How to Get a Visa for Sri Lanka How to Get a Visa for Sri Lanka

How to Get a Visa for Sri Lanka

It’s likely you’ve made your best travel decision to date: a trip to Sri Lanka! It’s definitely one of our favorite countries to visit, with its dreamlike landscapes, heavenly food, and tropical vibes. But planning isn’t complete without the necessary paperwork for passport control, so we’ve put together an easy step-by-step guide to booking your visa for Sri Lanka stress-free!

Which Visa for Sri Lanka is for you?

Sri Lanka is one of our favorite countries we’ve visited, so we understand you wanting to go! The good news is that getting a tourist visa for Sri Lanka is relatively simple and can be booked online ahead of time as an electronic visa (ETA). This can either be done by yourself or by a third party. It is easiest to use an online booking service for speed and efficiency.

safari yala national park sri lanka

However, if you cannot do it this way for some reason, you can obtain the ETA visa on arrival at your port of entry in Sri Lanka. Keep in mind that additional fees may apply, as well as the minimal risk that your application may not be approved.

Choosing the correct visa

Before you do anything, you have to decide which visa suits your trip. The options you have are the following:

Tourist Visa Sri Lanka

The Tourist Visa is valid for a ‘short stay’ of a maximum of 30 days with a double entry. This means you may leave the country and come back once within those 30 days. Additionally, it’s possible to extend it up to 6 months. This is the most common one, and the one we got as well. Apply for your visa online here.

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How to Get a Visa for Sri Lanka

Business Visa

A Business Visa for Sri Lanka is valid for 30 days with double entry. Apply for this particular visa if you’ve come to the country to have meetings, conferences, workshops, seminars, or training programs.

Transit Visa

If you’re using Sri Lanka as a long layover/transit destination, you can apply for the Sri Lanka Transit Visa. This visa is valid for a period of 2 days with a single entry.

Other visas

For any other purposes, such as media/journalism, you have to apply for a visa through the right governmental channels. How to do that will have been communicated to you specifically.

how to get visa

How to apply for a Visa in Sri Lanka

Applying is as simple as filling out the form with your details (have your passport on hand). The approval will be sent directly to your email within 24 hours. When filling out the form, make sure you have your flight details and the address of your first night of accommodation ready. After that, you will receive your application within a few days.

Price of a Sri Lanka Visa

Depending on your country of residence, the price of a visa changes. But, on average, the price for a Sri Lankan Visa is the following:

  • Tourist Visa – 85 USD
  • Business Visa – 90 USD
  • Transit Visa – Free

A quick reminder to check if you:

  • Have a passport valid for a period of at least 6 months upon entering Sri Lanka. This is so important — you don’t want to land and be denied entry because of this!
  • Have a confirmed return ticket or a ticket to your next destination.
  • Make sure you’ve got sufficient funds to meet the expenses during your stay.

How to Get a Visa Extension

If you’re anything like us, there’s a high chance you may fall in love with Sri Lanka on your 30-day visa and want to extend your stay. Luckily, this is possible in most cases, with a maximum extension of 6 months. If you’d like to extend, follow these steps BEFORE your ETA is due to expire:

  • Go to the Head Office of the Department of Immigration and Emigration in Colombo.
  • Bring with you:
    • A passport photo
    • Your passport
    • Evidence of a return air ticket (or onward travel)
    • The address and telephone number of your place of accommodation.
    • Cash/credit card to pay the extension fees (fees are dependent on varying factors such as nationality and/or additional services you may need. You can contact the department for more information on this here.)
how to get visa sri lanka

Our experience when applying for a visa in Sri Lanka

We have been lucky enough to travel to Sri Lanka several times, and in every case, we applied for the ETA online via the form and got approved within a few days.

Always follow the guidelines, double or triple check your details when filling out the forms, and make sure your passport is up to date and valid for at least 6 months upon entering Sri Lanka. 

Enjoy this beautiful country and everything it has to offer!

Disclaimer: This article is updated regularly, but the visa situation might change. Please always double-check with the local authorities.

09/05/2025 https://www.saltinourhair.com/sri-lanka/visa-sri-lanka/
Blog comments (2)

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  • Myra Fleming

    Has anyone had to wait more than a week to receive their Visa?
    We applied more than a week ago on line and it was approved the next day. The following day the money was taken from our account, since then nothing.
    We’ve emailed them a few times but have had no response.
    I’m hoping that they are just busy due to an influx of tourists as covid restrictions have been lifted.
    Can anyone tell me how long they waited after their Visa was approved to when they actually received the document – is waiting over a week normal?

    • Salt in our Hair

      Hey Myra, did you apply through iVisa? I’d recommend contacting the service you’ve used. Normally it should be ready within a few days.

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