2026-06.

Checked 2026-06: Sri Lanka requires an Electronic Travel Authorization (ETA) before arrival, but since 25 May 2026 nationals of about 40 countries — including the US, UK, EU states, Canada, Australia, India and the Gulf — get the 30-day tourist ETA free of charge, while most other nationalities still pay an official fee in the rough range of US$20–50.

The Sri Lanka ETA (Electronic Travel Authorization) is an online pre-approval you must hold before boarding a flight to Colombo or Mattala. It is not a sticker visa — it is an electronic record linked to your passport. As of the 2026-06 check, an ETA is mandatory for essentially all foreign visitors, including the nationalities that now travel for free and even those covered by reciprocal agreements (Maldives, Seychelles, Singapore). "Free" means no fee, not no application.

The biggest 2026 change: with effect from 25 May 2026, Sri Lanka began granting a free 30-day tourist ETA to nationals of around 40 countries, among them the United States, United Kingdom, Canada, Australia, New Zealand, Japan, South Korea, China, India, Russia and most EU member states plus the major Gulf states. For these travelers the official tourist ETA fee is zero. Travelers who paid the old fee before 25 May 2026 were told those payments are non-refundable, so it is worth confirming your nationality's current status on the official portal before paying anyone.

For nationalities not on the free list, the official tourist ETA fee in 2026 sits roughly in the US$20–50 band depending on category — SAARC-region passports (for example Bangladesh, Bhutan) typically fall toward the lower end (around US$20), while most other non-listed nationalities pay around US$50; transit ETAs are generally free, and business ETAs cost a little more than tourist. Treat these as dated ranges, not guarantees: the fee table changes, so verify the exact figure for your passport at apply time. The standard tourist ETA permits a 30-day stay with double entry, valid within the 30-day window from your first arrival; extensions (up to several months total) are handled separately by the Department of Immigration & Emigration for an extra fee.

You can apply yourself, directly and for the lowest possible cost, on the official government portal at eta.gov.lk. You'll need a passport valid for at least six months, your travel dates, an address in Sri Lanka, and a card for any fee that applies to your nationality. Approvals are often issued within minutes to 24 hours, though officials advise allowing up to about three days and applying at least a few days before travel to be safe. There is no need to pay a third party simply to access a free or low-cost government ETA.

If you'd rather not deal with the government form, a service like iVisa will complete and submit the application for you and offers faster processing tiers — but it charges its own service fee on top of any official government fee, and that service fee rises with the speed tier (rush and super-rush cost more). The honest trade-off: convenience and review versus a higher total price. If your nationality now qualifies for the free ETA, applying yourself on the official portal costs nothing; a paid agent's charge is purely for the convenience.

Check your specific case with the visa-on-arrival eligibility checker.