Visitors to Sri Lanka must obtain a visa, either on arrival to Sri Lanka or in advance, unless they are a citizen of one of the visa-exempt countries. Most visitors entering for tourism purposes are required to obtain an electronic visa (e-Visa) or a visa on arrival, unless they are exempt from obtaining one.[1] However, citizens of some countries must obtain a visa in advance instead of an e-Visa before being allowed to enter Sri Lanka. All visitors must hold a passport valid for 6 months.[2]
On 17 April 2024, Sri Lanka replaced its previous Electronic Travel Authorisation system with a new e-Visa system,[3] operated by VFS Global.[4] However, the new e-Visa system's increased fees were criticised by Sri Lankan opposition leader Sajith Premadasa, who claimed that Russian airline Red Wings Airlines had ceased operating flights to Sri Lanka due in part to the increased visa fees, and warned that the tourism industry could be brought to a "standstill".[4]
On the basis of reciprocity, citizens of the following countries do not need a visa to enter Sri Lanka, for stays up to the duration listed below:[5]
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Alternatively, nationals of visa-exempt countries who instead choose to apply for a "Standard tourist visa" online are exempt from paying visa fees.[3]
Holders of diplomatic, official, service or special passports of the following countries do not need a visa to enter Sri Lanka, for stays up to the duration listed below:[5][7][8]
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D - Diplomatic passports
O - Official passports
S - Service passports
Sp - Special passports
PA - Passports endorsed for "public affairs".
1 - 90 days
2 - 30 days
3 - 60 days, 90 days within any 1 year-period.
4 - 90 days within any 180-day period.
5 - 30 days within any 60-day period.
Citizens of all other countries except the visa-exempt countries and countries whose citizens require a visa in advance may obtain a visa on arrival which is good for double entry for tourist or good for multiple entries for business, valid for a maximum stay of 30 days. Visas obtained on arrival are generally discouraged as such visas are not automatically approved for entry into Sri Lanka.[9]
Citizens of the following countries and territories are ineligible to obtain an e-Visa, but may obtain a visa on arrival in Sri Lanka.[2] When obtaining a visa on arrival, they must provide a passport photo and fill in additional paperwork, such as a "Declaration of Identity for Visa Purpose", in order to be granted the visa.
Citizens of all other countries except the countries whose citizens either require a visa obtained on arrival or in advance may also obtain an e-Visa online.[1]
e-Visa can be applied for tourism or business reasons and includes following types (unless otherwise noted):
Validity | Number of entry | Duration of stay1 | Visa fee | Note |
---|---|---|---|---|
30 days | Single | up to 30 days | Gratis | Only tourists who are citizens of China, India, Indonesia, Japan, Malaysia, Russia or Thailand may obtain this type of visa from 24 October 2023 to 30 April 2024. |
6 months | Double | up to 60 days | 35 or 75 USD | SAARC member states: 35 USD Non-SAARC member states: 75 USD |
1 year | Multiple | up to 90 days | 200 USD | People who engage diplomatic or consular activities may get visa fee waived. |
2 years | Multiple | up to 180 days | 300 USD | |
5 years | Multiple | up to 180 days | 500 USD | |
10 years | Multiple | up to 180 days | 1000 USD |
1 - Duration of stay demonstrates how many days visitor may stay in each entry.
In addition, a 18.50 USD service fee is charged by VFS Global for each visa application.[4]
From 24 October 2023 to 30 April 2024, citizens of the following 7 countries are eligible for a gratis e-Visa (single entry) for tourism purposes only, valid for a maximum stay of 30 days.[10]
Citizens of Taiwan must select "China (Special Administrative Region of China)" as their nationality when applying for an e-Visa. |
