Visa policy of Sri Lanka
Visitors to Sri Lanka visiting for tourism purposes must obtain an Electronic Travel Authorization (ETA) prior to arrival or on arrival to Sri Lanka. Holders of ETA from all countries except the 3 exempt countries obtain a visa on arrival that is valid for 30 days. The Business purpose ETA can be obtained only from Sri Lankan diplomatic missions and head office of the Department of Immigration and Emigration.[1][2] All visitors must hold a passport valid for 6 months. Nationals of Afghanistan, Iran, Iraq, Nigeria, Pakistan, Somalia and Syria must hold return or onward tickets.[3] Visitors are strongly urged to use the online system to avoid lengthy delays at the port of entry.[4]
Visa policy map
ETA exemption
On the basis of reciprocity, citizens of the following 3 countries are exempt from the requirement to obtain the Electronic Travel Authorization and can obtain a visa on arrival free of charge:[5]
Maldives (30 days, extendable to 150 days)
Seychelles (60 days, up to 90 days in a single year)
Singapore (30 days, extendable to 150 days)
Citizens of India and Russia also do not require a visa if holding a diplomatic or official (service) passport.
Visa in advance
Citizens of the following 19 countries must obtain a visa in advance from one of the Sri Lankan diplomatic missions:
Statistics
Most visitors arriving to Sri Lanka on short term basis in 2015 were from the following countries of nationality:[6]
| Rank | Country | Number | Share in % |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 |  India
|
316,247 | 17.6 |
| 2 |  China
|
214,783 | 11.9 |
| 3 |  United Kingdom
|
161,845 | 9.0 |
| 4 |  Germany
|
115,868 | 6.4 |
| 5 |  Maldives
|
90,617 | 5.0 |
| 6 |  France
|
86,126 | 4.8 |
| 7 |  Australia
|
63,554 | 3.5 |
| 8 |  Russia
|
61,846 | 3.4 |
| 9 |  United States
|
47,211 | 2.6 |
| 10 |  Japan
|
39,358 | 2.2 |
| Total of top 10 | 1,197,455 | 66.4 | |
| Other countries | 600,925 | 33.6 | |
| Grand total | 1,798,380 | 100 | |
See also
- Visa requirements for Sri Lankan citizens
- Tourism in Sri Lanka
- Foreign relations of Sri Lanka
- Sri Lankan passport
References
- ^ "Visa Information". Timatic. IATA. Retrieved 4 January 2014.
- ^ ETA
- ^ [1]
- ^ [2]
- ^ The following nationals & categories are exempt from ETA
- ^ "Sri Lanka Tourism Annual Statistical Report 2015" (PDF). Sri Lanka: Sri Lanka Tourism Development Authority. Retrieved 11 October 2016.