Sri Lanka visa and ETA guide for Indian citizens

Indian passport holders visiting Sri Lanka for tourism have, at various points, needed either a paid Electronic Travel Authorisation or visa, or have been covered by a free-tourist-visa pilot scheme that Sri Lanka has introduced, extended, paused and reviewed on more than one occasion in recent years as part of a wider push to grow visitor numbers from key markets.

Because this status changes and neither arrangement should be assumed to be permanent, the only reliable way to know what applies to your specific travel dates is to check the official Sri Lankan Department of Immigration and Emigration website directly before booking flights, and again shortly before departure in case the position has shifted since you first checked.

Neither route involves a consulate visit or an in-person interview for the standard tourist category, which keeps the process broadly convenient for Indian travellers regardless of which arrangement currently applies. The distinction mainly affects whether a fee is payable and which specific online form is used.

Whichever entry route currently applies, the underlying documentation is broadly similar. A passport valid for at least six months beyond your planned stay is the baseline requirement across nearly every entry category, along with at least one blank page for any stamp or annotation.

Have your travel dates, accommodation address for at least the first night, a return or onward ticket, and a valid payment card ready before starting the online application, since the form is generally completed in a single session and asks for all of this together.

Applications are completed online through the official Sri Lankan Department of Immigration and Emigration ETA portal, accessible from anywhere with an internet connection, with no need to visit an embassy or consulate for the standard tourist category. Navigate to the site directly rather than clicking a sponsored search result or link from an unfamiliar site, since several unofficial pages mimic the government portal and charge inflated fees for the same service.

The form asks for passport details, personal information, travel dates and contact information, and, where a fee applies, payment is made securely through the portal itself. Once approved, the confirmation typically arrives by email and should be saved or printed, since it may be requested at check-in or on arrival in Sri Lanka.

A number of unofficial websites market themselves as Sri Lanka visa or ETA agents and charge considerably more than the official fee, a pattern common across many countries' online visa systems and one Indian applicants searching generic terms often encounter first in sponsored search results.

The safest approach is to type the official Department of Immigration and Emigration web address directly rather than clicking a sponsored link, and to treat any site asking for an unusually high fee or extensive unrelated personal information with caution before entering passport details.

Processing for a standard tourist ETA commonly takes a short window, often within a few days, though travellers should apply with a reasonable buffer, a few days to a couple of weeks before departure, rather than relying on same-day approval, since processing times can vary and are not guaranteed.

Validity periods and the length of stay permitted have also been reviewed and adjusted at points, so the specific number of days you're entitled to stay should be confirmed on the official portal at the time of your application rather than assumed from a previous trip or an older source.

Sri Lanka has periodically run a free-tourist-visa pilot scheme covering Indian nationals among a set of other markets, aimed at boosting arrivals from key source countries. These schemes have historically been introduced for a defined trial period, then extended, paused, or replaced with a different arrangement depending on the outcome and government policy at the time.

Do not assume a free-entry arrangement will still be active on your travel dates simply because it was in place when you read this or when a friend travelled recently. Confirm directly on the official immigration portal before booking flights and accommodation, and keep a note of the confirmation in case the scheme changes between booking and travel.

Check the official Sri Lankan Department of Immigration and Emigration site as one of your first steps when planning a trip, ideally before booking non-refundable flights, so your travel dates and the current entry requirement line up cleanly. Apply for whichever authorisation applies with a sensible buffer before departure, and pair it with proof of onward travel and your first-night accommodation address.

While the application itself is something every traveller completes individually, Lankan Stays & Trails can advise Indian travellers on current requirements as part of itinerary planning and make sure accommodation and travel details line up for a smooth arrival, so the paperwork is one less thing to worry about.