Citizens of the following countries are ineligible to apply for both an e-Visa and a visa on arrival independently,[2] and thus must obtain a visa in advance from one of the Sri Lankan diplomatic missions around the world:[10]
When obtaining a visa at a Sri Lankan diplomatic mission, they must present the following documents:[10]
Citizens of the following countries must present a yellow fever vaccination certificate upon arrival in order to enter Sri Lanka:[10]
Most visitors arriving in Sri Lanka on a short-term basis were from the following countries:[11][12]
Country | 3/2024 | 2023 | 2022 | 2021 | 2020 | 2019 | 2018 |
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
India | 96,279 | 302,844 | 123,004 | 56,268 | 89,357 | 355,002 | 424,887 |
Russia | 91,205 | 197,498 | 91,272 | 16,984 | 49,397 | 86,549 | 64,497 |
United Kingdom | 58,819 | 130,088 | 85,187 | 16,646 | 55,455 | 198,776 | 254,176 |
Germany | 48,176 | 102,539 | 55,542 | 12,442 | 34,507 | 134,899 | 156,888 |
China[13] | 39,212 | 68,789 | 4,715 | 2,417 | 26,147 | 167,863 | 265,965 |
France | 33,382 | 56,251 | 35,482 | 6,549 | 24,838 | 87,623 | 106,449 |
Australia | 21,762 | 67,436 | 30,924 | 4,421 | 20,283 | 92,674 | 110,928 |
Poland | 19,498 | 17,946 | 15,195 | 2,110 | 11,908 | 20,896 | 20,378 |
United States | 19,038 | 46,344 | 22,230 | 6,124 | 16,842 | 68,832 | 75,308 |
Netherlands | 12,249 | 29,056 | 11,987 | 2,422 | 8,656 | 38,993 | 57,160 |
Canada | 12,072 | 43,944 | 26,845 | 5,079 | 12,346 | 48,729 | 52,681 |
Czech Republic | 10,324 | 12,056 | 7,350 | 1,864 | 7,599 | 19,204 | 17,600 |
Italy | 9,181 | 22,242 | 7,449 | 1,309 | 8,603 | 36,147 | 38,379 |
Switzerland | 8,361 | 23,556 | 13,260 | 2,974 | 6,389 | 29,981 | 33,965 |
Kazakhstan | 8,298 | 5,130 | 8,068 | 5,754 | 2,333 | 2,399 | 2,721 |
Maldives | 7,716 | 37,298 | 18,880 | 6,272 | 9,407 | 60,278 | 76,108 |
Japan | 7,234 | 19,583 | 3,087 | 392 | 6,644 | 30,079 | 49,450 |
Spain | 6,746 | 23,905 | 12,895 | 2,015 | 3,385 | 24,489 | 29,208 |
Austria | 6,431 | 10,594 | 5,541 | 1,502 | 4,300 | 14,713 | 19,320 |
Denmark | 6,199 | 10,346 | 7,278 | 1,302 | 4,905 | 16,869 | 19,223 |
Belarus | 5,891 | 10,969 | 3,621 | 646 | 2,638 | 4,796 | 4,621 |
Iran | 5,196 | 10,322 | 4,301 | 397 | 648 | 3,249 | 5,720 |
Sweden | 5,155 | 8,643 | 5,097 | 1,601 | 7,061 | 22,464 | 28,267 |
Malaysia | 5,067 | 10,940 | 2,779 | 323 | 3,494 | 16,861 | 22,808 |
Israel | 4,973 | 19,517 | 9,326 | 1,724 | 3,556 | 14,770 | 13,833 |
Belgium | 4,455 | 10,667 | 6,164 | 1,283 | 3,371 | 14,948 | 17,519 |
Romania | 4,455 | 4,092 | 3,313 | 820 | 1,724 | 5,463 | 5,931 |
Lithuania | 3,835 | 2,722 | 2,115 | 383 | 1,054 | 2,793 | 3,386 |
Norway | 3,588 | 8,747 | 5,983 | 1,141 | 3,019 | 13,446 | 17,217 |
Ukraine | 3,585 | 5,082 | 14,917 | 7,037 | 17,169 | 35,051 | 36,515 |
Hungary | 3,440 | 3,786 | 2,324 | 445 | 1,588 | 4,091 | 4,514 |
Taiwan | 3,431 | 4,999 | 363 | 42 | 1,985 | 7,127 | 8,187 |
South Korea | 3,368 | 7,298 | 1,843 | 389 | 2,499 | 12,195 | 15,748 |
Pakistan | 3,196 | 10,744 | 6,260 | 7,520 | 3,065 | 14,655 | 19,116 |
Slovakia | 3,114 | 4,464 | 2,432 | 664 | 1,513 | 4,944 | 5,289 |
Singapore | 2,832 | 9,551 | 3,770 | 557 | 2,545 | 13,871 | 19,861 |
Ireland | 2,679 | 5,136 | 3,056 | 559 | 2,294 | 8,254 | 10,830 |
Estonia | 2,498 | 1,808 | 978 | 376 | 1,185 | 2,516 | 2,744 |
New Zealand | 2,331 | 7,913 | 2,866 | 325 | 2,324 | 12,463 | 13,825 |
Thailand | 2,149 | 4,922 | 1,725 | 247 | 1,880 | 9,861 | 9,178 |
Finland | 1,867 | 2,287 | 1,500 | 341 | 2,298 | 7,028 | 8,888 |
Turkey | 1,853 | 3,739 | 1,514 | 309 | 2,121 | 4,972 | 4,262 |
Portugal | 1,811 | 3,943 | 1,906 | 372 | 1,602 | 5,193 | 5,933 |
Nepal | 1,442 | 4,750 | 1,065 | 325 | 1,384 | 5,414 | 5,302 |
Saudi Arabia | 1,151 | 6,797 | 5,952 | 1,596 | 4,755 | 15,707 | 34,703 |
Philippines | 1,097 | 4,164 | 1,961 | 529 | 4,249 | 14,590 | 19,303 |
Egypt | 971 | 3,091 | 2,340 | 400 | 956 | 3,708 | 3,854 |
Total Foreign Arrivals | 635,784 | 1,487,303 | 719,978 | 194,495 | 507,704 | 1,913,702 | 2,333,796 |