Visas-general

Foreign passport holders visiting Sri Lanka for a period of less than 30 days for the purposes of tourism, business or transit are required to apply online and obtain the Electronic Travel Authorization (ETA) through the official website of the Department of Immigration & Emigration (DI&E) of the Democratic Socialist Republic of Sri Lanka with effective from 01^st January 2012: www.eta.gov.lk.

Please note that the webpage is managed and maintained by the Department of Immigration in Colombo, Sri Lanka, with the following contact details: phone 0094719967888, fax: 0094112674631, email: This e-mail address is being protected from spam bots, you need JavaScript enabled to view it . For more information on short visit click here . 

IMPORTANT!!!  If you are planning to visit Sri Lanka for less than 30 days for the purpose of tourism, business or transit, you must apply online only! (www.eta.gov.lk). You can’t apply for short visit visa  for the purposes of tourism, business or transit at the Permanent Mission of Sri Lanka in Geneva. 

If you wish to contact the Permanent Mission and Consulate General of Sri Lanka you are welcome to do so by phone No. 022 919 12 50.

On the basis of reciprocity, citizens of the Republic of Singapore and the Republic of Maldives are exempted from the requirement of obtaining ETA to visit Sri Lanka. For more information on exemption please click here 

For further information on obtaining online visa, in addition to the above, please click here

Diplomatic and Official passport holders are exempted from paying the ETA processing fee, when their applications are channelled through State agencies such as Ministries, Statutory Bodies, Sri Lanka Overseas Missions etc. For further information on exemption from paying ETA processing fee click here

Although the validity of the ETA is limited to 30 days from the date of arrival, it can be extended up to a period of 6 months. For more information, visit http://www.immigration.gov.lk 

Nationals of other countries should obtain prior visas from the Sri Lanka Embassy/ Consulate in their country of residence or the nearest Sri Lanka Embassy which is concurrently accredited to their country, if the duration of stay is more than 30 days.  

If there is no Sri Lankan Embassy/ Consulate accredited to their country of residence, they can obtain entry visas upon arrival at the point of entry, provided that prior permission of the Controller of Immigration and Emigration is obtained. Sri Lanka Embassy/ Consulate abroad are authorised to issue single-entry visit visas valid for a maximum period of three months only.  

Visitors could get their visas extended for another three months at the Department of Immigration and Emigration. Those who intend to apply for a residence visa should contact the Department of Immigration and Emigration either themselves or through their local sponsor in order to obtain a pre-approved visa prior to their arrival in Sri Lanka. 

For business visas, a letter from the employer detailing the reasons for the visit to Sri Lanka, and a sponsor/invitation letter from the business contact in Sri Lanka are required to be submitted along with other documents. Multiple entry visas for Sri Lanka are usually issued for investors and businessmen and not for tourists and other categories of visitors.

Multiple entry visas valid up to 12 months are issued by the Department of Immigration and Emigration in Colombo or Sri Lanka Missions abroad with the approval of the Department of Immigration and Emigration. Please note that under no circumstances the status of visas will be changed after arrival in Sri Lanka (e.g. from a tourist visa to other category of visa such as residence visa). If changes are required, such applicants can apply for a fresh visa from Sri Lanka Embassy/ Consulate abroad, after leaving the country. 

For further details, please visit the website of the Department of Immigration & Emigration www.immigration.gov.lk .

IMPORTANT!!!  If you are visiting Sri Lanka for more than 30 days for the purpose of tourism or business you can apply at the Permanent Mission of Sri Lanka in Geneva by following the procedure mentioned below! When you are applying for visa through the Permanent Mission of Sri Lanka in Geneva, you must pay the visa fees in Swiss Francs only!!!!  US Dollars or other foreign currency are not accepted. For example, single entry tourist visa up to 3 months costs 45 CHF for Swiss passport holders.

You must not use the online visa application system www.eta.gov.lk . This system can be used only for a short visit  for the purposes of tourism, business or transit -less than 30 days.

Documents required for a visit visa for Sri Lanka