As part of the economic recovery, Sri Lanka has decided to considerably extend its system of free tourist visas for travellers from 40 countries.These include European countries, the United Kingdom, the United States, Canada, Australia and the United Arab Emirates. This announcement was confirmed by Foreign Minister Vijitha Herath on July 25, 2025, following recent cabinet approval to extend the measure to new nationalities.
With this policy, the government hopes to attract more tourists and offset the estimated loss of nearly $66 million in annual visa revenue through increased visitor numbers and indirect economic benefits. Sri Lanka justifies this choice by the stabilization of its economy and the ambition to guarantee steady growth in the tourism sector. The scheme is also designed to make Sri Lanka more competitive with other regional tourist destinations applying similar measures.
Countries eligible for the new program
This program, initially introduced in March 2023 for citizens of seven Asian countries - India, China, Indonesia, Russia, Thailand, Malaysia and Japan - was scheduled to run for six months and has now been extended and expanded.
Eligible travelers must always request an Electronic Travel Authorization (ETA).The visa fee is waived for tourist stays of 30 days. The 30-day visa can be extended at an additional cost.
Here is the complete list of 40 countries now eligible for free visas for Sri Lankaincluding :
Australia, Austria, Bahrain, Belarus, Belgium, Canada, China, Denmark, Finland, France, Germany, India, Iran, Israel, Italy, Japan, Kazakhstan, Kuwait, Malaysia, Nepal, Netherlands, New Zealand, Norway, Oman, Pakistan, Poland, Qatar, Russia, South Korea, Spain, Sweden, Switzerland, Thailand, Turkey, United Arab Emirates, United Kingdom, United States.
All nationalities eligible for Electronic Travel Authorization (ETA) can also benefit from a visa on arrival. Visa-on-arrival exemption is not yet in force, despite the latest announcements at the end of 2024 by the Sri Lankan authorities. You can read our latest article on this subject by clicking on this link.
Fill in a file from ETA Sri Lanka
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