Announced by the previous government, the policy of free entry visas to Sri Lanka for tourists from 35 countries did not come into effect on October 1. Recently reactivated, ETA authorization is still required, and fees are still charged.
Last August, Sri Lanka unveiled a new measure aimed at attracting more international tourists, announcing the introduction of a free visa policy for tourists from 35 countries from October 1, 2024.
Long-awaited by travelers and the tourism industry alike, this initiative did not see the light of day today…
The initial announcement of a visa fee waiver policy had raised high hopes among both tourism professionals and potential visitors. Sri Lanka, faced with a decline in visitor numbers due to a variety of factors (including the COVID-19 pandemic, political unrest and the recent “visa crisis”), was looking to boost its tourism sector, which is a major source of revenue for the national economy.
The measure provided for the abolition of visa fees for nationals of the following 35 countries:
- Australia, Austria, Bahrain, Belgium, Belarus, Canada, China, Czech Republic, Denmark, France, Germany, India, Indonesia, Iran, Israel, Italy, Japan, Kazakhstan, Malaysia, Nepal, Netherlands, New Zealand, Oman, Poland, Qatar, Russia, Saudi Arabia, South Korea, Spain, Sweden, Switzerland, Thailand, United Arab Emirates, United Kingdom and United States.
No free visas for Sri Lanka without the approval of the new parliament
After almost 2 months without an active e-visa system, and just a few days after the reinstatement of the previous ETA electronic travel authorization service, clarification was expected today from the Sri Lankan authorities on the possible free visa measure announced by the former government.
The country’s new restricted executive held its first Cabinet meeting today with only three officials present, namely President Anura Kumara Dissanayake, Prime Minister Harini Amarasuriya and the new Foreign Minister and Cabinet spokesperson, Vijitha Herath.
In his report on Monday’s meeting, Vijitha Herath explained why the free visa policy had still not been activated.
The minister said that implementation of the scheme offering free visas to 35 countries had been delayed due to the inability to secure parliamentary approval.
“Although the previous cabinet approved it, Parliament was dissolved before the measure was approved,” said Vijitha Herath.
The Cabinet spokesperson explained that, since Parliament is not currently in session, discussions are underway with the Attorney General’s Department to find alternatives without a functioning Parliament.
“As a result, the delay is expected to continue until a solution is found, or the new Parliament is convened,” Vijitha Herath said.
Sri Lanka ETA visa is reactivated, functional and payable (except for seven countries)
No free visas for tourists from these 35 countries for the time being, and travelers wishing to visit Sri Lanka must still comply with the requirement to obtain, and pay for, an Electronic Travel Authorization (ETA) prior to arrival.
Reintroduced after the suspension of the e-Visa, the ETA system allows visitors to apply for authorization online before their departure on the www.eta.gov.lk portal, generally for a tourist, business or transit stay.
The ETA is relatively easy to obtain, costs US$50 (excluding bank charges) and is issued within a few hours.
Currently, only citizens of China, India, Indonesia, Japan, Malaysia, Russia and Thailand are eligible for a free visa via the ETA system.
See you in the coming weeks to find out whether these seven qualifying countries will be joined by other nations.
I have Australian passport. Arrived at Colombo airport on October 5th. Going to… “Visa on Arrival”. US$60 (sixty). You pay cash or card? Wait, so it’s not free, from 1st of October? They just said…change of Government, not approved yet. Then simple stamp in your passport, with ’30’ encircled (meaning number of days) by Immigration Officer. Before coming to Sri Lanka you also need to do Digital Arrival Card. (https://eservices.immigration.gov.lk/emb/eEmbarkation/'#/home-page)
boy, ok, thanks Andrew, at least i hope you have a good holiday. having free visas for countries is something Sri Lanka needs to boost its economy. hopefully with the new govt. that’ll take place soon.
I am from Singapore. Do it need to apply business visa. For to attend meetings
By the looks of the ETA chart on the ETA website it appears that the option for US citizens to get a 180 day visa has been discontinued too. It now appears that everyone needs to get the 30 ETA, and then apply for an extension for up to 180 days.
I’m also seeing that besides the ETA tourists traveling to Sri Lanka also need to get an Arrival Card within 7 days of travel at eservices.immigration.gov.lk/emb/eEmbarkation/‘#/home-page
Hey David, by the looks of it you can get a 90 day visa.. here’s the fees link: https://eta.gov.lk/slvisa/visainfo/fees.jsp
I’d recommend to still check with the SL embassy.
Dear sir if anyone Pakistan national holder the citizen of Pakistan wish to the travel to Sri Lanka Colombo for holidays they need for the visa are there are free for the travelling no need for the visa if they need the visa how much the service charge and how much take to the time for processing visa
Khan, you do need a visa. but you pay less as you are part of SAARC country group.
refer to this link: https://eta.gov.lk/slvisa/visainfo/fees.jsp
Hello, I’ve an official passport from Bangladesh. Do i need to apply for ETA ?
Yes Saihan, you do. but as Bangladesh is part of the SAARC countries group, your fees will be less than other countries.
please look at this link for visa fees: https://eta.gov.lk/slvisa/visainfo/fees.jsp