Sri Lanka Updates Travel Rules: Eta Now Required For Visitors From China, India, Japan, Malaysia, Russia, And More Starting October 2025, What You Need To Know

Published on October 15, 2025

Sri Lanka is implementing a important alteration to its recreation policies, introducing a mandatory Electronic Travel Authorization (ETA) for each overseas nationals. Starting from October 15, 2025, each world traveler visiting Sri Lanka will request to unafraid their ETA online earlier their arrival. This marks a displacement from nan erstwhile policy, wherever immoderate visitors were permitted to get their recreation authorization upon arrival. The determination impacts each overseas visitors, including citizens from countries that were antecedently exempt from nan ETA fee.

While immoderate travelers from countries for illustration China, India, Japan, Malaysia, and Russia antecedently enjoyed a interest waiver, they excessively will now request to get their ETA online up of time. However, nan interest waiver remains progressive for those nether definite bilateral agreements pinch Sri Lanka, including citizens of Singapore, nan Maldives, and Seychelles.

What’s Changed for Foreign Travelers?

The caller norm will use to each overseas nationals, moreover those from nan countries that were antecedently exempt from paying nan ETA fee. Sri Lanka’s embassy has confirmed that nan norm alteration applies to each overseas visitors, marking a much streamlined process for travelers, moreover though it whitethorn present an further measurement for some. Travelers from 33 different countries are awaiting support for their interest exemption, but until nan parliamentary support is granted, they will still request to get nan ETA online and salary nan $50 fee.

Although nan caller norm requires travelers to unafraid their ETA earlier departure, Sri Lankan officials person assured that visitors who neglect to do truthful will still beryllium capable to get nan authorization upon arrival. However, it’s highly recommended that visitors complete this measurement successful beforehand to guarantee a soft recreation experience. The process of obtaining an ETA is speedy and simple, typically taking astir five minutes to complete online, aft which a print-out is required for entry.

How nan ETA Process Works

Once travelers get their ETA online, it will stay valid for six months from nan day of issue. Within that period, visitors tin enactment successful Sri Lanka for up to 30 days, pinch an action to widen their enactment done section authorities if needed. The ETA intends to simplify nan introduction process, eliminating nan request for lengthy visa applications aliases waiting times upon arrival.

The displacement to an online ETA strategy is portion of Sri Lanka’s broader effort to fortify its border security and make world recreation to nan land much efficient. With this caller argumentation successful place, nan state hopes to supply travelers pinch greater certainty and region nan consequence of administrative delays during their vacation aliases business trip.

Why Sri Lanka is Making This Change

Sri Lanka is moving difficult to make its tourism manufacture much accessible and competitive, pinch a target of welcoming three cardinal visitors successful 2025. To meet this goal, nan state is looking to streamline nan introduction process and pull much world travelers. The caller ETA strategy is aligned pinch world champion practices, which galore different tourism-driven countries person adopted successful caller years.

By ensuring that travelers are pre-approved for introduction earlier arriving, Sri Lanka intends to make nan process much predictable and efficient. The speedy online ETA exertion offers an easy solution to destruct delays aliases disorder erstwhile arriving astatine nan airport, giving visitors bid of mind.

However, nan deficiency of clarity connected which countries will use from interest exemptions has caused immoderate uncertainty among travelers. Sri Lanka’s tourism stakeholders are encouraged to pass nan changes intelligibly to debar confusion.

What Should Travelers Do?

Travelers readying a sojourn to Sri Lanka should statesman nan ETA exertion process good up of their trip. Here’s a elemental guideline connected really to unafraid your ETA:

1. Visit nan charismatic Sri Lanka ETA website: Start by filling retired your specifications and recreation plans.
2. Pay nan ETA fee (if applicable): Depending connected your nationality, you whitethorn request to salary nan $50 fee. Citizens of definite countries whitethorn still beryllium exempt.
3. Wait for approval: Once submitted, nan support process is speedy and typically completed wrong minutes.
4. Print your ETA approval: You will request to show nan printed ETA upon presence successful Sri Lanka.

By pursuing these steps, travelers tin debar imaginable issues astatine nan separator and guarantee a smoother introduction process.

Sri Lanka’s Tourism Strategy for nan Future

In statement pinch its efforts to boost tourism, Sri Lanka is besides focusing connected diversifying its offerings to pull different types of travelers. Whether you’re willing successful exploring ancient ruins, lounging connected nan island’s pristine beaches, aliases experiencing nan rich taste heritage, Sri Lanka offers thing for everyone. With a extremity of reaching $5 billion successful tourism gross by nan extremity of 2025, nan state is positioning itself arsenic an charismatic destination for travelers seeking some escapade and relaxation.

This displacement successful visa argumentation is portion of a broader world trend, wherever countries are progressively making it easier for visitors to sojourn by simplifying their visa and introduction requirements. Sri Lanka’s caller ETA strategy is simply a clear measurement towards joining these efforts and ensuring that recreation to nan land is arsenic convenient arsenic possible.

Moving Forward

As Sri Lanka looks to turn its tourism sector, nan Electronic Travel Authorization strategy will play a cardinal domiciled successful welcoming much world visitors. By eliminating last-minute paperwork and ensuring a streamlined process, Sri Lanka hopes to pull travelers from each complete nan world. With continued efforts to simplify introduction requirements and heighten nan visitant experience, Sri Lanka intends to proceed increasing arsenic a premier recreation destination successful South Asia.